Converting tapes and vinyl to computer files

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

I have about 50 records, about a dozen singles, and a couple of tapes that I'd like to convert to CD. How do I do this? Is the equipment expensive? Any help is appreciated. I'm sure someone here has done this.

[JazzRemington]

You'll need a way to directly connect the equipment needed to play the tapes and records to the computer. Here are a few articles I found from google:

http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/gslj/lp2mp3.html
http://www.br0wn.co.uk/vinyltocd.htm
http://www.cyberwalker.net/columns/feb02/150202.html

If you don't want to mess with wires and all that shit, you could just use a mic to record the music as it plays.

It would also probably be helpful to get a sound editor to mix and trim what you record. May I recomend Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/)?

[seraphim]

As a dj I've got somewhere near 500 12'' and 500 7'' singles and albums recording them to a hard drive is easy if you have a deck and a mixer there are loads of programmes which you can get for nothing which will do this for you.

[celtopunk]

Don't use a mic to record the stuff that would be pointelss.

Have you considered trying to download the stuff? Seriously if you already own it then there's no moral quandry that some people have about downloading music.

I'm not sure what those articles say but you basically need to have a line in or a mic jack on your soundcard. You'll also need to have cables go from the stereo to the computer and they will need to go from RCA to whatever those smaller jacks are on the soundcard. Radio shack will have the hardware. Then you need software to record what is coming in as it plays. The basic windows sound recorder will do that but it is not the best program to use for splitting the tracks and you can't edit out any pops from a record with it either. Try that audacity program or something else. I have something called Magix that I paid for that works well enough.

Hopefully your computer will also have lots of resources (RAM and disk space) otherwise this process will be even more tedious. It is a time consuming process as you have to play everything that you want to record.

Have fun.

[Parkbench]

I asked this this on metafilter a while ago.

http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/15069

pretty useful.

[celtopunk]

easy? perhaps, time consuming absolutely.
Here's another link that I came across:
http://ct.cnet-ssa.com.com/clicks?c=116538...d=cnet-ssa&ds=5 (http://ct.cnet-ssa.com.com/clicks?c=116538-29411770&brand=cnet-ssa&ds=5)

[Rastafari]

Or, for the really devoted:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/drives/6908/


Peace Out

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

Goddamnit, hallelujah!! Rastafari is back!
Are you sticking around this time, comrade?

That tape deck actually looks a like a good idea. Probably a bit too expensive, though.

[Rastafari]

I'm afraid not, my friend. I just thought I'd weigh in.

Besides, I like the attention I get every blue moon that I do get on.