successful vinyl rips?

2003-05-25 03:21:13

has anyone here attempted to rip vinyl for backup purposes?? i'm very interested in this as  my father has alot of music, that is sitting in a box and sooner or later the records are going to get warped.also i have a few that i've purchased 2nd hand that i want to back up.  i've read some FAQs and it doesn't sound like rocket science... i was wondering if anyone here has tried this and if so how are the results?? all i need is an analog-digital converter as the  record player already has it's own amp.... how efficient is the  hydroplaning method?? (using a liquid to suspend dust/ allowing the needle to hyrdoplane over imperfections).

successful vinyl rips?

Reply #1 – 2003-05-25 14:27:35

I have done more than a hundred and have had great results. There is a lot of freeware out there that can get you going for no cost.
My later rips are better than my earlier ones but still those earlier rips are still worth keeping and no need to do over. The point of this is it will work.
As far as equipment goes, this sould not cost you much as you got most of it anyway. Probably all you need to get is a cable to connect the pc to a stereo.
Take a look at the thread "help with vinyl cleanup" in this forum - great stuff!
As to "hydroplaning method", I do this as a matter of routine. All you need is a misting sprayer/bottle with distilled water. Don't use a lot of water just a little will do. For me this works great especially at the beginning and the end of songs. If you do this first clean the record real good .

successful vinyl rips?

Reply #2 – 2003-05-25 15:10:44

Here are example of recordings, and discussion about real-life experiences : http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....ST&f=21&t=9050&

When I want to backup a vinyl, I proceed like this :

I first think about buying the CD, if the music is worth. Saves a lot of time and work, and the result is nearly always better (three exeptions so far : Depeche Mode - Some great reward, Cocteau Twins - Treasure, and This Mortal Coil - It Will End in Tears. The CD version are badly equalized).

Otherwise, I record the vinyl. The recording level, different for each record, must be setup with care. The highest peak on the record being between -2 and 0 db. Don't take into account the noise of clicks. You can clip them.

I listen throughout all the recording process, and add a marker each time a disturbing click is heard.

Then I manually interoplate each marked click. Then edit the track limits.
That's all. I don't mind a little background noise, and my records are usually in good state. So I don't perform any declicking or denoising.

successful vinyl rips?

Reply #3 – 2003-05-25 15:18:54

thanks for the replies. i think an  a-d converter would cost about  100$ or more. do i need the whole stereo?? it's a technics (from the 80s) with an amp, eq and all that stuff. i don't really wanna drag it into the computer room.. al though it is next to my room where the stereo is. lazy me

successful vinyl rips?

Reply #4 – 2003-05-25 18:28:45

Use your stereo! This would save you the $100.
I don't know the distance from your stereo to the computer but those cables can be had in very long lengths.
If that Technics sounded good in the 80's, it will sound good now. I got my turntable in the late 70's!

successful vinyl rips?

Reply #5 – 2003-05-25 19:43:51

You don't need an a-d converter,your sound card has one  If you can't connect your turntable to an amplifier,you need a phono preamp,about 20-30 euros i think.

successful vinyl rips?

Reply #6 – 2003-05-26 08:44:40

Been down this one before..    good comments,  I'd add a few things and links...

Wet playing I have never tried,  but I also have heard much about possible damage or higher noise afterward.

A pretty definitive guide on the subject is Clive's LP to CD FAQ:  http://www.delback.co.uk/lp-cdr.htm
He also has a very decent piece of software for recording and cleaning up the results:  http://www.waverepair.com/
It's a month free demo,  and it's only $30 to buy.  I use it a lot, as well as Cool Edit with the noise reduction addon.

One thing you have to decide,  how much quality are you after, and how much work are you willing to put into it? 
If you want really good sound (or the disks you have to archive are truly rare and valuable) you will want to invest in a good turntable
(still, perhaps starting at $150-250 on ebay) and good cartridge (get a new one, about the same)  as well as a good phono preamp.

Also, the cleaning the pops and crackles are best done manually.. automatic cleaners usually screw with the sound a bit.  You can spend your life going thru an album!  Of course, that's where you decide,  is this disk worth a full, museum quality restoration,  or just clean the big ones..  It's kinda fun,  though time consuming.

If you have a older stereo with phono input, and aren't critical you can use that,  otherwise a better pre will help with the sound.
Watch out for some of the cheaper ones..  there are truly crap things out there in the $50 and under market.. 

I have one I built as a kit..  if you are into building you will get a very good preamp for not much money. ($50, probably as good as a commerical $250 one)  It's an easy kit as well..  I'd reccomend it to someone who hadn't built one before:  http://www.hagtech.com/bugle.html

All things said,  you can get a basic turntable, plug it into an old stereo,  jack into your soundcard,  fire up the software and get your feet wet..  Just make sure the needle isn't damaged and eating the record every play... start with some "non valuable" albums first.

Hope it helps!

successful vinyl rips?

Reply #7 – 2003-05-26 08:53:44

Oh, and one more thing...  clean those records!!!!

Do some research on cleaning,  get some brushes..  I can't find the links, but there are a few things out there
on making your own cheap but good cleaning solutions ( I use 3/4 distilled water 1/4 90% isopropyl alchohol, and a bit of ammonia)
and brushes..  (thick satin ribbon materiel from a craft store with rubber block to back it,  better than the velvet pads I have!)
as well as developing cleaning techniques.

The first time you start looking at the thousands of little cracks and pops, you'll really wish you cleaned out the ones that were dust!!

Helps keep you from spending a month restoring a side... 

Jon