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Considering a CD Recorder - could use some advice and suggestions

post #1 of 9
10/1/09 at 1:35pm
Thread Starter 
I have some vinyl I want to digitize (record on CD) and I was trying to think of the easiest way to do that for not a lot of money.
I ran across this: http://http://www.jr.com/teac/pe/TEA...ductTabSimilar
What do you think? Is it worth it?
It is refurbished so that makes me a little skeptical. The price is good and even though it uses specific "Music CD-R discs" the place has those as well and they are not that expensive. (Maxell qty 50 for $17, TDK 1xspeed qty 50 for $10)
I'm thinking this is cheaper than using one of those USB turntables which I do not like anyway. I think they are poorly made.

Does anyone have any suggestion for other CD Recorders I should look at? (Budget is around $100 to $240)

Is there another way to do this that might be better?

Regarding the blank media: Any advice there as to what would be best to use?

Thank you.
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post #2 of 9
10/1/09 at 3:31pm
No expert here, but If I wanted to do something like this I'd just record them to my PC. Your computer should most likely have an audio "line in" somewhere, a mini-audio jack. You'd just need an RCA to 3.5mm adapter. Costs a couple of dollars. You don't need any special software or anything, even the basic Windows sound recorder will get the job done. 
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post #3 of 9
10/1/09 at 3:37pm
I agree with Zack, but it depends on your turntable or system. If you want to plug your turntable directly into the computer, you might run into problems if it has a grounded pre-amp out instead of 2 RCA plugs. You could get around this by using the tape outs on your receiver.
The other option, which is what I did becuase I couldn't get a replacement cartridge and belt for my old Toshi turntable, is to buy a USB turntable. I have an ION turntable which I adore, but ultimately it's up to you.
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post #4 of 9
10/2/09 at 6:43am
If you have a computer with a sound card I agree the easiest way to go is to plug your stereo into your computer.  You can go from the "tape out" of your stereo receiver into the line in on your sound card.  Then use some software to record WAV files at 44.1/16bit, split the WAV files up for the songs if you wish, then some software to write the CDs.

If your computer has a decent sound card installed the results will probably be acceptable to you.  

Unless your computer has a very good quality sound card installed, the chances are that the audio quality will be better from a dedicated CD-R deck like the one you're considering.  The CD-R will have better Analog-to-digital conversion and therefore will give you better sound.  How much will the difference be and will you even care?  Impossible to say.  Consumer sound cards on computers are highly variable.  Some of them have quite good digital audio conversion, some don't.  It's impossible to know if yours are good or bad without actually trying something.  It doesn't cost hardly anything to try, so give it a try before shelling out the casho on a CD-R unit.
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post #5 of 9
10/2/09 at 6:49am
I used Philip's method for a friend who had a bunch of old records not available on CD.  Each side of the recrord became a single wave file.  I also used software to clean up pops and scratches.  Finally, I cut the large file into a bunch of a smaller files each containing a single song.  I then burned those files to CD.  It sounds like a lot of work but it really wasn't.  The little bit of time I spent on this was well worth it when it came to the quality of the sound.
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post #6 of 9
10/2/09 at 8:02am
Thread Starter 

My turntable does not have a built in pre amp, just the RCA cable and a ground wire. So I could not hook it up to the PC directly anyway. I can get a long cable and use the Tape Out on the receiver (Onkyo TXSR705)
Software is no problem, I have all I need there and have used it for converting tapes and such including editing and even some remastering. (Sound Forge for editing and NERO for burning and all that).
The only PC I have availble at the moment is my laptop which has a low quality soundcard and no "line In". I'd have to get something like an EMU emulator to use the laptop and those run about $250. The ION turntables are the same, about $250 and then you have to throw them out when finished as they are a one trick pony. Also I can not do a high quantity of buring with the optical drive in my lap top anyway. (The optical drives on laptops are not designed to do a lot of burning unlike the ones you can get for a desktop).
I have a desktop with a good audio card, but it needs to be rebuilt or replaced. It is too unstable for doing audio work and such.
What would probably be best now that I think about it would be to put this project on hold until I can take care of the desktop PC issue and then try to find a cheap way of recording the LPs into the laptop (so I don't have to haul my desktop into the livingroom) and then transfering the recordings to the desktop for editing and burning.
The only problem is that it won't be cheap because my laptop does not have a "line in" and has a low quality soundcard. It gets confusing here because it seems a stand alone CD-R unit would be far less expensive, but I don't know about the one I'm looking at as far as quality goes and it is "refurbished" which is a gamble.

Hmm, maybe the ION turntable is an option since it would cost just as much to use my existing turntable with my laptop, but the idea of a $250 item being use once and throw out stops me in my tracks. I wonder if there is anything else I could do with one of those ION turntables?
I'm really confused now.

 

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post #7 of 9
10/2/09 at 8:23am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen_J_H View Post

I agree with Zack, but it depends on your turntable or system. If you want to plug your turntable directly into the computer, you might run into problems if it has a grounded pre-amp out instead of 2 RCA plugs. You could get around this by using the tape outs on your receiver.
The other option, which is what I did becuase I couldn't get a replacement cartridge and belt for my old Toshi turntable, is to buy a USB turntable. I have an ION turntable which I adore, but ultimately it's up to you.

EUREKA! I just found the answer to my delema! Stephen, your ION turntable idea prompted it. The actual ION Turntable would not have worked for me, but it prompted me to go to their website and look at them as I have not looked since they first came out. In doing so I ran into a $50 problem solver. A little box that hooks up to your PC via USB and you just hook your existing Turntable (or even tape deck or CD player) into the box and bob's your uncle! Brillant! No need to spend $250 on an EMU unit to get things into the PC.
Granted I still have to address my desktop, but at least I can get the long part of the job done and then throw the recordings on an external HDD for transfer later!
I had no idea they had this device!
Whew!
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post #8 of 9
10/5/09 at 5:14am
Excellent.  If your laptop has a firewire port, look into those options as well.  Nero BTW allows for splitting up a single WAV file to multiple tracks, and also has support for CD-Text, so you can make very nice CDs if you wish.  I would give that a try on your laptop, I would expect it would work very well.  I use sound forge also for the initial recording, it's pretty nice.  I usually create one WAV file for the whole record, normalize it, then write to a CD.  I use CD Architect which came with Sound Forge 9 (if you have an older version of Sound Forge you probably don't have CD Architect).  Good luck!
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post #9 of 9
10/7/09 at 12:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RockinPharoh View Post




EUREKA! I just found the answer to my delema! Stephen, your ION turntable idea prompted it. The actual ION Turntable would not have worked for me, but it prompted me to go to their website and look at them as I have not looked since they first came out. In doing so I ran into a $50 problem solver. A little box that hooks up to your PC via USB and you just hook your existing Turntable (or even tape deck or CD player) into the box and bob's your uncle! Brillant! No need to spend $250 on an EMU unit to get things into the PC.
Granted I still have to address my desktop, but at least I can get the long part of the job done and then throw the recordings on an external HDD for transfer later!
I had no idea they had this device!
Whew!
 

Did I mention that the ION turntables have audio pass-thru via a 1/8" stereo plug mounted on the deck? BTW, you'll never pay$250 for an ION turntable; I paid $129 Cdn for mine, and most go for about $150 Cdn.
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