Pure Vinyl Software

Digitizing vinyl is a pain in the @SS

You have to do it in real time, i.e. you have to play the record all the way through. Instead of a rip that takes a few minutes per CD you have to play a 40 minute album. You will have to edit out the thud when the stylus hits the record and the end of record noise that goes on for 10 minutes because you got distracted and left the room and started doing something else while the record was playing.

You want to be near the clipping point to get maximum resolution but if you get it a little too hot you will overload the ADC and the results are nasty so you start over. Yes, you can use peak limiters or compression but that compromises sound quality.

Once you do get it done you have to go back and edit to put in the breaks between songs and type in album names and song titles.

Unless it is some record that you love and unavailable on CD I say buy the CD.

Herman,
I have an Alesis Masterlink and have been digitizing my LP collection for a few years now. Everything you wrote is true but if you have listened to a LP transferred track vs a regular CD, you would understand why I did it. I digitize LP at 24/96 for home playback and then make a 16/48 down-sample version for iPod upload. The sound quality and convenience are unmatched by either CD or LP alone.

BTW Masterlink is a fantastic machine. Its editing feature is not the best but after you get used to it, editing is very easy.

If you want to record directly to a computer, you might want to look into the new Benchmark ADC1 USB.

Mike Freemer in the Monaco thread I stated that the CD's he makes from his turntable sound better than the storebought CD release. Several record label people have heard his CD's and coomented their were better than thier releases.

A good mp3 of a great transfer could sound pretty nice. You'd need a top analog rig to get that level of playback though it is possible.

Herman: Way back when, I recorded just about every LP I bought onto a cassette so I could listen to it in the car. It required all the "pain in the @ss" steps you mentioned but I liked doing it. I would even record a lot of songs onto a VCR tape; same thing. To me it wasn't a pain in the @ss so maybe it wouldn't be for others. I too am interested in transferring some of my vinyl to digital. Would a line-in on an MP3 player do an acceptable job? I keep meaning to experiment with that but haven't gotten around to it yet.

This might make an interesting experiment but it's probably not worth your time. If you have some of those hidden gems that were never released on CD, then go for it. My experience with vinyl recording/restoration software is that it is extremely time consuming, depending of course on what sound quality you're aiming for.

I've never used Pure Vinyl but I can recommend some other options for you Mac:

Bias SoundSoap2 - relatively simple to use and inexpensive at $200.

Waves Restoration - this is the one I use. It's quite a bit more money at $1200 but it's the way to go if you want surgical control over restoring your vinyl.

Keep in mind these are programs for restoration (clip/pop removal, hum removal, etc..) if you're wanting to go that route. Any free audio recording program will do if you're just wanting to record.