Clear Instructions: import Vinyl records into iTunes

Question

I have been researching for some weeks. Amazing,no succinct article or info on HOW to use a Mac and import music from Vinyl records into iTunes. ( Adam Engst, where is a Tidbits eBook when I need it?)
I think I have the gist but maybe you audiophiles can clarify for me?
(not sure what format to use when finally able to import the music file into iTunes)
- have ordered an AudioTechnica turntable
-using iMac G4...am I correct that it does not have a distinct "LINE IN"?
- So, will need iMic from Griffin
-will use Audacity (available free or lo cost with the iMic?
-Possibly use "ClickRepair" to rid of clicks and clacks in the music?
Clean the vinyl first (any suggestions what to use?)
connect turntable to iMac via iMic
put record on the platter
launch Audacity
start the turntable
tell Audacity to record into a non compressed format (so I can use ClickRepair).
after both software products have finished, import into iTunes?
As what? AiFF, Apple Lossless?
Any and all advice appreciated.
(This is birthday gift for hubby and I want to get it right !)
Message was edited by: Barbara Passman3

Answer 1

Work Flow - Recording a vinyl LP to the Mac for iTunes
The short version of what needs to be done is this:
* Set up the hardware - find the cables needed to connect the turntable to the Mac.
* Provide an RIAA EQualization curve - this can be done with hardware or software
* Clean the vinyl LP
* Set up the recording software - select input and output, designate where the file is to be saved and in what format (considering quality level desired and hard drive space available), enable "pass through" (so you can listen while recording), and set the recording level.
* Record
* Edit - define tracks, if necessary, clean pops and scratches, if possible
* Import into iTunes - name tracks, change file format, if necessary to save hard drive space
Here is the long version:
*Hardware:
I suggest connecting your turntable to a stereo amplifier or pre-amplifier which has a "Phono" input. The (red and white) RCA plugs on the turntable would plug into the Phono jacks on the back of the amp. Then, use a stereo-RCA-to-1/8th-inch-minijack-cable (RadioShack) to connect a set of the amplifier's "Line Out" jacks to the Mac's audio "Line In" port.
If your Mac does not have a "Line In" port, I highly recommend the Griffin iMic ($40 - http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/imic/). The iMic comes with a short RCA-minijack cable; you will probably want a 1/8th inch stereo extension cable which is long enough to reach between the turntable and the Mac.
I also suggest a good set of headphones - especially if you are applying filters and effects. It will be difficult or impossible to tell what you are doing if you are monitoring the results with typical computer speakers. I use (and highly recommend) the Sennheiser HD-485s although there are many others you could choose from.
* RIAA Equalization - As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, you will need to provide an RIAA equalization curve so your LPs will sound right when played back. Your stereo amplifier or pre-amp with a "Phono" input has that built in, so you are all set.
If, however, you don't have an amp or pre-amp with "Phono" inputs, then you could connect the turntable's RCA jacks directly to the iMic and use the Final Vinyl software (included with the iMic) to provide the RIAA curve (Filters>Add>EQ> then check the button "Connected to a turntable"). I can't comment on the results from using Final Vinyl's for the RIAA, because I use a stereo amp.
* Clean the vinyl LP:
First, I use a brush with very fine nylon bristles and a weak solution of dishwashing detergent in tepid water (http://www.needledoctor.com/Online-Store/Nylon-Bristle-Brushes) to remove dirt and fingerprints. Gently work the bush with a concentric motion, following the groves, then, rinse under tepid tap water and blot dry on a clean tea towel.
This will leave some lint, so clean again by using the Discwasher brush (http://www.needledoctor.com/Discwasher-D4-Kit?sc=2&category=108), held lightly, on the LP as it rotates on your turntable. After using up my Discwasher fluid, I started mixing my own: half distilled water and half isopropyl alcohol.
I should mention, my goal was to clean the LP for one last playback for the recording, without consideration of what long-term effect my cleaning method might have on the LP.
Don't forget to examine the needle on the turntable cartridge - it can collect crud which seriously degrades the playback quality. The Discwasher kit has a little brush for the needle, too - careful - it's very fragile.
*Set up the Software:
For general recording, including LPs, I recommend "Audio Hijack Pro" ($32 - http://www.rogueamoeba.com/audiohijackpro/) I prefer Audio Hijack Pro to Final Vinyl and CD Spin Doctor, because I can use it to record from many more sources (including streaming audio from the internet), it has many more options for effects and file types, a better Help manual, and, in my experience, fewer crashes. However, Audio Hijack Pro does not offer an RIAA equalization curve, as does Final Vinyl.
- Format - IF you have enough hard drive space, I would suggest you make the initial recording in 16 bit AIFF format at 44.1kHz. That is the standard format used by audio CDs, so this file type can be burned directly to CDs without conversion or compression. Every audio software application should be able to open an AIFF file.
If the AIFF files take up too much room on your hard drive, you can always convert them to MP3 or AAC, using your recording software or iTunes, but I suggest you first burn a copy of your AIFF recording to a CD, so you can go back to the original "master" recording in case you want to re-edit it later.
Some file formats which are compressed - like MP3s - get re-compressed every time you Save. A little information is lost each time the file is compressed, so if you are doing a lot of editing and saving, the file can degrade. That's why I prefer to do any editing on AIFF files, which I change to high quality MP3s in iTunes only when I am done editing.
- Refer to your software help files to learn how to set input and output, save preferences, and to enable pass through, if needed, so you can hear what you are recording.
- Next, you will need to set the "level" to be as strong as possible without clipping. Clipping results in distortion when the signal is too strong. If the signal is too weak, the recording will be noisy because the junk will be louder relative to the desired audio. Audio Hijack Pro has "VU Meters" with clipping indicators, and you can set up a "Gain" control to increase or decrease the signal strength. You may need to visit the Mac's "Sound" Preference Pane>Input Tab, to change the signal strength at the system level.
- Your recording software may offer a few - or many - filters and effects. Filters and effects are available as plugins, so you may be able to find even more as free downloads or for sale. Many filters and effects are going to be of interest only to sound engineers and only for rare special circumstances. Some are quite useful when cleaning up tape or microphone recordings, but I have not found any which are very effective on LP-type pops and scratches. You can waste a LOT of time playing around with these.
My suggestion is to make your "master" raw recording using few or no effects, then go back and edit COPIES of the master, so if you mess it up, you can start over. With experience, you will learn what works - only then you should apply the filters as you record.
* Record:
If your recording software offers these features, here is something you may want to try when recording LPs. One is a feature to automatically detect the "silent" groove between tracks so the finished recording will consist of a separate file for each track. You may have to adjust some sensitivity settings to get this to work, and I found it to be somewhat fussy.
Another useful feature is a Pause button, so you can turn over an LP without actually stopping and restarting the recording - and also without the sounds of picking up the needle from side A and setting it down on side B. The pause feature is especially nice when the LP is really one long recording, such as a symphony.
If you are recording in the AIFF format, don't waste time naming albums, artists, and tracks in the recording software. That info is not encoded in the AIFF file, so when you move the file to iTunes you will have to rename everything again. Might work if you are recording in the MP3 format.
* Edit:
If your finished recording lacks tracks, you can re-create them by using the "split" feature of your editing software - which may be the same as your recording software, or something different. I really like Fission for simple editing like splits, cuts and fades, and they claim it's "lossless" even when editing MP3s (http://rogueamoeba.com/fission/). It's particularly good for trimming off the "silent" grooves at the start and end of the LP where the pops are much more obtrusive. For applying filters and equalization, I stick with Audio Hijack.
The Holy Grail for LP recordings is trying to eliminate pops and scratches. I can't offer too much encouragement. Nothing I've tried has been very effective in reducing pops and scratches, and everything I've tried which has helped, has also degraded the recording somewhat, usually dulling the sound a little.
"CD Spin Doctor" is somewhat useful, offering separate sliders for applying "De-click" De-crackle" and "De-hiss". The effect can quickly be previewed, and after you get the degree of adjustment you want, it can be applied to the whole file (works on AIFF, not MP3). My copy of CD Spin Doctor came with Toast Titanium 6, but I see it is now being sold on Roxio's site as a stand-alone application ($40 - http://www.roxio.com/enu/products/spindoctor/overview.html). Sadly, the improvement I've seen in LP noise has been less than miraculous.
Many reviewers say great things about SoundSoap2, but I was disappointed. It is the best noise reduction software I have tried, and also the most expensive ($129 - http://www.bias-inc.com/products/soundSoap2/), but I was unable to make much improvement in LP pops and scratches without also degrading the overall quality of the audio. It has a "Learn Noise" feature which is very cool - in theory. Find a groove to sample with pops (but no music) and SoundSoap2 will eliminate the same noise profile from the entire recording. There is another cool feature in which you can listen just to the "noise" which is to be removed - and there you will hear the learned "pop" also includes quite a bit of the music spectrum.
SoundSoap2 is pretty good at cleaning up hiss from tape recordings and wind noise from microphone recordings, but not so good for LPs.
Some editing software (like CD Spin Doctor and SoundSoap2) offer an "Exciter" or "Excitifier" effect which helps restore some of the brilliance and high end which is lost in noise reduction. This is one of the few effects which I've found to be useful, if used in moderation.
I haven't tried "ClickRepair" which I just learned about from this thread, but after reading the website (http://wwwmaths.anu.edu.au/~briand/sound/) and Version Tracker, I'm hopeful that it will perform better than CD Spin Doctor and Soundsoap2. Thanks for the tip.
* Import into iTunes:
After I have the recording edited and cleaned, I import it into iTunes. At this stage I usually have AIFF files, one for each track on the LP. In iTunes, the album and tracks will have generic names (track 1, track 2, etc.), so I edit the Album name, track titles, genre, year, etc (File>Get info>Info tab); Select the whole album before "get info" to edit the Album, Artist, Genre and Year info, but select each track one-at-a-time to edit the Track titles.
Next, I burn one or two "master" copies of the edited recording as an audio CD form the AIFF files. Be aware that if you burn an audio CD, the album and track names you edited will appear only when you insert that CD back into the same Mac it was burned on - take it to another Mac or PC and all you will see are the Generic names (track 1, etc) - this is normal for an audio (AIFF) CD.
Because they take up so much room, I don't keep AIFF files on my hard drive - I use iTunes to convert them to MP3 files (Advanced>Convert Selection to MP3). You may want to use AAC or some other format, instead. Consider all possible future uses of your iTunes library (iPod vs non-Apple MP3 player, compatibility with the CD player in your car or home stereo, quality of your playback equipment, etc.)
To change the quality of the MP3 or AAC files imported to iTunes, go to: Preferenes>Advanced>Importing. (I use a Custom import setup of: High Quality (160kbps), Variable bit rate - a step up from the mor common 128kbps MP3.) Whatever settings you have selected here is what will be used when your AIFF files are converted to MP3. After converting the recording to MP3, I delete the AIFF file from iTunes (and my hard drive), but I keep my master (AIFF) CD in a safe, accessible location.
If I want a music mix to listen to in my car, or for a party, or for background music while I work, the MP3 files on my hard drive are fine. However, if I really want to listen to the music on quality playback equipment, I'll choose the CD I burned from the uncompressed (AIFF) file.
Hope this helps.