Vinyl Audio to Digital Project

philpense

Honorable
Jun 16, 2013
8
0
10,510
Inherited a sizeable jazz album collection and seek guidance on how best to get the content to digital form. Also, please advise if there is a general calculation on estimating audio content to digital footprint. Much thanks in advance for an informed reply
 
Solution


Having a collection of several hundred vinyls...this is a pain in the butt. About 1/2 done, and after a several year hiatus, getting ready to start on the rest of them.

The main issue is simply the documentation time for each track.
20-25 minutes per side to record, then split each side into separate files for each track, then renaming each track.

Size? mp3 at 12kbps = 40MB per typical album.
Adjust up or down for other bitrates.

My preferred application was...

USAFRet

Illustrious
Moderator


Having a collection of several hundred vinyls...this is a pain in the butt. About 1/2 done, and after a several year hiatus, getting ready to start on the rest of them.

The main issue is simply the documentation time for each track.
20-25 minutes per side to record, then split each side into separate files for each track, then renaming each track.

Size? mp3 at 12kbps = 40MB per typical album.
Adjust up or down for other bitrates.

My preferred application was Audacity. I'd have to look around and see if there is anything newer/better.
 
Solution
You would also need a phono preamp if there isn't one built into the turntable (could be in a receiver or integrated amp). Some turntables and phono preamps have USB outputs so can be connected directly to the PC.
he quality of the ADC (analog to digital converter) in your PC will affect the quality if you use analog into the PC. If you use USB then the ADC in the phono pre or turntable will affect it. The quality of the turntable and cartridge will also greatly affect the result.
The file size will vary with the quality of the transfer. You can make a CD quality (16bit 44.1khz) file from a HiRes (24 bit 192khz) file and an MP3 from a CD quality file but you get no advantage going to a larger file from a smaller one. I would go at least 24-96 given the time it will take to do.
A program like Vinyl Studio is easier and faster than using Audacity but it isn't freeware. It can remove clicks & scratches and make tracks automatically.
http://www.alpinesoft.co.uk/
http://www.alpinesoft.co.uk/
 

USAFRet

Illustrious
Moderator


Thanks for that. $30 is not unreasonable for the rest of my collection.
 

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