Converting Vinyl to Digital

Probably 15 years ago I used a Pro-Ject phono preamp with a usb out to my MacBook and used some free software to remove surface noise, etc.  Back then many LPs in my genre still had not been digitalized or were available only as MP3’s.

I did about 3 albums and as others have noted it’s very labor intensive. Ymmv

The process needn't be too tedious.  I had c. 4,000 CDs. I took my laptop with a CD drive and ripped every single one to FLAC and copied them from my hard drive to a stand alone network hard drive (actually two redundant drives that each had all the material - I didn't want to repeat the process if one of them failed.

I also copied all of the material onto another hard drive and put it away in a drawer.  The chances of all three failing are small enough that I don't worry about it  I still have the CDs stored as well, though I wouldn't want to rip them all again, although the process is pretty painless, sitting watching TV - you can rip 20-30 in a sitting easily.

I use the MusicHall PA 2.2 ADC running into Audactiy. The PA 2.2 can handle line inputs or either MM or MC phono cartridges. It's an excellent piece of gear and Audacity is very versatile and free. I use it primarily to digitize the many reel-to-reel tapes I have and the system works flawlessly. And the whole deal won't cost you $500.

First, consider your vinyl playback. If the TT cannot extract the info from the groove, it cannot be transferred to digital. And that is possibly the biggest cost factor, including phono stage.

Second factor is how clean your vinyl is. I noticed significant improvements with ultrasonic cleaning over vacuum.

I have used a Focusright Scarlet to get analog signal into computer, then VinylStudio as software. The inspection of the audio file with click/pop removal is quite useful. It is also labor intensive.

As oberoniaomnia suggests, VilylStudio is excellent software.  It will rip to DSD.  "All" you need is an "ADAC" and a DAC.

I use a PS Audio ADAC that is not manufactured anymore.  And, my Benchmark DAC works very well. 

I second his comments on ultrasonic cleaning.  Consider that process after physically washing with Spin Clean.