Technology is quickly changing, even more so today. Many of you have found that while music has advanced to the CD, and actually honestly beyond that to simply MP3 files stored on devices such as IPODS and your personal cell phones, that there is a large stack of records just sitting in your basement. When growing up all of the records played music that you found relaxing or catchy, but now their technology is outdated and over the years the music has just become nostalgic and worth more to you. This presents a larger problem than just the storing of the music, but now you crave it again and want to hear the hits that you grew up to, without having to potentially wear down the remaining albums you have through repeated use or even risk breaking the albums or record player. Following these simple steps you can fix that problem and burn your classic albums onto CD-R disks.
To start off with the recording process, you need to install some form of recording program onto your PC or laptop. Most computers do not do direct LP to computer recordings, however there are a large number of free or inexpensive recording devices that can be downloaded from the internet that can record audio. In general, having a program to directly write a file from a LP to your hard drive is preferable, and some newer devices allow that, however of course simply audio recordings can suffice if you are desperate.
To record without a direct writing to your hard drive will likely require a preamp to amplify the sound coming from the record player. Some record players have this built in, but if that is not the case, it is suggested you purchase or hook one up. If there is a preamp, simply hook it up to the computer’s sound card. Any preamp you purchase should support a RIAA Equalization to enable most albums from post 1950 to be recorded.
Before you begin recording you of course want the sound quality to be the best that it can be. To ensure this, clean your records before you begin playing and trying to record them to CD. There are specially made LP cleaning devices on the market, or you can try your luck with safe chemicals and a rag. Use whatever makes you feel comfortable or have even had success with in the past to clean your LP’s.
On your program you should have done several tests in advance to ensure that you understand how the program works and that you are capable of making adjustments. Before you begin you should also make sure that the record player is working perfectly so that your recording is of the highest quality. Upon approving of the settings and volume you simply hit record and begin playing the albums.
Upon completion of the recording process your program should have all of your files recorded. You can choose to edit them if you wish, split them up into separate tracks or make other alterations. Depending on the program you have, you now follow those steps to begin burning the tracks onto a CD-R. If you choose to, you can also download them into a personal MP-3 player as well.
Just like that you can now enjoy all of your classic LP albums on CD or a MP3 player. Enjoy!