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Digitizing LPs: General advice wanted

Hi everyone,
I will soon set out to digitize a LOT of LPs.
And given the extensive labor that will involved, I DESPERATELY want to do it right the FIRST time :-).
btw, I am solely concerned with the recording process, as playback issues may always be addressed later.

At this point, I only know that I want to record at a minimum of 24/96 with a PLANAR 3 turntable.

As everything else is undetermined, I am looking for some general advice.
I.E.:
Should I use a PC or an digital recorder ?
If a PC, should I use an INTERNAL sound card or a USB sound card (so as to minimize RF nose) ?
If a digital-recorder, are there any that will record at 24/96 ?
And can they easily share files with a PC (for use with editing software, etc) ?

Any other advice, pitfals, or experiences to share ?

Many thanks for any advice you may offer :-).
captainbeyond
sdcampbell
2,136 posts
 
I've been transcribing LP's onto CD for the past 6 months, and my personal belief is that you'll get better results with a CD recording machine that allows you to make a direct connection with your preamp (or phono preamp if you have a separate stage). I've been using a Sony RCD-W1 and getting very acceptable results. Other regulars on this forum have been using other brands with good results as well. (I believe that Craig -- aka "Garfish") owns a professional Marantz CD recorder that he likes.

FWIW, I'd go with the CD recorder, because I don't really like using a PC with soundcard. I also think the CD recorder is easier to use, and is more flexible -- for example, you can easily make additional copies at a later time without having to first load the CD onto your computer. There are several good CD recorders that can be bought at discount for $350-400. FWIW, that's my 2 cents worth...

Scott C-
dopogue
1,773 posts
 
I've recorded at least l00 LPs to CD. It's both easier and harder than you think. I'd forget the 24/96 requirement though. And I'd go with a professional CD recorder like my TASCAM CDRW700 rather than one of the "consumer" units that restrict your ability to do digital dubs and use computer CDRs. The TASCAM goes for $450 at Oade Bros. It's easy to use, but the hard (or time-consuming) part of recording LPs is that you have to manually insert a track marker at the end of every tune if you want to be able to access each tune rather than each side of an LP. This means you have to listen as you record; that's the time-consuming part. Good luck.
garfish
1,840 posts
 
Hi Captain and Scott; Yep I own and like the Marantz Pro CDR500, and consider that the easiest way to record LPs, but then I've never used a computer "burner".

As far as I know, there is no recorder that records at 24/96, as there is no player that outputs a 24/96 digital signal. Will computer DVD burners record at 24/96 or 192? I don't think so. So, what you really need is a CD recorder that has an excellent analog to digital to converter.

Several months ago, M. Fremer of Stereophile Magazine compared 3 "consumer grade" CD recorders and found that they all made very good digital to digital copies, but the most expensive one was the only one that did well going from analog to digital (I believe it was a more expensive Denon that Fremer thought did AD conversion quite well-- you might want to look for this review as M. Fremer is a big analog guy).

For your purposes, the key(s) will be the quality of the Analog to Digital converter (in the CD recorder) , ie from your TT (analog) to the CD burner (digital) and the connectors/cable. If you get a CD-Recorder with a good AD converter you should be happy with the results as you'll still have "ticks and pops" to keep you smiling;>). Good Luck. Craig
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