Transfer Vinyl to Disc / MP3

[apatriot]

Any business in town that can provide this service at a reasonable price?  It's something only found on vinyl and I'd really like to get it transferred to disc.

[Thor]

I have a handfull  of LPs that I can't get on CD. I would be very interested if anyone knows of any transfer service.

[scoon]

You can do it on your own.  Spend a Benjamin for a turntable that converts to MP3 and connects to your puter via USB. 

http://www.amazon.com/Ion-iTTUSB-Turntable-USB-Record/dp/B000BUEMOO

Or do a Google search for other DIY methods...  especially if you already own a turntable.

[mustang54]

  I think it can also be done with a turntable and a stand alone cd recorder like a Phillips recorder that was very popular a few years back. With the Phillips you can transfer disc to disc or use the jacks on the back to transfer from another outside source like a turn table or a cassette player.

[Hogzilla]

If you have a computer with a mic input and a way to capture sound (like software that comes with Easy CD Creator or Toast for MAC) you can capture the sound on the computer and then make a MP3 from the AIF files it gives you. Just get a cord that takes your RCA and turns it into a 1/8" jack you can plug into the computer. Start up the audio capture software. Capture it. Do any modifications you need to. Then bring the AIF into iTunes and convert it to MP3. It's actually quite easy. You just have to have the software to capture it. On the MAC it's called Spin Doctor. Good luck.

[Bonster]

Right on Hogz.

On PC's they'll be WAV files. 

Record (WAV) at the highest freq you can (44,100Hz, 16 bit, stereo).

Convert (MP3) to the highest rate for best quality, if you've got the drive space.

I use Classic Goldwave w/ a LAME codec for my conversions.

(don't try to plug your phonograph directly into the PC - use the RCA line outputs from your receiver/mixer as described above)

[Hogzilla]

You have to have your turntable grounded or it will sound awful. Good advice above.

[apatriot]

Thor, all we need to do is head to Oak Brook and pickup one of these.  For me it would be worth it.  I have so much on vinyl that just cannot be found anywhere, not even on the world wide net. 

http://www.brookstone.com/sl/product/40-crosley-songwriter-recordable-turntable.html

[watcher]

Thor, all we need to do is head to Oak Brook and pickup one of these.  For me it would be worth it.  I have so much on vinyl that just cannot be found anywhere, not even on the world wide net. 

http://www.brookstone.com/sl/product/40-crosley-songwriter-recordable-turntable.html

The process of converting vinyl to MP3 is relatively simple, but complicated.

If you have a home stereo system and turntable you can get a patch cord like http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2945487&CatId=453

connect patch cord from your stereo's audio out (the RCA plug end) to the LINE IN jack (3.5mm plug) on your computer's sound card. (typically a blue jack next to the green speaker jack)

The complications start here. You need software that will record the sound coming in from your stereo. There are hundreds of programs that claim will do this.
http://www.download.com/Audio-Production/3150-2170_4-0.html?tag=dir
Finding one that is simple to use is another matter. Most will take the sound from the vinyl and covert it, I haven't found one yet that is good at splitting an album side into song files. So if you are content with one big file of side 1 and another of side 2 it's all good... Otherwise you have to manually stop each track or spend time editing the sound files into tracks. That may be why nobody is jumping up to volunteer. If you enjoyed making "mix" tapes you'd understand the start/stop process...

USB turntables come with Audacity software. It'll do the job of recording sides. The editing part of the program isn't exactly user friendly.

I've converted a few of my collection, but I've had good luck using torrents to find MP3 copies. Somebody else has already done the conversion.

You might want to search a little at http://www.torrentz.com and see if your tastes are similar to others. If you can find most or at least some of your
collection it will lighten the load you'll have to do for yourself.

[Hogzilla]

Thor, all we need to do is head to Oak Brook and pickup one of these.  For me it would be worth it.  I have so much on vinyl that just cannot be found anywhere, not even on the world wide net. 

http://www.brookstone.com/sl/product/40-crosley-songwriter-recordable-turntable.html

That's pretty cool. Especially since it does 78s also. Post back how it works out if you end up getting it.

[PamF]

I got mine at Costco.  http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11207411&search=usb%20turntable&Mo=1&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=usb%20turntable&Ntt=usb%20turntable&No=0&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

$99.99 shipping included

[Thor]

Thats not bad, $100.00 bucks for UBS turntable, but my problem is, is it worth it for only a small  handful of LPs???