Vinyl to Disc and MP3

[Wilber]

A while back our kids bought us tickets to a Doug and the Slugs concert with Gerry Doucette. It was a night of great rock and roll. Although Ted Okos doesn't try to be Bennett he really does his music justice and the band still exudes that fun atmosphere that made them so popular around here. It was also a benefit concert for the Happy Liver Society of BC. Doug Bennett had died of liver disease due to alcoholism.

I hadn't listened to their music for some time but was struck by how well it has aged, so I started looking for downloads. Although there are lots of their videos on YouTube there are no music downloads and hard copies are not that common. I saw a Cognac and Bologna disc on Amazon for $91.

Anyhoo, I went out and bought a gizmo and software to convert vinyl to disc, hooked up an old Sansui amp and belt drive turntable to the computer and now I am enjoying stuff I haven't listened to for years. Best $35 I've ever spent.

[bush_cheney2004]

If you can't find the vinyl or download, you can also capture the audio directly from the YouTube video when it has a decent bitrate. I use Magix MP3 Maker Deluxe and just select the Audigy sound card as source...then edit the mp3 file as needed.

Target and Best Buy sell turntables with USB ports to do exactly as you describe. Some kids are fascinated by this "ancient technology".

Vinyl is making a small comeback.

[Wilber]

If you can't find the vinyl or download, you can also capture the audio directly from the YouTube video when it has a decent bitrate. I use Magix MP3 Maker Deluxe and just select the Audigy sound card as source...then edit the mp3 file as needed.

Target and Best Buy sell turntables with USB ports to do exactly as you describe. Some kids are fascinated by this "ancient technology".

Vinyl is making a small comeback.

I'll have a look at that. My old amp and turntable work really well. The turntable is a good one with a better cartridge and stylus than anything I would be prepared to put out the bucks for these days.

[bush_cheney2004]

I'll have a look at that. My old amp and turntable work really well. The turntable is a good one with a better cartridge and stylus than anything I would be prepared to put out the bucks for these days.

That's what worries me about the A/D converters in these USB solutions. Some are better than others, but probably make no allowance for moving magnet vs. moving coil phono cartridges.

[Oleg Bach]

WEIRD was just thinking of this subject....listening to Sinatra on vinyl..through some monster GBLs...first time I heard digital was in the studio...clear as glass I REMEMBER and just as souless...IT'S surprising how good vinyl sounds...my kid is heavey into records his friend runs a vinyl record store...he listens to all the great stuff...transfere to disc is good but not as nice as the original deal.

[Wilber]

That's what worries me about the A/D converters in these USB solutions. Some are better than others, but probably make no allowance for moving magnet vs. moving coil phono cartridges.

The one I am using is Honestech Audio Recorder 2.0. It was on sale and I was told it was a good program. So far so good. First I used it with an old BSF table to record some 40's and 50's vintage 78's of kid's stories and songs that the mother in law wanted to distribute to all her grand kids. It has a ceramic cartridge and worked fine plugged straight into the converter. The table I am using now has a good quality Audio-Technica cartridge and stylus. It has no pre amp so has to be run through an amplifier, then to the converter. So far I am very happy with the results.

[Wilber]

WEIRD was just thinking of this subject....listening to Sinatra on vinyl..through some monster GBLs...first time I heard digital was in the studio...clear as glass I REMEMBER and just as souless...IT'S surprising how good vinyl sounds...my kid is heavey into records his friend runs a vinyl record store...he listens to all the great stuff...transfere to disc is good but not as nice as the original deal.

I agree, vinyl has it's own attraction. The transfer just isn't the same but I am plesantly surprised at how good it is.

[Oleg Bach]

The preserving factor is what attracts me to this process..old analog tapes that I had stored were digitized by my son so my old demos got an extended life..but eventually DISC is also damaged and eventually disappears. Don't know much about MP3 but I assume that because it is less mechanical it will last for a long time..preservation is what it is about for me.

[Wilber]

The preserving factor is what attracts me to this process..old analog tapes that I had stored were digitized by my son so my old demos got an extended life..but eventually DISC is also damaged and eventually disappears. Don't know much about MP3 but I assume that because it is less mechanical it will last for a long time..preservation is what it is about for me.

You can buy archive quality discs which have a much longer life and you can also make more than one copy, play one and store the other. You can continue to re copy it at different times. One good thing about digital copies, it is just transfering ones and zeros so there shouldn't be any loss in quality.

[Oleg Bach]

You can buy archive quality discs which have a much longer life and you can also make more than one copy, play one and store the other. You can continue to re copy it at different times. One good thing about digital copies, it is just transfering ones and zeros so there shouldn't be any loss in quality.

Those ones and zeros have no other sound in between them..any pops or high frequency scratch sounds are non- existent -Problem is that the transparent digital system also makes an error in the removal of extreme frequency - thinking it is a mechanical noise when it is actually music... To me I do noticed that a fresh clean piece of vinyl emits more of the actual recording...the fidelity is slightly better- but digital is great..if it is E Q d and boosted if you use a digital recording format for the transfer.

[DrGreenthumb]

I still have a ton of vinyl. I still listen to Joe Satriani Surfin with the Alien, on vinyl regularly.

[GostHacked]

If you can't find the vinyl or download, you can also capture the audio directly from the YouTube video when it has a decent bitrate. I use Magix MP3 Maker Deluxe and just select the Audigy sound card as source...then edit the mp3 file as needed.

Target and Best Buy sell turntables with USB ports to do exactly as you describe. Some kids are fascinated by this "ancient technology".

Vinyl is making a small comeback.

Vinyl is dead and had been for some time. It's more of a collectors thing now. But I will admit that tunes from the 70s and 80s and even early 90s are hard to find on mp3. And you will still get limited pressing of some new releases on wax.

The last people to keep vinyl alive were club DJs. And now that is almost a thing of the past. Laptops with an mp3 library makes for a compact and light set up. But that can all still be used with turntables.

As for ripping, I use Audacity. It's been usefull in my dj sets.

[GostHacked]

Those ones and zeros have no other sound in between them..any pops or high frequency scratch sounds are non- existent -Problem is that the transparent digital system also makes an error in the removal of extreme frequency - thinking it is a mechanical noise when it is actually music... To me I do noticed that a fresh clean piece of vinyl emits more of the actual recording...the fidelity is slightly better- but digital is great..if it is E Q d and boosted if you use a digital recording format for the transfer.

Actually the reason wax sounds better over cd is because compression was heavily used when things went digital. The sound wave is maxed out all over the place. So when things need to be soft, its either too loud or too soft on the cd version. Vinyl had limitations in the loudness because going past that certain threshold, resulted in distortion. Headroom.

[bush_cheney2004]

Vinyl is dead and had been for some time. It's more of a collectors thing now. But I will admit that tunes from the 70s and 80s and even early 90s are hard to find on mp3. And you will still get limited pressing of some new releases on wax.

Vinyl never really died....and is making a small comeback. There has always been a solid market for used vinyl pressings in shops and online auctions. New vinyl is available at several retailers. There are still hundreds of millions in possession of consumers, and sales growth is greater than declining CD's. Vinyl will always be "cool".

Vinyl Record Comback

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olstemplatemapper.jsp?id=pcat17080&type=page&qp=crootcategoryid%23%23-1%23%23-1~~q70726f63657373696e6774696d653a3e313930302d30312d3031~~ccat02001%23%230%23%235cvq~~nf207%7C%7C56494e594c&list=y&nrp=15&sc=musicSP&sp=-bestsellingsort+skuid&usc=cat02001

The last people to keep vinyl alive were club DJs. And now that is almost a thing of the past. Laptops with an mp3 library makes for a compact and light set up. But that can all still be used with turntables.

DJ's were born with vinyl and vacuum tubes...not mp3's. That's where the "disc" in "disc jockey" comes from.

Edited March 1, 2010 by bush_cheney2004

[GostHacked]

Vinyl never really died....and is making a small comeback. There has always been a solid market for used vinyl pressings in shops and online auctions. New vinyl is available at several retailers. There are still hundreds of millions in possession of consumers, and sales growth is greater than declining CD's. Vinyl will always be "cool".

No it will never really die, and i won't argue the coolness of the wax (still have some of my records from my dj days) But it's niche now. never expect it to become a popular format again. Soon even cds will be rare, digital downloads will be the king.

DJ's were born with vinyl and vacuum tubes...not mp3's. That's where the "disc" in "disc jockey" comes from.

Lots of money can be invested in a vinyl collection. I am kind of upset i sold my tech12s some years ago.

[bush_cheney2004]

No it will never really die, and i won't argue the coolness of the wax (still have some of my records from my dj days) But it's niche now. never expect it to become a popular format again. Soon even cds will be rare, digital downloads will be the king.

But that's part of the problem...digital is slowly killing itself as a business model. It was bad enough when the record labels would screw over artists, but now the consumer is doing it too.

Lots of money can be invested in a vinyl collection. I am kind of upset i sold my tech12s some years ago.

Most of mine are from legacy purchases back in the day....about 1,000 LPs, 45s, and a few 78s. Even "old" CDs, let alone intangible mp3 files, don't have the user experience of vinyl records, cover art, or "warm" sound. They don't have a soul.

[jbg]

Anyhoo, I went out and bought a gizmo and software to convert vinyl to disc, hooked up an old Sansui amp and belt drive turntable to the computer and now I am enjoying stuff I haven't listened to for years. Best $35 I've ever spent.

I bought a new Sony turntable with a direct USB feed. Best $159 USD I ever spent.

[bush_cheney2004]

I bought a new Sony turntable with a direct USB feed. Best $159 USD I ever spent.

It's a marriage made in heaven....legacy vinyl catalog copied to a more convenient medium. I like to build mp3 playlists to be identical to complete LP album sides, because that's how I remember the track sequencing. And that's how the producer wanted it. Really important for a release like Sgt. Pepper.

[GostHacked]

But that's part of the problem...digital is slowly killing itself as a business model. It was bad enough when the record labels would screw over artists, but now the consumer is doing it too.

I disagree.

Digital distribution is probably best for independent and new artists or any artist for that matter, who want more control over their music. You can as a single person create your music and then release it on the net for a pay to download. The record companies completely missed the boat when digital distribution came about and did not know how to deal with it. They wanted to stay traditional and end up screwing themselves. They did not evolve their business as the market evolved. iTunes is a perfect example of a successful digital distribution, and this does help with reducing piracy simply because of the DRM for songs released in iTunes. It can be cracked, but a lot harder.

Personally I still buy CDs because I like to look at my collection on the shelf. But I do subscribe to iTunes, and have bought 'cds' online through other websites. A guy on another website I visited just released his CD, and had it available for purchase as a CD or digital download. This is a perfect example of artists owning their product. You don't need the record company anymore.

The market now as always has been teenagers to people in their 20s when it comes to music and pop music. And this is what will drive the format. New tune comes out, and it's available for download, no matter if it's legal or not. It's all about instant satisfaction with downloading that song NOW. Then slap it on your iPod, or any other MP3 player and you have it whenever whereever you want.

Record companies have been riding on the backs of artists for so long, now that things are changing and the record company is not getting as big of a cut as it used to, they need to adapt. Digital distro is here to stay and won't die anytime soon. This will become the norm in another few years. It already has become the #1 way to distribute new games. vAVLE for example with Steam has proven one of the best things for PC gaming. I've purchased many games through it. Some of those are independent game writers who get exposure through steam to sell their game. Games like 'World of Goo' would not have made it into peoples homes without something like Steam.

Most of mine are from legacy purchases back in the day....about 1,000 LPs, 45s, and a few 78s. Even "old" CDs, let alone intangible mp3 files, don't have the user experience of vinyl records, cover art, or "warm" sound. They don't have a soul.

Can't argue wit you on these points. I'm with you on this.

[GostHacked]

It's a marriage made in heaven....legacy vinyl catalog copied to a more convenient medium. I like to build mp3 playlists to be identical to complete LP album sides, because that's how I remember the track sequencing. And that's how the producer wanted it. Really important for a release like Sgt. Pepper.

As soon as you convert it to an MP3 format you have loss in sound quality and kind of defeats the purpose of owning and listening to the warm sound of vinyl. But yes, it is convenient.

[jbg]

As soon as you convert it to an MP3 format you have loss in sound quality and kind of defeats the purpose of owning and listening to the warm sound of vinyl. But yes, it is convenient.

I don't throw out the vinyl. Sometimes I actually listen to it that way.

However, ever try playing a phonograph record flying down the 401 at 100 km/hour?

[GostHacked]

I don't throw out the vinyl. Sometimes I actually listen to it that way.

However, ever try playing a phonograph record flying down the 401 at 100 km/hour?

It's been done !!! Chrysler featured a front seat record player.

http://www.imperialclub.com/Repair/Accessories/HiWay/Chrysler.htm

Cars and roads are much smoother today than ever. I recall first gen CD players for cars skipping like mad back in the day.

[Wild Bill]

This is a fascinating article:

http://digital.premierguitar.com/premierguitar/201003_1/#pg200

The page won't let me cut and paste so I'll paraphrase a precis. The premise is that our limbic system is responsible for our emotional response to situations, not just the obvious "fear or flight" but genuine emotional appreciation. Up till now digital music formats lack enough of the music information to give us that emotional "high" we used to experience, sitting around listening to our LP's of the Moody Blues or whatever.

Digital has given us convenience and recordings that don't accumulate "scratches" but there has been a cost. Every tech knew that the sampling rate of CD's meant that it was NOT as hifi as good vinyl but the "suits" figured that the convenience of CD's would be easier to market. It has taken 20 years for digital formats to finally equal or exceed the specs of vinyl, with the advent of Blue Ray recordings.

Besides, CD's were FAR cheaper to make than vinyl! The profits for the record labels soared! Then came Napster. Since the suits weren't technical enough themselves to change a light bulb they never saw the piracy problem coming. To any tech with even a modicum of savvy, it had been obvious! Reap the whirlwind, "suits"!

This article would also explain why recordings usually don't totally carry the "feel" of a great live performance.

If you're into this the article is great food for thought, well worth reading.

Edited March 1, 2010 by Wild Bill

[jbg]

It's been done !!! Chrysler featured a front seat record player.

http://www.imperialclub.com/Repair/Accessories/HiWay/Chrysler.htm

Cars and roads are much smoother today than ever. I recall first gen CD players for cars skipping like mad back in the day.

Wow.

[blueblood]

But that's part of the problem...digital is slowly killing itself as a business model. It was bad enough when the record labels would screw over artists, but now the consumer is doing it too.

Most of mine are from legacy purchases back in the day....about 1,000 LPs, 45s, and a few 78s. Even "old" CDs, let alone intangible mp3 files, don't have the user experience of vinyl records, cover art, or "warm" sound. They don't have a soul.

I agree with the sound part. Vinyl has a better sound than digital, I can't quite put my finger on it, the sound seems so much better. The same goes with AM radio for listening to country music. Listening to country music on FM radio is almost criminal.