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Digitizing LPs: General advice wanted

Hi everyone,
I will soon set out to digitize a LOT of LPs.
And given the extensive labor that will involved, I DESPERATELY want to do it right the FIRST time :-).
btw, I am solely concerned with the recording process, as playback issues may always be addressed later.

At this point, I only know that I want to record at a minimum of 24/96 with a PLANAR 3 turntable.

As everything else is undetermined, I am looking for some general advice.
I.E.:
Should I use a PC or an digital recorder ?
If a PC, should I use an INTERNAL sound card or a USB sound card (so as to minimize RF nose) ?
If a digital-recorder, are there any that will record at 24/96 ?
And can they easily share files with a PC (for use with editing software, etc) ?

Any other advice, pitfals, or experiences to share ?

Many thanks for any advice you may offer :-).
captainbeyond

Showing 2 responses by eldartford

eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Of course the simple thing to do is put your LPs onto tape cassettes, using a really good recorder.

The only real advantage of digital recording is that you can have a lot of fun on your computer, fixing pops, scratches and other LP woes. If you are not interested in becoming a computer geek, don't bother with digital.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Zaikesman...If you have a CDR recorder that is as easy to use as a cassette recorder, I agree it would be better. I was thinking in terms of making the CD on a computer, using some of the editing software that is available to remove noise and generally remaster the sound. It is absolutely astonishing what can be done to restore old recordings, but it is a lot of work. I thought about doing that but in the end I decided that I had only a few good LPs which hadn't been replaced by good CD's, so I decided that the easy way out was to keep the old turntable in service.

Speaking of that, and the Great Cryo'd Outlet test, I have done a quickie test with my outboard phono preamp on the outlet, and (can you bear it) heard nothing. As of tomorrow I am off to New Orleans for a week. Although my purpose there is to see a son get hitched, I note that there is an annual Jazz festival going on, so I may come back favoring Horn speakers.
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