please help with a vinyl-to-CD-R problem

OK, so I finally got some time to try to record some vinyl to CD-R. Trouble is, I got a weird outcome. The digital transfer has a lot of obvious surface noise, much more so than the vinyl itself. It's almost as if there's a compressor on (but there's not). I noticed it right off with the 'phones on, separating the tracks. Burned a copy & sat down to A/B it with the vinyl. The vinyl is much, much quieter by itself- it's like the difference between M- vinyl and VG vinyl.

My music system & computer systems are on different floors & a couple rooms apart. I ran a decent (but not great) RG6 line from point A to point B & added RCAs at both ends. Here's the path:

TT (VPI HW-19Jr)
Preamp (C-J)
Flying Calf A/D
RG6: 40-50 feet?
Monarchy DIP
Soundcard S/PDIF in (Turtle Beach Montego II)

I have used the A/D & soundcard before with better results, but haven't done a lot of it (had a different house/setup then). I'm curious if anyone thinks the digital cable is the culprit. It almost sounds like a faint digital reverb with the 'phones on-reflections in the cable?

Anyway, I'd appreciate any ideas you might have. I really don't want to disassemble either system & move them to the other room unless it's necessary-although that might answer my question...

Thanks!

 

I had this happen once dubbing some Dionne Warwick lp's

I think your input level is too high.

Spikes that exceed the level that your cd player can handle may
sound OK played off your hard drive before you burn the cd,
so this problem is not immediately obvious.

I have on occasion, when the vinyl was cut REALLY hot,
put a cassette deck in the signal path set in rec-pause mode,
to lower the level of signal going into the soundcard.
A -6db on the cassette deck seems to be just what the
sound-in jack on my pc wants to hear.

Hope to heck this helps. Be sure to scrub the vinyl before
you play it too, you don't want to filter the clicks out later, trust me.

 

Might you consider getting a stand-alone cd burner?

I got my Sony CDRW33 with SBM for only $510.

You can then rip them into your computer and have your way with the files.

Also, you can use the outboard to make dupes of CDRs without tying up your computer.

 

Re: I had this happen once dubbing some Dionne Warwick lp's

Can't you adjust the levels on that Flying Calf? You can on the ART DI/O.

 

Thanks for the replies, guys. The Flying Calf has internally adjustable levels, and I was running well below the threshold on the VU meters. The software I'm using also has VU meters, and it never went over -3.0-2.5 db.

And it was MoFi vinyl I was working with, which is cut at a lower level anyway. I will lower it more, and see if the sharp transients are overloading it.

The digital audio is messed up at the hard-drive level, too, not just the CD. I can, with some swapping around, etc, hook it up so I can hear the digital signal just before the soundcard, and see if the signal's messed up pre- or post soundcard...

HZ, I would love a standalone unit, but for the limited time's I'd use it I doubt it'd be worth it. I tend to burn discs when I'm doing other things anyway, so that's not really an issue with me. It would be convenient, but there're other toys I want to buy

 

I use a stand alone burner to copy LP's to cd-r. Then I do any processing/cleaning/track marking on my computer. It works out pretty good, plus I always have a master to back to if the software improves (or my skill with it - I have already gone back and remastered my LP remasters). It seems to work out pretty good.

 

I dunno. I use my two-deck TDK CD Recording deck and record straight through the analogue connections from the TT to the amp to the CD recorder.

Great sound, everytime.

Ben

 

specs on my soundcard

I should state for the record (no pun intended) that my pc soundcard is in fact the motherboard of an Apple Macintosh Performa 6400/180. The software with the "hot" levels is "Disc Doctor" from Roxio's Toast 4.

I honestly have not heard any detrimental effects of having a cassette deck in the signal loop, as long as no taping actually takes place. My cable is all Monster oxygen-free stuff with gold connectors, bought on the cheap.

 

Not only are your cable runs too long, but are probably being affected by some stray magnetic field.

I recommend that you MOVE either the computer or the stereo componats (s) together in the same room next to each other.