Converting Vinyl to Digital
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  1. #1
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    Default Converting Vinyl to Digital

    I have some vinyl only releases and wanted to put some on digital for me only. I know I can just route my mixer out into my computer.. or from my turntable into my audio 8 but was wondering whats the best low-budget way?

    A while ago I saw Robert Dietz tweet about how he uses a Pro-Ject Tube Box II - Vacuum Tube Phone Preamplifier to make his tracks sound chunky when digital

    any suggestions?
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  2. #2
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    photojojo gave me a great link...

    maybe he will pass it on...i can't find it...
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    Not need, just feed the war cannibal animal

  3. #3
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    hopefully the thread catches his eye cause I would love that link right now
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  4. #4
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    as for the tube preamp: it's not a good idea bang-for-your-buck wise. tubes are so unreliable. they age pretty quickly. you either service them all the effing time or live with huge variations in performance.

    as for digitizing vinyl, you'll want to bypass your mixer, as it degrades the signal. so, if you don't want to invest in new equipment, use an input of your A8DJ set to phono.

    if you do want to acquire some gear to improve your results, here's some food for thought.

    1.) vinyl will never be able to hold a candle to digital. so don't spend large amounts of money chasing a sound quality that will never be on par with a cd.

    2.) you wanna optimize the quality of the analog signal you're getting from your turntable because that's where the gains in fidelity lie. the quality of AD converter or the software you use to process the digitized audio is secondary to that.

    3.) the preamp doesn't really matter much as long as loading isn't too far off (it won't be when using an MM cart and a standard, off-the-shelf preamp). the cart matters, though. generally, ortofon dj carts are not good. in light of my point (1.) above, i don't suggest you spend hundreds of $ on the cart but it certainly makes sense to purchase a hifi cart in the $25 - $100 range.

    4.) calibration of the TT is very important (tracking force, cart alignment, etc.)

    5.) the vinyl itself makes a huge difference. make sure it is in good condition and cleaned. also, results will vary with the type of vinyl (45rpm is better than 33, vinyl with shorter playtime is better than vinyl with long playtime/many tracks per side, etc.)

  5. #5
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    thank you rgtb for the extended response I appreciate it. Now would you be able to recommend me carts for the conversion process? Right now I have some crappy ones I was thinking of buying ortofones for DJing and keeping the conversion carts exclusive for just importing my tracks to mp3.


    and what AD converter would you recommend or would the audio 8 be just fine?
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  6. #6
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    The ADC in the A8DJ will be just fine.

    As for Hifi carts, the cheapest one I would consider is the Audio-Technica AT95E. Overall, it's already better than, say, an Ortofon Nightclub. But, for my taste, it's a little bright, the highs are kinda dominant. I currently use a Shure M97XE and love it. I recently switched to the Shure from an Ortofon Vinyl Master for the Shure's focus on bass response. The Vinyl Master series (which goes under a different name in the US, namely 510/520/530/540 MKII) might be slightly more clear and neutral, though. The Vinyl Master/5x0 MKII series has been discontinued. The successor, 2M, is also good but it seems Ortofon has increased prices. E.g., the 2M Blue is $225 which is too much imo.

    Btw, I would recommend against purchasing a used cart. (If you do, factor in the cost for replacing the stylus which is mandatory iyam.)

    EDIT: note that phono carts are transducers. (loudspeakers and mikes, too.) as a rule of thumb, transducers are the audio devices where the differences in sound quality are largest. You will easily be able to tell apart a good cart from a bad cart and a good speaker from a bad speaker. That's different from, say, mixers or cd players. there might be no perceptible difference in sound quality between a $2000 mixer and a $300 mixer.
    Last edited by rgtb; 03-27-2012 at 11:14 AM.

  7. #7
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    yet again thank you I think Im gunna scoop up the Shure M97XE cause I prefer a better bass response then highs

    btw I still need to replace my DJ carts you recommend any? I spin strictly house, tech-house, etc so no scratching just mixing any ideas? I saw a pair of Ortofon Concorde Pro S for around 200
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  8. #8
    Tech Guru sobi's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rgtb View Post
    1.) vinyl will never be able to hold a candle to digital. so don't spend large amounts of money chasing a sound quality that will never be on par with a cd.

    Further evidence that the sound quality argument is subjective bullshit for the most part.

  9. #9
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    Vinyl sounds great; don't believe the hype about it "not holding a candle" to digital. The real problem is artifacts -- dust or scratches or problems in the pressing process that will be audible on vinyl. Vinyl is also noisier than digital but not so noisy that it makes a huge difference under normal circumstances (unless something went wrong in the recording or playback process). Sure, if you crank the volume up to ungodly levels and listen to silent parts of a recording really carefully you'll hear more noise with vinyl than digital, but for DJing and normal listening you're not going to be doing that.

    The M97xe is a fantastic cartridge - it's what I use for digitizing vinyl as well - but if you're seeking more bass response it's probably not the needle for you; you're probably better off with the Shure M35 or M447, which are DJ carts with heavier bass emphasis. The 97xe is much more of a "neutral" cart, which means it won't sound as bassy as the DJ carts. It is also unforgiving with vinyl artifacts so I'd say clean your records really carefully before recording from it. Whereas my M447s cut through dirt and dust pretty nicely. That's not to say that you won't hear scratches, but minor artifacts pose less of a problem in my experience.

    But what do I know I'm just an old school vinyl junkie who also happens to like pushing buttons
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  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by sobi View Post
    Further evidence that the sound quality argument is subjective bullshit for the most part.
    There is no need for an aggressive tone.
    Quote Originally Posted by djproben View Post
    Vinyl sounds great; don't believe the hype about it "not holding a candle" to digital.
    In many respects, vinyl is measurably way inferior to red book. Two links with some facts:
    http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index....es_%28Vinyl%29
    http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index.php?title=Myths_%28Vinyl%29


    Obviously, the various weaknesses of vinyl are also super-easy to spot in a double-blind ABX test. E.g., even layman will notice that vinyl is unable to accurately reproduce the low and high ends of the audible frequency spectrum.
    Last edited by rgtb; 03-28-2012 at 01:24 AM.

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