Records

Posted by Peggie Wong (426 days ago)

Can anyone advise me on how I can get a record player and combine the rest of the stuff that goes with it in order for me to start playing all my old records again? I've put them away for quite awhile and it's such a waste as they are from my days in the fifties & sixties. Is it worthwhile (moneywise) because I think the sound will not be as smooth as the cd - right?

(I am based in Hong Kong)

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Posted by nutsandbolts (425 days ago)

Well, I have - very seldom I must admit - seem people advertising their players here, and it's been well over a year now since an advert surfaced !

I'd love to play my 60's & 70's LPs again - even tho' I managed to copy them to CD, CDROMs don't last forever.

There are a very few shops that sell record playing units - and they are expensive !

One source is the street right opposite "Dragon Centre" in ShamShuiPo - but I believe that their prices are upwards of $2K.

Of course, the very best players don't have ANY needle to go in the groove - the track is read by Laser Light - or so I read. But that system co$t$ an arm and a leg, and comes from North America with its non-standard 100/110 Volts 60 Cycle mains.


Even if you got a stand-alone player, it would most probably need a preamplifier and audio correction filters before you can plug it into today's amplifiers.

Unless you are a "Whizz" - and have a barrel of money to throw at the problem - you'll just have to keep looking for someone disposing of their equipment.... and hope that it'll work for you. <Wry Smile>.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by Peggie Wong (425 days ago)

Nutsandbolts,

Thanks for the detailed information. Well, guess I have to keep my fingers crossed for something of the nature to turn up!!

Maybe I'll try Shamshuipo & just to have a browse. Thanks again.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by nutsandbolts (425 days ago)

I seem to recall that I saw a report in "theregister.co.uk several months ago about a 200 Quid [PLUS] player that copied vinyl disks direct to a computer via a USB port.

The price was a bit too "rich" for me - especially as I'd have no further use for it once I'd re-copied my LPs yet again.

Better try advertising for something cheaper in the "WANTED" section here........

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by Peggie Wong (425 days ago)

Wish someone out there has a record player plus all the necessary items to sell at one go....wishful thinking.......... anyway, nutsandbolts, thanks for your concern!

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by Saikunga (418 days ago)

Come out of exit E of Mongkok station, walk straight, the last building before the road has an entry way which cuts across the building at 45degrees, get into the lift - there are a number of places in the building that sell turntables in there. Don't know the name of the building, you can pick up a new turntable for less than 328USD.

You can then turn them into digital and put them onto your itunes if you have some time. (and inclination)

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by nutsandbolts (418 days ago)

""new turntable for less than 328USD."" Gosh, that's more than "An arm & a leg" & I'd wonder if it was really worth the outlay ....... and not forgetting the signal processing that would need to be done to remove clicks and scratch noises.

Sancho Panza's Master was terribly Quixotic in his quests too.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by nutsandbolts (417 days ago)

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/10/15/qanda_lp_to_cd/


Convert LPs to CDs... without a USB turntable?
By Anthony Percy
15th October 2007 15:55 GMT
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I have a hi-fi system and I want to transfer my vinyl LPs to CD. I could buy an Ion USB turntable, of course - but could I use my existing turntable somehow?

4 answers posted — Post a new answer

Yes, but...Posted 19 hours and 10 minutes ago

Yes you canPosted 19 hours ago

How to....Posted 11 hours and 18 minutes ago

TitlePosted 6 hours and 58 minutes ago



Answers to ‘Convert LPs to CDs... without a USB turntable?’
By Anthony Percy
Monday 15th October 2007 15:55 GMT
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» Add your own answer!

Yes, but...
Nicholas Moore • Monday 15th October 2007 20:13 GMT
You should be able to convert them, however, be prepared to spend quite a while working on it (not that the USB turntable doesn't take a while!).

Firstly, you'll probably have to find an adaptor for a 1/4" jack to a 3.5mm plug that your soundcard uses. Most decent music hardware shops should stock these or you can get them online for as little as a £1. Then you'll want to plug your LP player's output cable into the input plug of your soundcard.

Once you've done that, the fun starts. Now, there are many commercial applications out there to help you convert your LPs. There is also an Open Source program called "Audacity". Basically, you set Audacity up to record from your soundcard and then once you've got the song, convert it into MP3/whatever format you like. But, you have to do this for each track on the LP (unless, of course, you want all your albums in single MP3s).

Yes you can
Moo • Monday 15th October 2007 20:23 GMT
If your sound card has a line-in jack (It has to have!) you can do it. With the proper cabling, connect your hi-fi output (not amplified) to your sound card and with a suitable software, record it in any quality you like. That quality will depend on your sound card's capability. Or you can just record a 44100 hz 16 bit wave file (CD quality).

Every windows version has a sound recorder in control panel (somewhat limited). Nero has some nice recorders both to record and edit. You may also find some free alternatives like audacity http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ if you like to.

In my experience I recorded many files from my cassettes with a walkman.

How to....
Anonymous Coward • Tuesday 16th October 2007 04:05 GMT
One assumes you have a method of playing your vinyl records. Plug in yout turntable into the 'phono' input of you amplifier, you can NOT use an input that is CD in etc. the signal is too low and there will be too much treble and no base !. You can take the output from the 'tape out' sockets or the headphone socket. Have a cable from the amplifier to the sound card input. Get hold of Coyote Software Groove Mechanic 2.6 (http://www.coyotes.bc.ca). Play the record, start the recorder. Groove Mechanic can parse the Audio track to break up the record into individual tracks, and remove the "silence" between the tracks. If your record is scratched (click, pop etc) Groove Mechanic can remove those too. If the record is warped, it will remove the the sub-sonic sounds. Groove mechanic can "normalise" the sound level, make all tracks sound the same loudness. And save the tracks as WAV files in the 44.1kHz format that is used for CD's (DVD use a 48kHz format). Burn this to a CD using Nero or your favorite CD burning software.

Title
Anonymous Coward • Tuesday 16th October 2007 08:25 GMT
Total Recorder, a software suite produced by a Canadian outfit - High Criteria - is a very versatile and easy-to-use product, and I have used it to record inputs of all kinds - from vinyls to whole BBC Radio 4 plays. Highly recommended. Costs about £15 I think.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by Saikunga (412 days ago)

Well it depends on how much you want your old music as to the value of the machine and time spent recording - there wasn't much fixing as the LP's were in excellent condition - well looked after and top of the range equipment used in the old days.

if you were to manage to find and purchase the CD versions you would only be able to buy 25 at the going rate of $100 a CD for the price of a turntable. And some music is not digitially recorded, so you would lose it. It took a few weeks but we were able to convert all our LP's into digital format - about 100 in all, and with individual tracks loaded into itunes ready to go.

We used audacity - easy to use and you can record the whole album in one go, then divide the tracks later.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by Peggie Wong (373 days ago)

Is there any shops selling these big black plastic records?

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by Grytpype-Thynne (372 days ago)

Don't know about "shops" - but I have a collection of possibly 40 LP's from Classical to Pop to Folk for which I'd love to find a caring new home !!

With some recompense of course.

(I am based in Hong Kong)