Technical Advice: Computers and Turntables

[ColdBlooded]

I'm looking for the best way to put my record collection onto CD and MP3 form.

I have no idea how to go about this so a step by step guide would help a great deal.

What kinda of cables do i need to hook the turntables up to the computer with, special soundcard or adaptor so that the cables can be pluged into the computer, software for recording, how to make individual tracks not just record the whole album as one track, etc??????


Many thanks for any help you can give me.

 

[DJ Mark 7]

Your soundcard should have RCA input...Do that from your mixer...

If not yer best bet is a new soundcard

 

[bumpus]

Ideally, you wouldn't want to go directly from the turntable to your soundcard. You'd want to go thru the mixer like mark7 said. Your soundcard (dependinging on quality) will have either 1/4", rca, or 1/8" inputs. Your mixer will have 1/4" or rca. Just use a regular unbalanced cable to go between the two.

-=bumpus=-

 

[ColdBlooded]

Many thanks

 

[FILA|AUS]

OK, I just finished hooking up my turntable to my computer to use for sampling and this is the way i went about it:

Basically you don't need to have RCA inputs, you can simply buy a plug which has two RCA plugs and a single small plug which plugs nto the back to the soundcard (next to where you plug in the speakers or microphone). This cost me AU$3, which is about US$2

Next, unless the turntable has a built in pre-amp, you'll need to run it through either a DJ mixer, a mixer or a stereo amp. Simply plug in the turntable RCA cords in LINE IN, and another RCA cord in LINE/MAIN OUT and directly into the computer (via the little plug i was talking about).

Now third thing...which may not apply to you, but did apply to me, is GROUNDING. Everything was working sweet, except my turntable was buzzing loudly over my samples in the computer. To fix this...all you need to do is look for a seperate cord at the back of thr turntable with a small metal round thing at the end of it.

Simply, take a screw driver, unscrew any bolt on the mixer a little bit and slide the metal thing around it and screw the bolt back down. The buzzing will have dissappeared.

That's really all there is to it, connecting turntable to comp on a budget.

Later!