Do you get the same sound recording but without actually playing an LP?

If so, it is in the recording chain itself. If not, check the turntable, stylus, etc.

Digital oversaturation can sound like tics. I hope you try making a 24/96 rip and listen to it in comparison to a cd quality rip. The differences can be important.

Trey

I think when converting vinyl to cd, a really key component is the phono preamp with the tape loop. I have a preamp that is indispensable for the task of conversion. I've used other preamps in the conversion process and they sound goodish but with this particular preamp amplifying and managing the signal its like night and day. So much more life, naturalness/organic-ness, air; so much more of everything in fact and a much better organized sound. So if your going to convert a lot of your LPs and if you don't have a good phono preamp for the tape loop then you might want to consider borrowing one from a friend for a few days for an extended conversion session. It will make all the difference to the end result in my experience.

Chuck, I got an Maudio card named the 2496 audiophile. It was $100 for my pc. JA has forgotten more about sound cards than I know, but I do know the card makes beautiful 24/96 recordings of my vinyl. They do not quite sound as good as vinyl, but this way my family can enjoy the tunes. They are afraid of turntables!

Trey

The M-Audio card is great for the money. Excellent suggestion.

I have tried to convert some of my vinyl also, but mostly for the fun of it. I use Audacity to record the vinyl tracks as .flac files. This way I can actually store the tracks as 16/44 or 24/96 whatever I chose, not that there's necessarily an audible advantage in chosing the latter format.

Some of the older lp's with lots of scratches can be saved as "listenable" files this way, if there's a "declick" or other option available to take away the worst clicks and pops. A high filter can do good also.

Good luck

I use an FCA 202 in my desk top rig, and for the money it is a very nice piece. I am surprised that Behringer has dropped the product. The price may have been too low for people to take it seriously.

I use Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio build 9.0 d for all my recording in my laptop with an 2496 Echo Indigo IO card and with the FCA 202 in my desktop. When not location recording I use a Mackie 802 VLZ3 for level adjustments from my sources.

There is a vinyl restoration program in Sound Forge I have tried, but find no advantge to using it. There is another "process" setting for cleaning up very noisey discs, but I do not use it that much either.

I run full sides of lps and then break them up into tracks by cutting and pasting. I am only doing 2496 needledrops when I do them. I am not digitizing my lp collection as with 3 tts I can listen when ever I want. Once in a while I might do one, but 2496 is the way to go.

If you add the $40 Audio DVD Creator program you can burn those 2496 pcm files onto a DVD+r for playback in any DVD player. It supports NTSC (USA) and the European standard PAL as well. That is where the funs starts for me. I hear a difference with needledrops at 16 bit. 2496 is it for me.

The lastest version of Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio build 10 goes to 24/192. All for under $100. Very nice program.