How to Convert LPs to CD

Records from childhood

This article will provide a tutorial on how to convert LPs to CDs, detailing the type of equipment necessary to create a digital archive of old record vinyl albums. You'll learn how to transfer a record album using a turntable, a mixer or home stereo amp and a digital recording device, such as a laptop (Mac). You'll also learn how to edit songs separately, using any audio-editing software for the Mac (such as Garage Band) and iTunes to burn the CD.
For those on a budget, you can now purchase vinyl turntables with built-in CD burners for $399 (see link in Resources).

Things You'll Need

• Vinyl turntable
• DJ mixer or home audio stereo amp
• RCA cables (with 1/8-inch mini-jack adapter)
• MAC or PC laptop with a line input
• Headphones or speakers (for monitoring)
• Audio editing software
• iTunes or other CD burning software
• Blank CD

Instructions

Set up your signal flow

1. Acquire a turntable with a good needle. This is essential.

2. 

   Prepare your signal flow by attaching your turntable's phono RCA jacks to phono input of a DJ mixer or home audio amp (make sure the ground wire of the turntable is also attached to the ground of the mixer or home stereo amp to minimize buzz). Switch your monitor channel to "Phono."

3. 

   Connect your DJ mixer or home audio amp's RCA line (or speaker) outputs to your recording device's line inputs (use a 1/8-inch mini-jack adapter if necessary).

4. Plug in your headphones or speakers to monitor the sound from your recording device. Launch your audio editing software (such as Garage Band) adjusting audio preferences to "Line In" for input and play your LP to test.

5. Make sure you are getting a good signal that is not too "hot" (too loud) or too low. Check the quality of your cables or equipment.

6. Adjust levels if necessary. Once you have a good signal, move to the next step.

Record your signal

1. Press "Record" on your audio editing software and begin playing your LP.

2. As soon as one side is done, stop your audio editing software in between flips to ensure saving your audio file and not recording more than you need.

3. Repeat the recording process for the other side.

Edit the songs

1. When the songs you wish to archive are done recording, save your audio file project.

2. Edit the gaps by "truncating" or trimming off the silence between songs to minimize duration (and file size).

3. Export the separate songs as AIFF (Mac) or WAV (PC), 44.1kHz, 16 bit for best CD quality (128kbps or higher AAF or MP3 for archiving), titling them appropriately into a folder you create on your Desktop (or external drive for space). Garage Band's export function is located under the "Share" drop-down menu.

4. Test the audio file by playing it back with another audio software such as Quicktime, iTunes or Windows Media Player.

Burn your CD

1. If the music sounds good, launch iTunes or Windows Media Player and import the folder to add ID3 tags such as "Title," "Artist," "Album," "Year" and so on.

2. 

   Take a blank CD and insert it into your connected CD burner. For preservation purposes, choose a slower CD burn speed (2x).

3. After the burn process is done, take your CD and play it in another CD player (car or home stereo) to make sure it plays properly and sounds good.

Tips & Warnings

• You may end up with the "snap, crackle, pop" that make vinyl LPs so distinct to listen to when you record. If you wish to eliminate this, make sure to clean your LP of any dust before recording by using a vinyl record cleaner/duster. Audio editing software for Macs and PCs can be downloaded free from versiontracker.com. Quicktime Pro can record audio and export it as AIFF or WAV, but it is not capable of editing the songs separately as it exports. You may want to record one song at a time, then crop the ends before exporting and moving on to the next song. If you do not have a laptop or computer with a line input, other audio equipment may be used such as a Mini-disk Recorder or playback. To make a CD, you will eventually have to transfer the information on that Mini-disk Recorder to a CD burner. If you have access to a standalone CD Recorder, you may bypass the laptop and record directly to a CD.

• Make sure your signal flow is correct. By connecting your RCA jacks improperly, you will not hear any sound.

Resources

• DIY guide for PC users
• Vinyl turntable with built-in cd burner