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VINYL - 2,200 LP's to CD or Hard Drive - HELP

Someone I know has an extensive LP collection - to the tune of 2,200 lp's which he has had for MANY years, he is 86. He and his wife are interested in freeing up some space and ease the ability to listen to the music on the LPs instead of looking at them.

He wants to get them onto CD - but I am wondering about getting them onto a hard drive storage facilty for him, as he wants to sell the entire collection after. That will be my lovely task, but before - how do I do the above and any experiences would be appreciated.

One by one is obviously the only way to do this - suggestions on CD versus hard drive storage? Are these folks that get paid to do such an event?

I am near SF, CA -

thanks for any and all input.

Dan
porschecab

Showing 3 responses by johnnyb53

johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
In addition to the garbage ION USB turntable, there are some decent ones, including a USB version of the Project Debut III and the Audio Technica PL-120. All include a built-in phono stage, DAC, and USB interface.

Project Debut USB

Audio Technica AT-PL120 with USB

I'd go for the Audio Technica. It's a quality knock-off of the Technics SL-1200, weighs about 24 lbs., has the detachable universal headshell, and the price is right. You could actually get some good transcriptions off this.

Oh, and I also vote for going HD server. Heck, you could encode at 24/48KHz if you wanted.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 

06-12-08: Arnold_layne
USB turntables are not built for sound quality but for ease of use. I doubt one would last thru 2200 LP's being transfered to a HDD.
The Project Debut and AT-PL120 were built for sound quality. The USB section is an add-on. Both of these turntables have functioned and sold well for a long time as analog turntables. It's the ION that's made and marketed purely as a USB digitizing turntable that's a lightweight plastic POS.

Furthermore, the Audio Technica is a Technics knockoff, with cast aluminum plinth, close tolerance bearings, and targeted at the dance club market. As a $200 turntable it is simply unbeatable and should survive well past 2,200 LPs WITHOUT A BELT CHANGE! :) (though maybe the motor bearing could use a little oil along the way).

If you outfit it with an Ortofon 2M Red, you can replace the stylus after 1,100 LPs for a mere $69 retail.

The perfect is the enemy of the good, here. Sure, you could get a SME 20 with 12" arm, Clearaudio Goldfinger, EAR or Graham Slee phono stage and pro-quality A/D converter, but I seriously doubt the "client" wants to spend far more money on analog playback gear than he listened through for his entire lifetime.

If he already has a component turntable, maybe the best thing is to just get a USB A/D converter.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 

06-12-08: Dfhaleycko
I make this out to be about 5 months of work, 12 hours per day, to do the transcription, tagging, and record manipulation;

Figure 45 minutes x 2,200 = 99,000 minutes = 1650 hours = 137.5 12/hour days, with no days off or weekends. If you pay a college kid $10/hour to do this, you're out $16,500. If only (?) four hours a day, it's well over a year and a half.
Actually, I think you can figure an hour for each LP, for the time it takes to mount each record, brush or clean it, clean the stylus, pull the record out, put it away, etc. 40 hours/day x 52 weeks = 2,180 hours, so this is a 1-year, full time job with weekends off, but no holidays or vacation.
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