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DIY HD Tracks from mint LPs?

I have 1500 mint Lps (no pops, clicks, or noise) and wish to make my own 96kHZ/24Bit files.

Is the technology there yet?

The bulk of HD Tracks are of Lps I already own. Why pay BIG$ to HD Tracks for each album, that I already have?

What do you need, If you have a High End turntable, MC cartridge, phono stage, preamp, as a source?

What DAC/Computer/software is needed? I have a 2011 iMac, 16 GB, 2009 Mac Mini, 4GB, and 2010 MacBook Pro, OWC SSD, 8GB.

HD Tracks are after all, just "Digital" copies of the analog master tapes, at best. What do they do, that I can't, at home, for a few thousand bucks?

Has anyone had success doing this? Is it worth the effort?
don_c55
ths364
181 posts
 
Try it! Your imac will record at 24/96 at the audio input, digital optical, or spdif in. I googled: " imac sampling/bit rate, itunes " and found this info pretty quickly. Looks like the s/n ratio at the audio input is only 90db though.
I would just try it for a song or two and see. An rca stereo cable terminated in a 3.5 mm stereo phone plug is likely all you need to run from the pre-amp out to the audio in on the computer. I'm sure others members will have ideas re: dac's , software and such. I'm a bit out of my element there.
ahendler
416 posts
 
Yes, I use a Zoom H2 digital recorder. I take the output of my preamp and make a 24/96 wmv digital file and download to my computer. I then use Wavepad sound editor to remove clicks if any and adjust levels if necessary. You can then leave the file on your computer for playback or burn a redbook cd. Friends who have heard my digital copies say the sound is as good as the original lp's
roscoeiii's avatar
roscoeiii
1,155 posts
 
There are a number of ADC options out there, at a number of price points. I'd look into options mentioned not just here, but also at Computer Audiophile, and Audio Asylum.

One example that has gotten some press lately: Furutech (GT-40, I think) has an ADC-DAC that has gotten good reviews for around $500 or so.
peter_s
1,330 posts
 
You'll need a good ADC (analog to digital converter) - either USB or firewire. Then some basic audio editing software (Audisy?) to break up the recorded record side into tracks. And you'll want to add tags to the tracks, if you store the files in a format that will accomodate tags (e.g. FLAC or AIFF).
mlsstl
1,426 posts
 
While a good ADC setup can give you a HD digital file that mirrors your LP, keep in mind that, due to the process inherent in making vinyl records, your LP is already several mechanical generations away from the lacquer disc cut from the master tape.

That's one advantage a properly done digital studio transfer will have over yours - hopefully they played the original master tape straight into the ADC.

That said, if you like the way your LPs sound, with a bit of experimentation and practice, there is a good chance you'll be equally happy with your digital transfers.
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