Converting Vinyl to digital

hi Chris -

I use protools because it's what came with my 'Mbox' so you do need the Mbox. this is a downside of protools: dedicated hardware - that other software doesn't require. that being said, Mboxes are ubiquitous and used ones can be found for well under $200 with ease.

once I've recorded the LP, using the best resolution my protools version has (24/48 WAV file) I convert it to a 'redbook' standard (16/44) 'aiff' file; then I can import the file to itunes.

at the risk of starting a riot...

perhaps it's a function of the A-D filter in the protools or the DAC in my CDP (or both), but, in some ways, my CDs that I make from LPs sound better to my (clearly flawed) ears than the LPs, especially in the bass. and I realize this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

oops - I forgot to answer:

I run from preamp to mbox, which is connected (USB) to the computer.

Musicslug-

Just wondering what the difference would be if you have a preamp with a tape out , a cd / recorder, turntable and while the record is playing , recording it to cd. Once the album is finished, take the cd to the computer, use a program called NERO to convert the audio files to AIFF or WAV files and then can either burn it to cd or can use a program like Audacity or Goldwave where you can edit the recording ( remove pops, ticks, etc..) and then once finished burn to cd.

The main problem with the JC Penny rig is that you are limited to the sound that will be produced by that turntable and cartridge which probably is not that good. So you will be recording the sound of a crappy turntable and you will get a crappy sounding CD as well.

I have gotten some great results and many of the best sounding CDs in my collection were recorded by me from vinyl. The cool thing about it is that you get as good of a recording as you have for playback. So the better the table, arm, cart and phono stage, the better the recording.

You do need a good AD converter as well to get a great recording. I am using a Wadia 17 AD converter fed from the tape out of my preamp and then digtial via AES/EBU to an Alesis Masterlink recorder. I edit the album sides into individual tracks and then burn a CD of it which I rip via itunes into my computer. It takes about 10 minutes to edit the recording so you can burn a CD from it. There are some other options that might be a little quicker on the editing side of things but the Masterlink works pretty good and if used with a good outboard AD converter you can get great sound from it too. The weak link of the Masterlink itself is the AD conversion, but since it has a digital input you can just bypass it by using a better outboard AD converter.

I'm not saying that the CD recordings sound better than actually listening to the vinyl but they sound better than most CDs you buy assuming you've got a nice playback rig. It is a little trouble but it's fun and the sound you get is worth it.

It's pretty hard to do comparisons between different phono carts for example but if you get a recording made from them then you contrast the differences easily by comparing the recordings made to CD.