Digitizing LPs: General advice wanted

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.

Eldatford:
I agree that copying to cassettes is simple and easier. In the 60's and 70's I made dozens of cassettes from LP's and "all music" FM stations. Those cassettes have long since died.

My LP's are 20-40 years old. Most have not been re-issued on CD. So, to preserve the music of my younger days, making CD's seem to be the best option at this time.

I didn't read all of the comments but you can burn to 24/96, however the cost involved may be more than your willing to pay. Here is a good starting point. You would need a computer in order to burn the signal to it's hard drive. You would need an A/D that will convert to that signal. I would suggest Grace designs Lunatec V3 or Appogee's Minime (which) has a USB port. You need a sound card that will allow you to store the data on your computer. M audio make an outboard type, I think it is called the F410. You need a DVD R burner for your computer and then you would need to send a dummy video image to the DVD for the video section of the disc while you are burning to the audio tracks. Many people use a jpeg image.

If this sounds like a pain it is but it will work and you will be able to play back your dicks on DVD R machines. Cost would be around $2000, as long as you have the computer power already available.

Or you could buy Alesis Masterlink and burn 24/96 to their propritary machine. Meaning you will always need their machine to playback. However, you can buy them at around $900.

For more info visit www.Oade.com Taper section and ask questions there.

Eldartford: I haven't recorded any cassettes since getting my HHB CDR recorder. The only advantage with cassettes is the potential for more extended program lengths. CDR's most importantly have random access track selection and programming capability, and are also somewhat more convenient and durable. To me they sound at least as good as cassette when played back through my regular digital playback rig. But though I think the BurnIt is a great-sounding machine for recording, I'm probably gonna wind up getting a MasterLink or something like it with a built-in hard-disk drive anyway, because the ease of compiling tracks at leisure prior to editing, sequencing, and burning is the best argument of all for the newer approach.

BTW, how is that AC outlet experiment going?

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.