What do I need to start ripping my vinyl to a Laptop

[Al ears]

Ive been looking at CD recorders wish i had kept mine now .

And that helps the OP??

 

[Al ears]

I've never done it, but I'd think all you need is a sound card (with inputs, which used to be common) and a phono pre-amp. And the aforementioned time; but as someone who still buys and rips CDs, I don't see that as a problem.

Nope.
He has to get a digital signal out of the turntable does he not?

 

[Shrek]

And that helps the OP??

And that helps the OP??

its a a much easier way to record/rip records is it not ?

 

[Al ears]

its a a much easier way to record/rip records is it not ?

CDs yes, records not.....
You might have noticed the OP stated vinyl.

 

[good_enough]

You need a RCA to 3.5mm jack cable. On a PC you need Audacity software. Once you've worked it all out (no I'm not going to write a 20 page tutorial - just search digitising albums with audacity or something) you'll find you can save what comes into the mic input (if PC is any good it'll ask you whether you plugged in mic or line) as wav or mp3 or whatever. To have your stuff read properly by software you'll need to right click on the files and set 'properties' like artist and title etc. Playback software picks this up from 'metadata'.

Try above to see if what you get is good enough it has been for me but maybe I've got a good soundcard or I'm not picky.

 

[abacus]

Nope.
He has to get a digital signal out of the turntable does he not?

The line input on the laptop is analogue which connects to the ADC built into the laptop, so no external converter is required.

Bill

 

[Gray]

Precisely how is that going to work? Interested in how you propose he does it.
How does he get analogue to digital?
Waiting in anticipation.

The laptop converts analogue line in to digital for the recording software.
So as long as he's got a phono preamp....

CD recorders also have line level analogue in. It's how @Steve983, me and others digitised our vinyl decades ago.
In fact, if the OP got hold of a CD recorder and a CDRW disc or two - he could do it that way....maybe keep CDR for his car AND rip the CDR / RW discs to FLAC files.

If you can hear a difference between two cartridges, then digitising via an ADC with a resolution of 16/44.1 (or higher) gives a faithful recording - you will certainly hear that same difference.....that's why it is worth using the best source for the archiving.

And @Davidajcook if you decide to do it, make sure you back up as you go, because you will not want to repeat the process.

 

[DougK1]

Ooh, this brings back memories from several years ago as it was my intention to do this in my retirement as well.
I tried the phono leads to 3.5 plug to PC using Audacity, huge faff trying to set the correct recording levels to avoid clipping. You'll need to play the album in real time to set the correct levels, then again to actually record it...it can take multiple attempts to get it right!
I then bought a Korg ADC specifically designed for recording vinyl. Made the process simpler and more accurate but still too much of a faff.
In the end I abandoned the idea, far too time consuming to get the perfect rip free of pops and clicks.
I'm now retired and have decided life is too short for these foolish ideas 🙂
The only advice I can offer is if these LPs are available on CD get the CD as it will sound no different from the digitised vinyl copy 🙂

 

[nads]

In a word “don’t” bother. It takes way too long and then you think you will go and clean up the recording and then there are not enough hours in a day.

If they are records that there is no CD erosion of I can understand the appeal.

All you need to to is connect the phono stage output to your PC and with suitable recording software record it. Project do some phono stages that are meant to filter out some of the pops and crackle. Then there is adding the meta data tags to the data. And breaking down the sides to tracks.

Have fun. I did not.

 

[abacus]

Once setup it takes little time out of your life, (I did about 200 when I was still working) as it is easy to do once you get the hang of it. (I did 1 a day)
Look at the record and look for the widest part of the groove, (This will be the loudest part) then use this to set the record levels to -3db, (This will allow for any higher level that was missed, and you can normalise it later) next find your album on Discogs (This will give you the length of the tracks for slicing your single file) then slice the file and copy the album details from the site. (This cuts out a lot typing)
As I mentioned in my previous post, when I set the record going, I carried on doing other things, so no time was wasted.

Bill

 

[good_enough]

In a word “don’t” bother. It takes way too long and then you think you will go and clean up the recording and then there are not enough hours in a day.

If they are records that there is no CD erosion of I can understand the appeal.

All you need to to is connect the phono stage output to your PC and with suitable recording software record it. Project do some phono stages that are meant to filter out some of the pops and crackle. Then there is adding the meta data tags to the data. And breaking down the sides to tracks.

Have fun. I did not.

Audacity has a click filter also though I found the results a little variable.

 

[abacus]

In addition to my previous post (35), I used Audio Cleaning Lab by Magix to do mine (Paid for Software) as everything was pretty much 1 click, whereas using something free like Audacity takes a lot more time and effort, however the results come out the same. (Choose whichever suits you)

Bill

 

[Gray]

If they are records that there is no CD version of I can understand the appeal.

That was the case with the ones I bothered with.
When it came to click removal, I tried an option that did blanket removal on the entire file - but that audibly affected all HF.
Zooming right in to each individual click on the waveform and completely flattening them was how I did it.
Very time consuming, but rewarding.

OP David has time and special vinyl, so it's his new hobby 🙂

 

[froze]

I'm assuming you don't have a Bluetooth turntable, like me.

There is a way of digitizing your records, and even cassettes if you have a receiver or a preamp type of system.

Look into a product made by Behringer called U-Phono UFO202. Do a internet search and do a YouTube search FIRST to see if that product is what you're looking for and will do what you want it to do, but I believe it will work for you.

Sweetwater Sound has them for around $17! Amazon no longer carries it.

 

[Rotelfrustration]

I have done it many times. My turntable was going through a Rega Fono Mini (amp had no Phono input). The Rega Fono Mini has a USB output. Plugged that into a laptop, used Audacity to record the output from vinyl, then had to cut up to file to separate tracks and label tracks. You get quicker...it takes me 1.5-2 hours per album. Has the benefit of sounding like vinyl but with the convenience of being digital.

 

[abacus]

That was the case with the ones I bothered with.
When it came to click removal, I tried an option that did blanket removal on the entire file - but that audibly affected all HF.
Zooming right in to each individual click on the waveform and completely flattening them was how I did it.
Very time consuming, but rewarding.

OP David has time and special vinyl, so it's his new hobby 🙂

Not sure what plug-in/filter you were using to remove clicks, but a true click removal tool will not affect the frequency response in any way. (Are you sure you weren't using a noise plug-in/filter)

Bill

 

[ultraminiature]

Hi there, I just joined and am looking for some guidance.

I have a reasonable collection of Vinyl, and want to enjoy it on the move as well, so am looking into the ways of ripping it to a laptop.

I have a Technics SL1200 MK7, and a Yamaha R-N803 D Network Receiver/Amp

I know I need some sort or pre out or DAC converter I think

But would appreciate any suggestions on what exactly I need to make this happen.

Thanks in advance.

You need a decent line level input to the computer/laptop (low noise, no hum etc). None of my laptops come with one. My desktop has sockets for line in and mic inputs. I originally used the onboard sound system then an external sound card and now a Motu M4 (via usb) from my pre-amp (which has moving coil phono stage). Audacity or Nero have useable software to capture the audio being played. RCA to RCA stereo leads or for the Motu M4 XLR to RCA leads. Like a cassette deck you need to have a variable control of input levels. Set it to avoid clipping. Do the best with cleaning the record as any dust or scratches will be fixed in the audio recorded for ever. Filters in the software can help but may also reduce the sound quality.

I record in WAVE or FLAC format. Off air FM radio (drama and documentary) I transferred as 192kbitsps. Thanks to iPlayer I have 320kbitps updates of many of those. Although many podcasts have hundreds of episodes available for years shows from Radio 4 Extra are removed after a month.

The Technics turntable is likely to be good enough but if you wanted a "better" turntable you only need to keep that long enough for the transfer then resell it. A better phono stage could be purchased and sold when the task has been completed. The Yamaha R-N803D has tape output RCA sockets. If a phono stage pre-amplifier is purchased then you don't need the amplifier as you plug the phono stage directly into the ADC (e.g. Motu M4 or external sound card).

I edit the saved file to add meta data. MP3TAG will add metadata to WAV files. I also scan the covers and booklets. CDs can have this automatically filled in. I usually only save the whole side of an LP as a single WAVE file and not split up to tracks. I am going to play the whole side anyway and splitting tracks is a long manual tacks as automated features to split tracks fail too often to use them.