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December 4, 2006

music

The analog hole: converting LPs to MP3s

Posted Dec. 4, ’06, 8:16 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Music

RecordsiTunes makes ripping CDs a snap, but what happens when it comes to other forms of audio? Cassette tapes, 8-tracks, LPs? My friend Beth wrote to ask me just such a question:

My Dad has a Mac (a laptop…a big one….G5…does that sounds right?), and for Christmas we were thinking about getting him an LP to MP3 converter. But, in some of research, I read quite a few comments by users of different brands/models that the software was either incompatible or difficult to use with Macs. I am not convinced, based on the “super-good” spelling of some these reviewers that they even know how to use a computer (spell check!), but I thought maybe you had come across something/anything…..
Help me help Beth. The two solutions I’ve come across are Roxio’s CD Spin Doctor and Griffin’s Final Vinyl (which comes with their iMic).

Now, of course, one major question is whether the laptop has a line-in or not; if not, her dad’s going to need an iMic or something equivalent. So, readers, any expertise out there when it comes to the matter of moving from vinyl to sweet sweet digital music? What’s worked for you?

Update: Beth follows up: “Apparently I wrote that email FAR too early this morning - I meant desktop, not laptop.” So we’re dealing with a PowerMac G5 here; my hardware question is irrelevant, it’s just a question of software.


13 Comments

Jeremy McCullough said:

There aren't any G5 laptops. Is she talking about Intel? Maybe a MacBook Pro?

I don't think the iBook G4s or the Powerbook G4s were very big. And I know the iBooks don't have line-ins. I'm more familiar with Intel, though. Both the Macbook and Macbook Pro have the inputs.

December 4, 2006 8:20 AM
Penner said:

Be aware that a line-in jack is not sufficient for importing audio from a record player. Turntables do not use "line-level" output like tape decks or CD players, so you'll need a small mixer or amp to bring the phono player's output up to line level.

December 4, 2006 8:44 AM
Matthew Trisler said:

I actually just use GarageBand right now. I have my turntable hooked up to my iMic, plugged into my iBook G4. You simply go into the Preferences dialog, and make sure that the inputs are set to recognize the iMic. I like doing it this way because the "Export to iTunes" option is simpler than anything else I've tried, (Final Vinyl-which crashes contstantly on me, Audacity-which just has a steep learning curve, though I like it, and even Pro Tools-it's simply more than I need for importing vinyl, but way better for recording my own music than GarageBand.

December 4, 2006 8:48 AM
Erik said:

I seem to remember a shareware option from versiontracker.com that is supposed to remove hiss and click from analog sound sources.

A quick search brings me this:
http://versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/27231

Hope it helps a tad.

December 4, 2006 9:01 AM
Studio717 said:

Amadeus II (Pro is in beta) works very well with my powerbook G4 running the latest Tiger.

December 4, 2006 10:43 AM
Peter Harris said:

You can buy a turntable with USB output that is designed specifically to adress this problem. Models are made by Numark and Ion, prices about 100 to 180 bucks.

December 4, 2006 11:19 AM
Patrick Gamble said:

I use Wiretap with the line in port on my PowerBook G4. Its so easy and WT imports them into iTunes when done. Only trouble is you have to sit there unless you schedule each session with iCal. I have the line out from my stereo hooked to my line in on my powerbook so I do not have any Phono issues also. Happy to help!

December 4, 2006 12:01 PM
Jon said:

Try the ION turntable. It requires no other hardware, just plugs into a USB port, and it comes with Audacity 1.2.5 software. It includes a USB cable and has built-in RCA cables that can be attached to an A/V receiver or amp for use as an ordinary turntable. It even has a spindle plug so you can play 45s.

I got mine via Costco.com for approx $150 US. I think you can purchase the turntable directly from ION, because unfortunately, it's no longer available at Costco.com. Costco.com now carries a similar turntable from another company, but it's Windows only.

So far it works great and I say so far because, despite having the turntable for almost a month, I've only had enough free time to convert one LP. (Too many pots on the fire) After a little bit of a software learning curve, the conversion process was pretty simple.

FWIW, I have a G4, 17" iMac with 1st gen USB, so the actual conversion process will probably be a bit faster on newer Macs. Even so, most of my time was spent just playing an LP.

The turntable manual is only 20 pages and I recommend going over it thoroughly before trying to use the turntable. I didn't and had a couple of false starts.

Sorry to sound like a shill for ION, but I have several hundred LPs I've been unable to find in any digital formats anywhere (not even iTMS). I've had them for decades and this turntable is the simplest way to convert them.

It's something I've been looking for, for a long time.

December 4, 2006 1:06 PM
Matt Evans said:

LPs to MP3s? Easy...use Garage Band...it's free with most Macs or get it via iLife. Over this Thangsgiving my Dad and ripped several old albums into Garage Band, which then has an option to automatically copy the song to iTunes...then you burn a CD. It was very simple. It takes a little time because you have to play the album at real-time, unlike ripping a CD. Plug your phone player into an amplifier (phone players are too low to take the direct feed) and make sure you ground the grounding plug if you have one; then Run Garage Band (GB), press Record, play the album and watch it record! Then I used GB to trim off the beginning and end "static" of the song, then a menu item sent the song to iTunes. After I recorded an album, I burned a CD. Now I can listen to my old albums in my car! It was great! There are lots of features in GB but I only had to learn about five features (record, play, click, select section, copy to iTunes, etc.) Don't let all the other features overwhelm you...you don't need them. P.S. You don't need to buy any other software; the other software may work, but GB was pretty darn easy for free! Thanx again to Apple!

December 4, 2006 1:51 PM
Kevin Hendricks said:

I use Spin Doctor. Part of my business is burning vinyl to CD so I have used it a lot. I use it with an iMic. Using Spin Doctor may not sound like a very professional way of doing this but the latest version actully has decent sound enhancing tools. Along with the simplified tools (De-click, De-crackle, De-hiss, as well as a sound enhancer that has simple controls for highs and lows) there is also a 10 band graphic EQ if you want a little more control over your sound. It makes track separation (so you don't have one long track on your CD) fairly easy. I've used this for LP's as well as cassettes and reel-to-reel tape. So far I've had no complaints.

December 4, 2006 3:03 PM
Duncan said:

I used CD Spin Doctor on a G3 iMac, but it started crashing when I tried to use it on my new Intel iMac. I switched to Amadeus, which isn't so well integrated with Toast, but has very good noise reduction and sound repair features. Setting tracks is less intuitive, but overall, I am very happy with Amadeus.

I still use the Griffin iMic which I got for the G3 iMac because there was a terrible feedback loop when using the line in port.

The turntable I use is an integral part of a small desktop stereo system.

December 4, 2006 5:25 PM
Chris said:

As far as I know, Final Vinyl (ships with Griffin iMic) requires the iMic -- it won't work without one. I had an iMic that went belly up, and when I tried to use Final Vinyl without it, it refused to start up with an error message about "iMic not found."

December 4, 2006 7:05 PM
Dave said:

I have used SoundStudio for years (it was originally an OS 9 app). My favorite feature is the "split by markers." If you put markers in between the songs, the program can slice out the individual songs from one large audio file comprised of an album side. You can also edit the file or apply filters. One thing to note: it records in AIFF format, which iTunes can convert to MP3s. www.freeverse.com/soundstudio

December 4, 2006 7:58 PM

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