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January 3, 2006 - 6:35pm
#1
Need advice on turntable question
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I've transferred lots of LP's to Redbook CD to play in the car etc. Over the course of making the transfers, I upgraded my turntable. It made a sonic difference when I played the CD's back on my main system. The car involves so much ambient noise that the difference doesn't make a difference there.
I've no experience with MP3 transfers. My guess is that the compression element might offset any benefit from a new tt/cart.
Assuming you get the 78rpm pulley, do you also plan to buy a cartidge appropriate to the 78's ?
Do you have in mind some sort of software cleanup for some of the old vinyl before you make the CD copy?
Thanks, cheapskate! Yes, I am using Cakewalk Pyro 2004 for software on this project. I have completed about 230 LP's and I am generally happy with the software. It does seem to add some bass to the finished file if I happen to edit the file(s) for noise, but I can offset that with equalizer settings to my liking, although generally I'm trying to capture each LP just as it was when I bought it- I don't want to alter it unless the disc needs some help in order for me to enjoy it. My biggest gripe is speed- when I save the WAV files or convert to MP3 files in Pyro my speed is fine- currently 32X. But when I apply any editing commnads in the software for equalization or cleanup, my speed drops terribly.
I am cleaning each disc thoroughly with the Disc Doctor cleaning solution and his "A" brushes before I play each LP, and that has been the best thing I could have done- really helps.
For the 78 records, if I go with the Debut III it comes with an Ortofon 5E and I will purchase an Ortofon 78 stylus which uses the same cartridge. Any tips or tricks are appreciated-like what kbps setting to save the MP3 files (currently I'm using 160 KBPS. I have a 250 Gb second hard drive I installed in a Dell Dimension 8200 PC for this purpose). Hey, this stuff is fun- expensive! - but fun. I better keep my day job,
eh?
I'm sure someone else will chime in on the MP3 question, Stanley. I just don't know. You've already made what I think is the most important move by carefully cleaning each record before starting the transfer. I agree, the project is fun, but it looks as though you may be falling into the same trap I did. My original intent was to move many years of music I cared about to digital. I found I liked the old vinyl and all that goes with it so much that I upgraded turntable, cartridge, and phono preamp and began buying lots of the great vinyl reissues out there. Got to keep the high end alive the best way we can, right?