How Can I Put a Vinyl Record on My Ipod?
Many people have extensive collections of old vinyl records and would love to load the music onto their iPods. It is relatively easy to digitize a song from a vinyl record. Once you have the correct equipment and set everything up, it is as simple as pressing the record button, playing the song, exporting and loading.
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Instructions
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Equipment Setup
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Connect a computer audio interface using any USB or FireWire audio interface that has either an RCA or 1/4-inch input. Load the audio interface software into your computer and be sure your computer recognizes the interface. The user manual for your audio interface will help walk you through this process, which varies by interface.
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Attach your LP player to the audio interface. Most LP players have RCA outputs, so you need an RCA cable, which is often colored red and white. Plug one end into the LP player's output jacks and the other in to the audio interface's input jacks. If the audio interface does not have an RCA jack, plug an RCA-to-1/4-inch adapter into the line input jack.
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Load the recording software onto your computer. You have many software choices; one simple and free program, Audacity (see Resources), suffices for digitizing songs. After loading the recording application software, open the software's preferences and make sure the audio input is set to recognize your audio interface. Consult Audacity's help menu and your interface user manual if necessary.
Digitize Songs
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Launch the recording software. Click "File" and then "New." Name the song you are going to record.
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Play the record on your LP player to check sound levels. Click "Record" in the recording application; this button typically looks like a circle in a square. You should see red lights that correspond to the music playing. Adjust the sound levels, following the user manual for your program. Audacity's user manual is available free online (see Resources). When satisfied with the sound levels, stop the LP player.
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Press "Record" in the application, and then start playing the song that you would like to record. When the song finishes playing, press "Stop" on your recording software.
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Click "File" amd then "Export MP3." These commands may vary slightly by program, but select the option for exporting and then choose "MP3" as the file type to export. The program sends the file, as an MP3, to your desktop or designated folder.
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Launch iTunes and click "File" and then "Add File to Library." Move the file into your iPod folder. Attach your iPod and load the song.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit teen with vinyl image by Adam Borkowski from Fotolia.com phono plugs 2 image by PeteG from Fotolia.com
