How to Burn LP Records to CD

Transfer old vinyl LP records to CD.

Even with CDs nearing the end of their reign as the music industry's premier format, there are still some albums from decades past that never made the transition from vinyl to digital. If you want to hear those old records again, but this time in your car or MP3 player, make the transition yourself thanks to some technological advances.

Things You'll Need

• Anti-static cloth
• Old vinyl record
• USB turntable
• Computer with USB ports
• Speakers
• CD Burner
• Blank CD

Instructions

1. Clean the vinyl record thoroughly with an anti-static cloth, wiping in a circular motion in the same direction as the record's grooves. This will remove dust and dirt that causes clicks and pops during playback. Don't apply too much pressure to the cloth while wiping as you may run the risk of scratching the record's playing surface.

2. Invest in a USB turntable. These are record players that connect directly to your computer's USB drive. Prices in 2010 ran approximately $100 or more, depending on the capabilities and parts quality.

3. Place the clean vinyl record onto the USB turntable, and plug the turntable's USB input into your computer's USB drive.

4. Install the USB turntable's recording software onto your computer, and turn on the USB turntable.

5. Once the USB turntable's software is installed, open a new project window and click "Record." Gently place the needle of the USB turntable at the beginning of Side A of the vinyl record. As the record plays, its music will be recorded to your computer's hard drive. You should be able to hear the music playing through your computer's speakers. If the music sounds too loud with a lot of static or distortion or too quiet, stop recording, adjust your computer's input level, then try again.

6. 

   Black compact discs can record up to 80 minutes of music.

   Lift the needle and press "Stop" in the USB turntable's recording software once Side A has finished playing. Save this project as Side A and repeat the previous steps to record Side B.

7. Insert the blank CD into your computer's CD burner after saving Side B. Using the USB turntable's software, burn both Side A and Side B files to the CD. You now have a CD copy of a vinyl LP record.

Tips & Warnings

• Depending on the capabilities of the software that accompanied your USB turntable, you will be able to divide the SIDE A and SIDE B files into separate tracks, and remove many of the hisses and pops that may have been recorded.

• If your USB turntable did not come with recording software, there are plenty of other shareware titles that perform the same function for free.

• Even though an LP record may not have been released commercially on compact disc, the rights are most likely still owned by the performer, management or distribution company. Copying an album you purchased for yourself is legal, but making multiple copies of that album to distribute or sell is against the law.

References

• Instructables Technology: Rip Vinyl Records to Your PC
• Macworld: Digitize Your LPs and Tapes
• "Perfecting Sound Forever: An Aural History of Recorded Music"; Greg Milner; 2009