Kevin's Watch

Hello.
Anyone know the best way to transfer very old LP record to MP3?
This album is from the '40s.
Very thick and scratchy but playable.
It's a recording done of my wife's father (mainly him talking about band music) and I'd love to convert it for her to either a DVD or an MP3.

I wouldn't be against sending it out to some place to have it done either.

Can anyone point me on the right track to make this happen?
I haven't got a clue about this.


Thanks!

I recently wanted to transfer a tape to MP3. I had the same issue.

The answer is to find an MP3 tool with a direct audio input recorder. I found a free one (free trial, anyway), I can't remember the name. I found it in google.

Now you can wire your stereo audio out / headphone out into your computer audio in / mic in. Play the record, and record it with the tool. The tricky part is setting the stereo volume and recorder gain correctly to avoid clipping.

Then you have a whole album side as one giant MP3.

Next you need another tool to split your MP3 into tracks and trim out the dead spaces. Again, I found a free tool in google.

How much do you want to keep the vinyl? Would it matter if you got a great digital version but couldn't play the vinyl again?

The reason I ask, is cos I have vague memories of when I was looking into this about 8 years ago, I read about a way of oiling (was it oil, or grease, or something else?) the record to make it sound fantastic. I think you can still play the vinyl after, but you have to oil it every time thereafter.

Maybe I dreamt it. I'm tired. it's time for bed. Sorry....

Umm.. . where I live we have a business that will do the converting for you. It's a Audio/Visual place, and they advertise that they can make cds of vinyl or tapes or even 8 tracks. I'd look in the local phone book to see if you can find something like it. Good luck.

I have a similar issue -- I bought an LP on eBay that I used to own, but that has never been released on CD. I think I found place relatively nearby that will put it on a CD for me. Planning to pursue it while I'm off work this week. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I'm not sure of the quality, but I recently saw in a mailed advertisement for $99 a record player that converts to mp3. I think it was Bed Bath and Beyond. I've thought of picking that up and selling it to the highest bidder after I finished dubbing off all my albums. I've been converting tapes for a while. It's a drag, but nice to have a CD copy of those things I'll never get back after the tape breaks.

Cagliostro wrote:I'm not sure of the quality, but I recently saw in a mailed advertisement for $99 a record player that converts to mp3. I think it was Bed Bath and Beyond. I've thought of picking that up and selling it to the highest bidder after I finished dubbing off all my albums. I've been converting tapes for a while. It's a drag, but nice to have a CD copy of those things I'll never get back after the tape breaks.

I've got one of those. It does an OK job, but unless you stand over it, it'll make each side of the album a single mp3 rather than inserting song breaks.

That's how I did it for tapes as well - record one long file and then edit the track breaks in. It's a pain, but no bigger of a pain than stopping it and restarting it.

Thanks everyone for all the ideas and tips.
After the holiday's I'll start and let you all know how it went.

What I use for converting both phonograph records and cassette tapes to MP3 is software from Acoustica called Spin It Again. By cabling the line outputs of my stereo to the sound card inputs of my computer, I can use this software to capture any record or tape content. Spin It Again will help you set appropriate sound levels, parse recordings into individual tracks, clean up hiss and other artifacts, and even look up the artist and track titles from online databases.

Don't buy separate hardware; use the stereo you already have.

(my only association with Acoustica is as a happy customer. Spin It Again is not expensive and it works great! )

Yes, I know this is a late response. HLT, what did you end up doing?

I'd prefer to record an mp3 to a good old-fashioned LP. Got any suggestions on a good method?

Hmm. That's a little trickier, as you'd have to find a manufacturer who still presses vinyl. I'd start with a call to a recording studio near you.

BTW, my CD turned out fine. They would have edited in the song breaks if I'd paid (a fair amount) extra, but since I just usually play the album straight through anyhow, I didn't really care.

If I had more than just the one album, I would definitely buy a USB turntable and do it myself. The cost would add up quickly, especially if you want every song to be a separate track.

I guess I should update since I asked the question.

I've done.......nothing.
The album is still sitting there.
I suck.


But when I do do something I'm checking this thread again first!

Here's the MP3 Splitter I downloaded and used. It was entirely sufficient, and probably as good as any other you can download.

www.pistonsoft.com/mp3-splitter.html

Savor Dam is right - if it's an occasional or one-time thing, it seems better to use the stereo you have than to buy a new record player. My only cost was at Radio shack for the proper cable.

Finally, some people (but assurredly not me) would just get bittorrent and download the album. If you already bought the album, and you're making an MP3 for personal use, I don't see how the means matter if the ends are the same.

I'm another with a modest collection of vinyl that I intend to transfer to CD. I don't have a turntable now, so I'll probably end up getting that USB record player that Cag and Cail talked about. I saw it in local ads, too. Being a $99 machine, I know it likely won't give me audiophile-class sound off the grooves, but I'm not willing to spend a whole lot on the project.

All you need is a record player with a cinch jack and connect it with a cinch cable to a CD burner that has cinch in jacks.

Or buy a cinch to stereo jack (3.5mm - dunno about the sizes in US) and connect it straight to line-in jack of your soundcard (usually the light blue).

There are freeware audio tools that will let you record stuff.


(top: two cinch jacks, beneath stereo jack 3.5mm)