Converting LP to digital. Advice please...

I've developed a pretty efficient and good sounding procedure in recent months.   

I use line out from pre-amp to an Art USB Phono + converter then USB in to laptop making sure high res stereo recording is enabled on the USB microphone device.  I use Audacity software on the laptop to record, edit and process.   Audacity is freeware and the ART device can be had on Amazon for <$100.  It also functions as a phono pre-amp as needed.  Very functional and flexible device.   I then use Picard freeware and db Poweramp software to tag as needed.

I set levels and record in Audacity once the needle drops on side 1 then continue recording until side 2 is complete.    Next in Audacity I delete out extra data between sides for a smooth transition between last track on side 1 and first on side two.   Then I play the tracks to add labels to designate breaks between  tracks at proper locations.  

Then comes click removal followed by normalization to complete the processing.  Next I export many to export each labeled track to a file in the target library directory.    The files are loaded into Picard to autotag or if no  suitable matches for tags can be found there  I tag manually using dbpoweramp.   Finally I run my Seagate backup software to get  a backup of the new files right away and rescan my Squeeze Server library to pick up the new files in that library.   Plex autoscans and picks up new files automatically.     It takes me 20-30 minutes in general to complete the processing once recording is done.   Results are quite good with a little practice and I think the results would suit most here.

Tascam has superseded the Alesis Masterlink as best bang for the buck, but not just best bang for the buck; pretty darn excellent against any comparator.  Look for posts on vinyl asylum by John Ellison and Dave Garretson.  If I were at all interested in doing this, I would buy the Tascam in a heartbeat.

Technology marches on. I don't think the Tascam offers de-clicking, nor does it automatically split and name tracks.

The Sweet Vinyl SC-2 seems to do it all. It seems very promising as an easy to use all-in-one solution. It is being beta tested and it should be available soon for purchase.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sweetvinyl-sugarcube#/

You can also play your records with the SC-2 hooked up to your phono pre, which supposedly will eliminate clicks and pops as the record is being played, without degrading the sound. Fremer gave it a positive write up.

All I can say is: Sweet Vinyl SC2 = $2,000 retail
Tascam = $1,000 retail, and can be had at a modest discount.

Also, two experienced and technically knowledgeable guys on VA swear by the Tascam.  Both say they either cannot distinguish the recording from the original vinyl or that the two are so close in quality that the difference is trivial.  Dave Garretson has already performed a modest tweak to the PS of his Tascam and reports an upgrade, from "barely different from the LP" to "no audible difference compared to the LP".  Dave's vinyl system is first rate.  But I admit this is all hearsay.

I don't question your basic premise that (digital) technology marches on and that eventually something better than the Tascam will come along, just as the Tascam has eclipsed the Alesis.  Whether the Sweet Vinyl is that new product, I don't know.

PS. I don't like the idea of hooking up any digital device in the signal path of my phono.  Removing "ticks and pops" cannot be a free lunch with no untoward effects on the music.  Plus the mere fact of running the signal from a phono cartridge through an extra pair of male and female connectors before it gets to the phono stage (assuming the SC inserts at that point) cannot be without penalty. Moreover, ticks and pops are a rarity in my system, not really bothersome at all, even when occasionally they do occur.  Of course, anyone else who is totally allergic to ticks and pops may go ahead and indulge.  I will look up Fremer's review.

Additional A/D converters that appear to be well worth considering, and are just now being introduced, are the Sound Devices MixPre-3 (24/96 max, $649), and the Sound Devices MixPre-6 (24/192 max, $899).

They record to an SD memory card, and the recorded files can then be easily copied to a computer hard drive from either the card or the recorder itself.

Over the years Sound Devices has established a reputation as a "go to" supplier of very high quality equipment for a wide range of pro audio applications, as described in the "About" page of their website. They introduce new products infrequently, and I have no reason to doubt that these devices are sonically competitive with many that sell for much higher prices.

I have no affiliation, other than having just ordered a MixPre-6 for applications unrelated to my audio system.

Regards,
-- Al