"Needledrops for Dummies"? :)

Okay, here's s dumb rookie question. What are the correct volume levels on the computer? I'm thinking of the master volume on my PC, the volume for the sound card software, and the input volume on Audacity. What's the correct mix?

My beef with recording to my PC is all that internal noise. I can hear static and fuzzy feedback from my computer, and I can always hear it slightly in the background when I have my headphones on. I realize this is just an issue with the computer, but I'm not looking for perfection for needledrops. I'd just like some good-sounding copies to share on the girlfriend's iPod.

 

some or all of that noise might not be going to disk, it might just be play back, and not being recorded.

 

I like to keep my stereo stuff and computer stuff separate. The Tascam c.d. recorder I use makes what I consider VERY accurate sounding recordings of my albums. I only record records that are mostly free of surface noise, and (imo) are worthy of transferring to c.d. I don't have the time to do audio editing anyway.

 

I agree. My old Pioneer PDR-5 stand alone makes a copy that sounds exactly like the LP I feed it. If I start with an album that is in good condition, it requires no post processing. Some people like to "remaster" the finished product, but if I felt it needed that kind of treatment, I wouldn't needle drop it in the first place. I do have software to do post processing, but I only use it when absolutely needed, such as a rare hard to find record that needs some help.

 

Better cards will be quieter.

The amount of noise depends on your PC innards and your cords running into the computer. You could also have a ground loop.

 

But, many of us like to preserve older vinyl that can't be found on CD, which means processing becomes necessary.

Also, remember that with a computer, you can record at hi-rez. With a standalone, unless you have an expensive recorder, you're stuck at redbook.

 

You need a better sound card. Mine has none of that - it is completely silent when no music is being played.

 

Yeah, always something.

 

Grant, i agree there are times "working" on less than mint vinyl is a very good option to have. I just did two early 1970's singles this weekend that had to have some help to make them listenable. Both are very hard and expensive to find on CD and i was thrilled to be able to turn them in to usable versions.

In general though I like to do as little as possible to a needle drop. The sound I want on my CD is exactly the sound I hear on the LP to begin with. My stand alone recorder does a very good job of delivering that.

 

My feeling as well.

 

This is simply not true for all but the cheapest computers built in the last few years. And for older computers, a $50 Asus sound card will do much better than the DAC in standalones.

The only real reasons for a standalone today is you either you don’t know how to use a computer and/or have a fear of having one near your stereo.

 

Amen!

 

I think an IMHO might be appropriate here. Maybe you have a fear of standalone burners?

 

His second statement is opinion, yes, but the first one is accurate. There are inexpensive soundcards now that offer excellent high-resolution performance that far exceeds the A/D capabilities of all but the most expensive pro standalone units.

 

I like my stand alone recorder. That's not a "real reason"?

 

Nope. You need to work on your fear of computers. I'm not even sure how you managed to post in this thread.

 

Nope. You have to be able to define a reason. Why do you like your standalone?

Do they have better DAC’s? No
Can they record Hi-rez? Most, no

 

This is the way I do my needledrops:

1) Clean the record with my Okki Nokki RCM (if it hasn't been cleaned already) and wipe the dust off with my nostatic brush.
2) I plug in my Edirol R-09 digital recorder into one of the analog lineouts of my receiver.
3) Check the levels by playing a loud passage and adjust the record level of the recorder accordingly to avoid clipping.
4) Play side 1 and 2 and record it as 1 continuous wav-file.
5) Load the resulting wav-file (maximum resolution, 20-bit/48 kHz I believe) into Adobe Audition 1.5
6) Check the volume levels of the wav-file, if clipping has occurred do the needledrop again. If it peaks at less than -3 dB normalize the file to make it louder. If it peaks between -3 dB and 0 dB I'll leave the levels untouched.
7) Cut the beginning (before the music), the end (after the final notes) and the bit in between the sides out.
8) Pops and clicks are only fixed in pauses in between songs. If the pressing's really noisy I might fade in and out in between the songs. If it's only a couple of pops I just cut them out, I don't mind the pauses being a few miliseconds shorter. If there's a really loud pop somewhere on the record I might try to fix it (it's always easy to spot in the wavform), but I'm always very careful here.
9) Once these pops are fixed the wavfile is downsampled to CD resolution (16 bit/44.1 kHz) and saved.
10) The final wav-files are split into individual tracks by CDWAV. These are the files that are burned to CD.

 

I would agree.

 

I like my standalone because after I have used it to copy an LP, I am left with a CD-R that sounds so close to the LP that I cannot tell the difference using my ears on my system. That is exactly what I want from a needle drop.

 

I like the results I get. The stand alone is connected with my other components, and I can record from different sources immediately, and then play the recorded disc back through the same system it was recorded on. Hi-rez is not as important to me as some other factors. I was recording through a computer, and
did not enjoy it the same way as I do recording at my stereo setup. How's that?

 

I use computers to make a living. When I get home I want to enjoy my stereo.

 

Tim,
You’re not following the reason for my post(s). I have no doubt that you can make needledrops from your standalone and that you will be happy with them. I’m asking you to provide logical, fact based reasons why a standalone is a better recommendation today than a current computer/soundcard. Just saying that you’re happy with a standalone doesn’t make them better than a computer based setup.

 

OK, so how is that any different than a current computer based setup?

This is absolutely no different than a computer based setup.

OK, forget hi-rez. What are the other “factors” and do they have anything to do with better sounding needledrops?

I’m asking you to define the reasons why you would recommend one over the other. When I said “real reasons,” I assumed you could understand that I meant reasons based on logic, performance, etc. Emotions are certainly real and very important, but “I did not enjoy it the same way” starts to fall into that “fear of computers” category I stated.

 

GreenDrazi, I think you have lost sight of the OP's request. The OP wants to make needledrop CDs from LPs.

They're not demanding the absolute highest quality way to capture records at hi-rez.

They just want to make CDs from LPs. Stand-alone CD burners are an excellent and easy way to do this. Definitely LOTS more convenient than using a computer. Very similar to recording to MiniDisc which I used to do a lot of.

Personally I like the flexibility of a computer, and the sound quality is better through my Emu 1212m than probably any stand-alone (but I would bet that any stand-alone CD deck would DESTROY the sound quality of the built-in consumer sound card in my system). I like high-rez also because it seems to work better with declicking software that I use. However, with a clean record I can get fantastic results with my MiniDisc deck; someone with a CD burner can easily get great results also.