Record LP's thru a sound card

[chapmc]

I have a lot of old LP records of classical music. I would like to record some of them onto my PC and then create CD's from them. I don't have a decent sound card at the moment. Does anyone know what quality sound card would be required for this? Can I just feed the output of my turntable into the Line input on a sound card? It would also be nice to have some software that would eliminate some of the scratches. Will my fidelity be as good as the original?
Thanks for any suggestions.

[Mykex]

Sounblasters PCI512 is ok for this since it has a sterio mini phono input and its cheap you can find it on sale around 50 or less.

[chapmc]

I am not a gamer and I do not listen to music thru my PC, at least not at the moment. Please tell me what I am buying when I spend more money on a sound card. I would assume the fidelity is better on playback. What about recording? For a home user, could I tell the difference?

[phecky]

For what you are going to do, the software is the major issue. Otheos suggested use of the SB16 card is fine. The newer SB cards have better output -but you aren't concerned with that- and come with different software packages. I can tell you that I have a SB Live MP3 package and although the software is good for many things it would probebly be easier to use the Adaptec CD creator deluxe. You'd only have to open up one program instead of several to record those LP's.
On the other hand if you need to buy a sound card why not get a SB live now. They'er not much more $ than the older SB cards and you would have a sound card that would easily migrate to a future PC upgrade. Besides, it really is a much better sound processor. If you have a lot of CD creating from LP's to do and extra $ check out the SB Live Plantium with the FRONT mounted "live drive"!

[This message has been edited by phecky (edited 12-16-2000).]

[otheos]

A standard SB16 will do fine!

Now you cannot connect directly the turntable to the line in because unlike all other (CD's, tape decks etc) devices the turntable out needs preamplifying. So if you connect it directly you'll get a very weak signal. Now you can amplify that after (post amplifying) but you also amplifying the noise so the quality is degrading.

If you manage to put the turntable through an amp and then take the signal from the amp (through the headphones out of the amp for example) to the line in of the card, adjust the line in from the mixer to avoid clipping.

When you record it on disk there are various programs to edit the files and remove hiss and scratch noises. The final quality will be at least as good as the original LP, and with a bit of work you can get it to a perfect CD-Quality level.

If you have Easy CD creator DELUXE from adaptec it has everything you need built in to record, edit and burn to cd.

If you don't, well there are many other programs. I use Cool Edit PRO but it is not a shareware so I cannot recommend it eventhough it is extremely powerfull and has all the features you need. I am sure other people can help you with this part of your question.

[3beanlimit]

About soundcards.

A couple of questions you need to ask yourself first.

How much are you willing to spend on a card, and are you a hardcore gamer.

If your a gamer, then use one of the different editions of the Soundblaster Live. The 5.1 is a great card, as is the Soundblaster Live value, for less money but less software.

If your not such a hardcore gamerer and can afford it,
then check this link for one great highend soundcard! (http://www.digitalaudio.com) The Carddeluxe is one fine card,but make sure your seated when you see the price on this baby!

If your records are in pretty good condition, not to many pops or clicks, then simply make a wav file and then burn them. If they are a little noisy, then do as otheos suggested.

Hope this helps. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Oops...one of my links were dead...the Wave/496 seems to be out of business.




[This message has been edited by 3beanlimit (edited 12-16-2000).]

[3beanlimit]

Hello chapmc

As far as cards go, the difference in what you are intending to do, would be in the ADC (analog to digital converter, and not the DAC (digital to analog converter). You're going to be converting an analog signal to digital. There is a difference in the quality of different converters.

If your going to be using your computer as a center for an entertainment system, then a better quality DAC is a bonus. If you're into gaming, then a card such as the SoundBlaster Live is almost a must. The SoundBlaster Live in its cheaper flavors can be had for as little as 60 bucks.

That link I posted above, for the CardDeluxe, check out the site, and read the different reviews for it. Now this is more or less a professional card. It's great for both playback and recording. The signal to noise ration is quieter than the blood flowing through your ears. Is it worth it? I can't say for everyone simply because it is one expensive card. In addition, the simple fact is, that most people probably wouldn't be able to hear much of a difference between it and a SoundBlaster live on their computer. Your case is somewhat different though. How nice is your stereo? That's a factor. Also, just how good are your ears? The difference between these cards isn't going to be night and day, but there is certainly a difference. Another thing, are your records that you would like to convert rare? Is there a cd of them out already? If so, how long ago? Early CD's left a little to be desired in my book. I couldn't blame you for converting them.

phecky, and otheos are also correct in stating that your software that you're going to be using is also important.

I find myself that the Adaptec software, doesn't do all that great a job if your records are very noisy. On the other hand, it works fast! I use Cool Edit 2000 for cleaning up my records. I had to buy a separate plugin for it though. And Cool Edit is kinda slow. But your getting a through look at your wav file for pops and clicks.

I don't know if this clears up any confusion or just makes it worse. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/biggrin.gif

[chapmc]

Thanks to all of you for the advice. I think I will wait until after Christmas and price some Soundblaster cards. My LPs are not particularly great but some have sentmental value. I'm not looking for the greatest quality. I will see what kind of software I get with the card that I end up buying and then I will have to do some research on how to use it or what else to buy. I have no experience with recording!

Merry Christmas to all!!

[Barney]

As Otheos said you'll need a pre-amplifier.Those things are very small and not very expensive.You can also use a regular amplifier you can hook a "phono" on (you can with most).You can buy a SoundBlaster 128,which costs only about $25.It's very suitable to record anything on your PC.

Good software is Cool Edit ( http://www.syntrillium.com/cooledit/ ).It's very easy to learn and use.It took me about 5 minutes to learn the basic things in it.

Ronald