Digitizing old records
Convert your records to CDs
(Tapes too, just substitute the record
player for a tape player)
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Follow these few easy steps to make all your records into MP3s or CDs.
Setup
In order to convert your records to MP3 or CD format, you must first prepare your PC with the
proper hardware and software for the job.
Preparation
You need a sound card with audio input jacks like you'd see on your stereo.
Chances are excellent that you can use your existing sound card. All it needs to have is a line-in jack. You should be able to find an adapter cable that has a stereo miniplug on one end, and a pair of RCA plugs on the other to connect to the line output of your stereo system.
(as seen below)
Then all you need is a program which records the music and can save it in different file formats, including MP3.
Such as: Nero wave editor, Goldwave, and others are available to start the recording process.
You'll also
need a recordable CD-ROM (CD-R) player/burner in your computer to copy your MP3s onto a CD.
(CD-R
is a recordable CD format that is used for both recording data and audio CDs.)
Note: Make sure that the line-in channel of your sound card's mixer app is enabled. Double-click on the speaker icon in the Windows Tool Tray, choose Options/Properties, select Recording settings, then make sure that Line In is enabled. Finally, make sure it's set at an appropriate volume on the mixer screen.
Connecting the wiring
To start, you will
first need to connect your stereo system to your computer with a stereo RCA-to-headphone
cable. One end of this cable should be connected to your amplifier's line-output
(Not the speaker output), and the
other end should be plugged into the line-in of your sound card. This cable is available
for just a few dollars at Radio Shack or any audio component store.
This 
or if you can't find it, this 
will do with the
addition of standard RCA type cables. (Available at Radio Shack)
Put it together: |
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Next, you will need a software application that is capable of
recording sound through the line-in jack of your sound card.
I use Goldwave
and Nero's wave editor to record the music to the hard drive and save
as a .wav or mp3, and then use Nero's
CD burning software to burn the CD
Recording:
To begin recording, start Goldwave (or your favorite sound recording
application) and choose your input source - line-in.
Now, simply press the record button in the window and begin playing the record. When your recording is complete, press stop, and save the song as a MP3 and name it.
Once you have compiled 74 minutes (or less) of MP3s, you can make a standard audio CD.
Finishing it up:
Once you have garnered enough MP3s, you can organize a list of tracks that will be copied onto the recordable CD. I use Nero for this.
The status bar on the bottom of the window informs you of how much space you have left on the blank CD. You may add, delete and organize songs from your song list in this window as well.
When you are ready to copy your tracks to CD, drop a blank CD-R disc into your CD writer and press the "Burn" button.
Happy burning!
