Tranferring vinyl to digital - the utter beginner's thread

Hi - I imagine many people in this forum are expert at ripping vinyl to digital, but I'm a rank beginner (knowledge level ~2 out of a possible 10), and would prefer not to jump into an 'advanced topics' thread until I learn the basics.

What I have:
- Dual 1219 with Ortofon 2M Blue and 1970s-vintage Discwasher
- Rega Fono Mini with analog stereo-in, USB-out and analog stereo-out
- Macbook Pro
- Audacity software and the standard open-source codecs (e.g. LAME)

I do know some rudimentary editing in Audacity, such as how to separate songs in a concert with fade-ins and fade-outs, but don't know how to record or make adjustments in the sound. After I get some experience at this, I'm willing to invest in paid software, and try other formats (and I'll take recommendations).

Anyone game to help a beginner get started? Thanks in advance!

Questions:

- After I open Audacity, what do I do first? What settings do I use in my software?
- How do I start a recording and how do I finish?
- What are some basic 'best practices' that everyone should follow?
- Can I rely on the software to separate the tracks, and not confuse it with quiet passages in the music?
- How do I get rid of pops and scratches without compromising audio quality?
- What are some 'must use' filters in Audacity? How are they used and why?
- Are there any 'must have' third party audio filters?

- I know I should record 'flat,' without any EQ adjustments - I can do that later
- I know I want a lossless file format - even I can tell the difference between an original and MP3-320
- I want to record in an 'archival' format that can survive the test of time (AIFF? WAV?)
- I know I need at least 16/48 or better for quality, and can down-convert to MP3 for my car etc
- I'm willing to play back in something other than iTunes, if it can home-network and play on a mobile device.

PS - here's an example of one thread that I found here, but even the first post was over my head! Your Vinyl Transfer Workflow (sharing best needledrop practices)* »

 

The first step is to get recording working. Plug the Rega USB into your Mac and report back with results.

 

I know many folks here would be happy to help you out, but boy...that's a LOT of questions! It would take a major investment of time for someone to try to answer even some of them. I'd suggest, if you haven't already, Googling and searching this and other forums to try to get a basic understanding of the things you're asking about. Perhaps that would help you formulate a more manageable list of questions.

I just Googled "record vinyl using Audacity," and just looking at the lead-ins for the search results indicates answers to some of your questions are literally moments away. Best of luck!
-Bob

 

I have made a few recordings in Audacity, before deciding the whole thing just isn't for me. One suggestion I'll make - Don't de-click the record just to get a few pops. Pops are so brief you can zoom in on them in Audacity and delete them.

 

Well, here's a starter for ten:

Firstly, I don't use Audacity for recording because I want to record in high res (24/96) and understand that there have been issues in the past with Audacity claiming to be recording in high res but not doing so. The issue may have been sorted but I've steered clear to be on the safe side. I do, however, use Audacity for editing.

So, to your questions (I'm using v2.05):
- After I open Audacity, what do I do first? What settings do I use in my software?
Click Edit and select Preferences. This is where you modify the settings you want. You can select standard CD quality (sample rate 44100 Hz, sample format 16 bits) or something else. I select Best Quality where there's an option. For what you probably want to do, there's little else to change.

- How do I start a recording and how do I finish?
Press the round Red button to start recording and the square one to stop.

- What are some basic 'best practices' that everyone should follow?
There's a thread somewhere here on workflow. I'd have a look at that. Personally, I record to high res, making sure to keep the peak volume no higher than -6dB; then I adjust the volume of the whole side (to maintain relative volume of each track). Next, I split the songs by highlighting each one in turn, cutting it and pasting it into a new file. Then I trim the start and end, before MANUALLY removing clicks. I find the declicking element to be temperamental at best (I can't seem to find a setting that actually works consistently, so I often use the Repair function instead.)

I should note that you'll need to use Export rather than Save in order to save as WAV. (I'd suggest saving initially as WAV. You can batch convert to the format of your choice later using other software).

- Can I rely on the software to separate the tracks, and not confuse it with quiet passages in the music?
No. Do this manually after you've recorded a whole side.

- How do I get rid of pops and scratches without compromising audio quality?
See my first answer.

- What are some 'must use' filters in Audacity? How are they used and why?
I don't use any.
- Are there any 'must have' third party audio filters?
Don't know, never used them.

- I know I should record 'flat,' without any EQ adjustments - I can do that later
Indeed.

- I know I want a lossless file format - even I can tell the difference between an original and MP3-320
Yes. I'd recommend exporting as WAV (you'll need to select "Other Uncompressed files" and then use Options to select 24 bit PCM or 32 bit PCM).

- I want to record in an 'archival' format that can survive the test of time (AIFF? WAV?)
See above. Once you've finished finessing your files you can worry about what format to archive them in. FLAC is my favourite but it's not compatible with iTunes so I've had to convert my rips back to WAV, import them to iTunes and then use iTunes to convert to Apple Lossless.
- I know I need at least 16/48 or better for quality, and can down-convert to MP3 for my car etc
Indeed, I'd recommend Foobar2000. You can use it to batch convert your files to most formats. Remember, though, if you're converting to MP3, you'll need to apply dither and resampling.
- I'm willing to play back in something other than iTunes, if it can home-network and play on a mobile device.
Winamp will play FLAC or WAV high res files.

Good luck and enjoy the ride.

 

This blog taught me a fair amount:

Computer Audiophile - Guide to Converting Analog Vinyl To Digital Files Using Windows »

 

This problem ("fake" 24-bit) arises only under Windows; OP will be using a Mac.

BTW, don't take it as a given that the Rega Fono Mini supports 24-bit. Manufacturer does not include this in the specs and the one review I've found where it is mentioned says it's limited to 16/48. Maybe an owner can confirm?

 

Thanks to everyone so far - I hadn't watched the responses over the weekend. Looks like some great advice...

 

Yes, I felt a little uneasy asking all those questions in retrospect... But by the time my conscience got to me, it was past the 30 min editing period.

 

Nothing wrong with asking, how else will you learn enough to start. This forum is about helping each other. Some of us need to keep that in mind.

 

Not to thread hijack... But I've recorded and saved as WAV. Now I need to know how to get that file imported to windows media player. Having a lot of trouble doing it. Any suggestions?

 

trying to rip analog into a computer is very tricky (as seen by OP's long question list_) so he should get a Stand alond cd burner and some blank CD's and record right out the rega phono into CD recorder. DOne. then rip to computer into WAV. DONE enjoy music again

 

Huh, interesting, I never use WMP for playing files and just tried a 16/44 and a 24/96 wav file and no go here either, Win10
Try this
Windows Media Player 12 won't play .WAV files Solved - Windows 7 Help Forums »

 

I'll list what I do and why, and I've been very happy with the results.

It starts with the source, so of course, a great, noise free pressing on a well set up turntable (heavily modded Rega RP6 with AT 150MLX cart here). All the obvious stuff: levelling & isolation (got the Rega wall bracket), correct alignment, VTA, VTF, well grounded etc.

I then go into a Radial J33 phono preamp which has unbalanced consumer line level outputs, as well as balanced XLR mic level outputs (basically for driving very long lines on stage, if needed). I've tried both outputs into the next piece in the chain (a Chandler TG2 mic preamp with balanced XLR mic inputs and unbalanced DI inputs), and prefer the sound of the unbalanced line outputs from the J33 into the DI inputs of the Chandler mic pre. Things sound best this way, I don't need a long line from phono pre to mic pre, and going unbalanced DI also bypasses the input transformer on the mic input, for less in the signal chain. Why not just go direct from phono pre to converter for the purest sound? Because I like how it sounds this way, and the mic pre gives me another 10-20dB of clean gain into the ADC so I don't need to play with levels after recording.

Next is a Dangerous Music Bax EQ. I have this set to counteract the non-flat frequency response of the AT-150MLX, which has a bit of a "smiley curve" EQ built in. You can see this by running the pink noise track from the Hi-Fi Test Record into an analyser. I adjust the EQ to get back to almost totally flat again. The Bax is renowned for having an insanely transparent sound with minimum phase distortion.

Finally it hits my Crookwood mastering converters, and I record 24/96 into iZotope RX5 Advanced (probably overkill for vinyl ripping, but I use it every day in my mastering studio, so it has paid for itself many times over). I prefer not to do any post processing at all, if possible. Things like a few crackles or a tiny bit of surface noise don't bother me. Of course if there are loud "ticks" I may remove them.

And that's it!

For my DJ mixes I'm going from the RP6 into my Condesa Lucia DJ mixer (48V rails, Class A, all discrete, transformer balanced outs etc.), which has the phono pre's built in, and is very "vibey" sounding (lots of nice harmonic distortion, bit of a smiley curve going on etc.), and the balanced outputs go straight into the Crookwood ADC. I like a bit of vibe in the DJ mixes!

Hope that was all somewhat helpful!

 

I use a Tascam CD Recorder. Put in a blank cd, drop the needle, press Record. Done.

 

Clear your schedule and spend an afternoon reading through this thread...
Your Vinyl Transfer Workflow (sharing best needledrop practices)* »
Loads of valuable information and insights that will probably leave you more confused than when you started... lol!

 

I may have to sorta do that. I can burn a CD with the WAV file I made but I can't input it to media player. So (and this is clunky) I could burn a cd for each song and then put the Cd in and rip into media player. Doesn't sound like technology... I use to do amazing things with whiteout and a photo copier... I can like hear banjos playing just thinking about doing it like that.

 

Well, I started to assemble your chain on paper . The Radial J-33: $200. Okay. I bought a Rega Fono Mini, check. But the second item stopped me cold. The Chandler - $2,000?! And what, three more components to go? This is a Beginner's thread I wanted beginners advice, not a second mortgage. Impressive, though

 

Thank you for this advice. Mostly followed and with good results. All it took was a Rega Fono Mini, a USB cable, my Macbook Pro, Audacity, and the plug-ins (LAME, et al). For my 'most missed' and 'favorite' vinyl albums, I'm exporting both aiff 16-44.1khz and mp3-320 (one for archive & home, and one for car). I might make the setup fancier in the future, but I'm happy for now.

As for the whole 'vinyl vs digital/CD' debate, I can report that the digitized vinyl - even over my home network via iTunes - has noticably better dynamics and more nuance than same music on CDs (a/b'ed) - and the aiff is not discernably different from the vinyl original.

 

I never rely on software to do this. I always prefer to manually split up the tracks myself so I get 100% precise results.

By not using Audacity do do it.

A lot of people here favor "Click Repair". It is cheap and very effective! Some of us use iZotope RX. And, some of us use one or both of those in conjunction with manual declicking. Me? I do not use Audacity. I use at least four different programs for audio restoration. If one program doesn't do the job, another one will.

Never work on mp3 files! Save to .aif or .wav. Keep a lossless archive. You can always make mp3s out of your lossless files.

Yup. Either one of these. But, it it wiser to use a format like ALAC or FLAC. They save space, and require less overhead to playback. Also, .wav does not store much metadata.

Always record at 24-bit if you plan on doing anything like EQ or whatnot.

The OP is definitely using paid software you don't have. That's probably the biggest thing throwing you. Honestly, the only real way to learn this stuff is to dive in and just do it! Trial and error. That's how many of us learned. The difference for some of us is that we didn't have internet sites to help us. We learned by the seat of our pants.

I started off with a funky little program called ART32. It was terrible. And it had a vacuum tube tool that I overused without totally understanding it all. I started off by using a terrible soundcard. I had to record my vinyl to DAT, then transfer the DAT into the computer. I got horrible results.

I eventually discovered Cool Edit 96 and then Cool Edit 2000, and stepped up to a Turtle beach soundcard and everything got exponentially better, as I learned my skills. I also started recording from the preamp into the computer, and recorded at 32-bit. From there, I stepped up to Cool Edit Pro, Sound Forge, and tried dozens of little decockers I downloaded.

I replaced by soundcard again with the E-mu 0404, which I still use today, and now use Adobe Audition CS5, 3.5, Sound Forge 10, iZotope Ozone 4 and RX, Click Repair, and two tagging apps. It is time for me to change it all up again, but I can't afford to do that just yet.

Throughout the whole time, I also gradually improved my turntable, cart, and preamp. The DAT is long gone.

The idea is to get the cleanest vinyl (or tape) playback going into the computer at 24-bit first. Worry about the rest once it's in the box.

Just set your peaks so that nothing shoots into the red or goes over "0" when recording into the computer. but, at the same time, make sure that it's not too low.

The sampling rate (44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176, 192 kHz) is an argument i'll leave to others. I use either 44.1 or 96. End of story.

I suggest you worry about how you will store and play your resulting files AFTER you record and clean your files. One thing at a time!

 

I suggest not confusing the issue by suggesting he use different hardware. The OP is using a computer, and that's what he wants to use. And, frankly, you can do a better job with a computer-based workflow.

Also, the OP may not be interested in saving to CD-R. So, again, the standalone method is out. Even if he uses one as an intermediate step, it wastes time, money, and produces waste.

 

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Awesome post. Here's someone that knows what they're doing.

 

I was considering a Tascam, which I could also take to shows, but ultimately the Rega Mini won. I back everything up 1) Contantly using cloud (Backblaze $5/mo unlimited gb), 2) Weekly to external drives, 3) Annually to DVD-R. e.g. if you don't have 3 backups, you aren't backed up. But no CD-R.

 

Currently considering alternatives to Audacity. Also, different player software. Mac recommendations welcome. Something that lets me digitize and play 96kbps sampling.