How to Convert LPs to CDs Using Freeware
Vinyl records, or “LPs,” are an analog format; CDs are digital. You can convert an LP to a CD using an audio editing program, then burn the digital files created by the audio editing program to a CD. A number of audio editing and music burning programs are available for both Mac and PC; the majority of them are freely distributed and intuitive to run.
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Things You'll Need
- Record player
- 3.5mm plug to RCA audio cable
- Blank CD-R
- Audio recording software
- CD-burning software
Instructions
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Record the LP
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Download an audio editing program like Audacity or Wavosaur (see Resources). Double-click on the file once downloaded. Follow the menu commands to install the program on the computer’s hard drive. Restart the computer.
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Place the record player next to the computer. Plug the red and white RCA plugs on the audio cable into the same-colored "line out" RCA connections on the back of the record player. Plug the 3.5mm jack into the "line in" jack on the computer's sound card.
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Select “Sound” from the "System Preferences” screen that appears on a Mac. Click on the ‘Input” tab at the top of the screen. Select “Line-input.” Close the window by clicking the red button at the upper-left corner. On a PC, right-click on the speaker icon in the control bar. Select “Line input” from the pop-up menu.
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Launch the audio editing program by double-clicking its icon in the “Applications” folder or selecting it from the “Start” menu (under "All Programs").
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Select “Line input” from the drop-down menu on the audio editing program’s main screen.
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Place the LP on the record player with side one facing up. Turn on the record player. Place the needle arm onto the edge of the LP.
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Press the “Record” button on the audio editing program’s main screen. Press the “Pause” button on the audio editing program’s main screen when side one of the LP has finished playing.
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Lift the needle arm off the LP. Turn the LP over. Place the LP on the record player. Place the needle arm onto the edge of the LP.
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Press the “Pause” button on the audio editing program’s main screen to continue recording the LP. Press the “Stop” button on the audio editing program’s main screen when side two of the LP has finished playing.
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Lift the needle arm off the LP. Place the LP aside. Turn off the record player. Remove the mini-jack adapter audio cable from the record player and from the computer.
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Export the recorded audio as an AIFF or WAV. Select "Export as AIFF" or "Save as" > "WAV" from the file menu. Type in a filename and click the “Save” button.
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Quit the audio editing program.
Burn the CD
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Download a CD-burning program like iTunes or Amok (see Resources). Double-click on the file. Follow the menu commands to install the program on the computer’s hard drive. Restart the computer.
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Insert the CD-R into the computer's CD burner.
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Launch the music burning program by double-clicking its icon inside of the “Applications” folder or selecting it from the “Start” menu (under "All Programs").
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Drag the recorded audio files from your hard drive into the CD-burning program. Wait until the program finishes importing the files. The converted files will now be in the music burning program’s library.
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Press the “Burn” button. Select the burning speed and drive from the drop-down menu. Click the “Burn” or “Start” button at the bottom of the window. Wait a few minutes as the progress bar fills in from left to right. Quit the music burning program when the progress bar has been completely filled in.
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Eject the CD. On a Mac, drag the CD's icon from the desktop into the Trash. Remove the CD from the drive and close the drive, if necessary.
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Tips & Warnings
Clean out the disc tray with compressed air before putting the CD-R in.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit dvd image by dinostock from Fotolia.com
