Interesting Stuff I Found

Oh...I have not tried any purpose-built vinyl recording software, but this one sounds interesting...especially for it's features that handle looking up and embedding metadata and album art. It supports WASAPI and (I believe) ASIO drivers on Windows, which I think is important.

http://www.alpinesoft.co.uk/

Please chime-in if you have tried VinylStudio or something similar.

Very cool...certainly if I were to ever decide to get back into vinyl, it would be to record great vinyl-only masters to the best quality digital files that I could manage. While I have not done many needle drops, I have done a fair amount of audio recording. The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (gen 2) is a similarly priced audio interface with, perhaps, a bit more robust driver support. Works well with the Mac also.

On Windows, the driver that you use with your audio recording software is important. My early recordings sounded okay, but I later discovered that I had been using a WDM driver which resulted in the digital audio undergoing sample rate and bit rate conversion by the Windows kernel mixer. Again, they didn't sound bad, but they were not a bit-perfect representation of what my audio interface had captured.

The manufacturers of the various audio interfaces I have used over the years have always provided ASIO drivers. ASIO bypasses the Windows kernel mixer and presents a very thin layer between your recording software and audio interface. Think of it like having less in the signal path. The recording software gets exactly what comes out of the audio interface, bit-for-bit. What happens next only depends on settings in the recording software with Windows settings having no effect.

The problem is that, due to license restrictions, the popular and otherwise excellent freeware Audacity program that John mentioned does not ship with ASIO support (although it is possible to compile it in yourself if you have a suitable build environment). Like John, I found the software that came with these audio interfaces pretty terrible to use for simple 2-track recordings, so I went on a search for easy (well, easier) software to use that also had good ASIO support.

Ultimately, I ended up using n-Track Studio for most of my PC recordings. It's a little more complicated than Audacity, but once it is set up, using it is fairly convenient. It runs on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android (although I have not yet tried the mobile versions). Once I had captured the recordings with n-Track Studio, I found Audacity or Adobe Audition to be more convenient for actual editing (trimming live tracks, adding fade in/out, etc.).

While the sound of my early recordings with the WDM driver was okay, the sound of later recordings made using the ASIO driver were clearly better. My point? Recording vinyl records is hard work, so you probably don't want to do it more than once. Make sure that you are using the best driver (ASIO or WASAPI on Windows) available for your combination of hardware and operating system.

THIS IS A RE-DO OF A PREVIOUS EMAIL MESSAGE TO MEMBERS. SEVERAL OF YOU HAVE ASKED ME TO PROVIDE IT AGAIN AND THIS TIME I AM ADDING IT TO THE FORUM SO THAT IT IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE!

I have put together a relatively inexpensive way to create very good quality analog to digital conversions without breaking the bank on the equipment. The following is a list of the hardware and software I have put together. Based on the response to playing a few of my needle drops at the February 2017 meeting, I know there is interest in this subject. The most expensive investment I made in this process was in purchasing a new Soundsmith Boheme cartridge. The TT I am using is my venerable VPI HW19 JR with Audioquest PT-6 Tonearm.  I replaced my old SME tonearm cable with one I built myself. I used a very fine Furutech DIN Plug, the RG-316 coax we have been using for interconnects & digital cables, and a pair of Cardas Silver RCA plugs. The result of these two upgrades is a very detailed and expansive sound from my TT! Better sound-stage plus extremely accurate instrument timbres! Very satisfying! Makes for even better quality needle drops than y’all heard at the February meeting! (In fact, I have re-done all of those early needle drops… the better sound was worth it!)
 

Because of the interest shown at that meeting, and discussion as to how to provide a demonstration of my process, I have come up with a plan! The demonstration of the process will be for those with real interest and the willingness to purchase the equipment listed below. Once you have your equipment, let me know, and I will set up a demo in my own “studio” showing the complete process for 1-3 of you at a time. It will be a working demo and I will describe what I am doing and answer all questions as they come up. I anticipate that the session will take 2-3 hours at least. I can’t show the setup of the software as it will differ for each person, but I will be able to show you what the results will look like. I have a video monitor connected to my laptop so you will be able to watch the steps without everyone crowding around my laptop.
 

Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) - Steinburg UR22- MkII   Click Here to review and purchase. I paid $150 for this unit using my Amazon Prime Account and it is now even cheaper! This unit is a commercial unit and has no RCA input jacks. I solved this by using the following adapters. Adapters They didn’t spend much on the headphone amp in this unit but it is usable for what’s needed to do a needle drop. The results played back through my system are so much better than the sound through the monitoring headphones it isn’t even comparable. (Sennheiser HD650s with solid silver headphone cable) This unit is capable of up to 24/192 PCM conversion. (I am not interested in DSD. The files I have downloaded from sites that offer PCM - DSD comparison files from the same recorded source have not been level matched, with the DSD files averaging 2-3 db higher in volume! When level matched, I hear no real difference. There are so many variables involved with an accurate comparison of these two file types that I am just not willing to add another file type to my saved music files and not all of my playback devices can decode DSD.) 
 

Free Digital Editing Software – Audacity, current version. There is software provided by Steinburg with the unit. I spent 4-5 hours trying to get it to work. Throw it away and download Audacity! It’s free and it took about 15 minutes to set up and do my first conversion! Click Here to get it. While you are about it, if you intend to create MP3s using this software, get the LAME MP3 Encoder at the same time.
 

Click Repair – This is critical to a successful needle drop. This software gets rid of clicks, pops, and crackle so unobtrusively you won’t even notice it. It really makes the difference in an enjoyable listen! If used judiciously, it does not make a very noticeable difference in the quality of the sound. It is not easy to purchase but it is definitely worthwhile. You must use PayPal to purchase it.  Download Site (Note if you insist on using an Apple Computer, you will need to use the link for that software. This one is for Windows.

Additional Equipment you will need includes a desktop or Laptop PC.

As I said earlier, I will set up training sessions once you have obtained the equipment above and at least tried to install it. I will try to answer questions via phone if you have problems installing the Audacity software although I found it relatively easy to do… but I have many years of PC experience behind me and it may be more difficult for you.

I am not going to try and do a step by step written “How To” for a needle drop. IT WOULD TAKE ME WAY TOO MUCH TIME TO DO THIS! Instead, I will do a training session and those who have set up their equipment and software should easily be able to follow along, taking notes as appropriate. I do not mind doing training this way and it will probably be the most effective way for you to learn my process.

Let me know when you are ready (you have obtained your equipment and software) and we’ll set up a date/time for a training session.

John