Hard Disk Space 
Wave (.wav) files are very large. A CD-quality wave file represents about 10 MB per minute of audio. Therefore you will need at least 650 MB of free hard drive space (One CD). Realistically you need more like 800 - 900 MB free because the system will not function properly unless there is free hard drive space for the Windows swap file. 

Software Requirements

• Firstly you need something to select the recording source from your sound card, and then the destination of the recorded wave file. This is generally a utility shipped on the sound card driver disk (but not always), although there are many after-market solutions available such as Audiograbber. See Figure 3.

• CD writing software such as Adaptec Easy CD Creator (now named ROXIO Easy CD Creator) often supplied with your CD writer.

A number of other applications are also quite useful when copying vinyl to CD.

• Adaptec Easy CD Creator Deluxe has a utility included with it called "CD Spin Doctor" (Note: this program is not included in the standard OEM version of Adaptec Easy CD Creator that often comes bundled with CD writers).
  

  Figure 4. CD Spin Doctor main screen.

  CD Spin Doctor is very easy to use. This involves a simple three-step procedure that enables you to select the recording source (output from amplifier), the destination of the recorded files (on your hard drive), and it also allows you to "clean up" the recorded files ie. remove pops, clicks, scratches and hiss from your much-loved and played LPs. Figure 4.
  

• Cool Edit Pro is a more advanced audio manipulation software suite - this software enables some advanced filtering techniques. See Figure 5.

• Nero Burning ROM is another popular CD writing software package. It is important to note that you cannot install Easy CD Creator and Nero on the same machine as they are incompatible in some cases, dependent upon the versions.

Sound Card Setup 

There are many different types of sound card out in the computer world so it is impossible for me to explain in detail how to set up each individual type of sound card. 

Some sound cards come with their own control software whereas others use the default Windows controls. If your sound card has its own software then you should use this software to set recording quality and recording levels. My sound card is a Yamaha XG Card and its configuration Window is shown in Figure 6. Notice the radio buttons that allow you to select the Sampling Rate, Type and Data Format. 

In most cases you will able to set up your sound card for CD-quality recording using default Windows 95/98 controls. 

Set Up 

First move your turntable and amplifier from the living room into your Computer Lab. 

Connect the turntable to the amplifier using the standard RCA lead. The turntable plugs into the phono input; from the auxiliary output on the amplifier run the RCA-to-Mini headphone plug to the line input on your sound card - See Figure 7.

For the purposes of this exercise I am going to demonstrate how to capture music using CD Spin Doctor, as I think it is one of the easiest to use and most effective products available. I will also touch on Audiograbber, as it is fairly easy to obtain. 

Start Easy CD Spin Doctor and select Music Source which will be LP through your sound card. See Figure 8.

Then select Music Destination which will be Files on Hard Drive - in a location you can specify. See Figure 9.

At this point you may want to click on the options button at the bottom left-hand corner of the dialog box and set up click and pop removal. Click the Clean button at the top, then click the Properties button in the bottom right, and check the box marked Adjust for source type, then click OK. See Figure 10.

With your amplifier switched to phono play your most treasured record. As the record starts click the Record to Disk button. See Figure 11. 

If you are using Audiograbber it's even easier. Just select Line In Sampling from the file menu. See Figure 12.

Once you have opened the line in sampling screen you can set the recording levels by clicking on the Mixer button. This will open up a second window called Recording Control, Figure 13. Check the box under the Line Balance panel, and then adjust the recording level appropriately. Once you have set the levels, then all you have to do is hit the Record button at the same time as you place the needle on the record.

Important - Track Splitting 
Each track on the record must be recorded separately and saved as a separate file in order to have all tracks selectable on your finished CD. 

If you don't do this you'll end up with Side A as Track 1 and Side B as Track 2, which is not desirable. 

If you use CD Spin Doctor, it has a track splitting utility, but I do not recommend using it. In my experience, the practice of recording each track individually is time consuming but far more reliable. This will also depend upon the type of music you are recording. Some records have distinct breaks of silence between tracks and some don't. 

I haven't tried the track splitting utility in Audiograbber yet, and would be keen to hear from anybody who has. 

Last but not least, use your CD writing software to write these tracks onto a CD. 

You can also use the Windows Sound Recorder located at Start/Programs/Accessories/Entertainment/Sound recorder, but again, I don't recommend this. I spent enough time fiddling with this product to know that it's not very useful. If you want to try it then make sure you set the recording quality to CD-quality. 

To set the Sound Recorder to CD Quality, Select File/Properties. 

This window will enable you to set the recording quality by clicking the Convert Now button and selecting 44,100 Hz, 16-bit, Stereo. 

Troubleshooting 

After copying many LPs these are some of the problems I have encountered. I trust this information will be helpful for you.

• Old LPs - some old records are recorded in MONO therefore you must capture these in MONO. If you try to record a MONO record in STEREO the results are very poor.

• Software Conflicts - as mentioned earlier Adaptec Easy CD Creator and Nero Burning ROM are incompatible and generally should not be installed on the same computer at the same time; Dependent upon the versions of each.

• Close CDs - when creating a new audio CD you must "Close" the CD. Your computer can play "Open" CDs but your household CD player cannot.

• You need an Amplifier - you cannot plug your turntable directly into your sound card. The output level on the turntable is too low and requires additional amplification to reach standard line level.

• Sound Card Setup - If you don't get any sound through your line input on your sound card it is possible that the line feature is disabled. You will need to enable this feature to receive an input. You can have a maximum of four inputs selected at any one time. (Always check the manufacturer's documentation). The input/output selection screen for my sound card is shown in Figure 14.

• CD-quality recording - as mentioned earlier, CD-quality is 44,100 Hz, 16-bit Stereo. If you record at a lower quality, eg. 22,000 Hz, 8-bit Mono then your wave file will take up much less space but it will be of inferior quality. Some sound cards support recording at 48,000 Hz, or even higher, but this format is not supported by your home stereo CD player.

Questions & Answers 

These are some of the questions members have sent to me after I gave the presentation at the monthly meeting. I hope you find the answers useful.

Q: Amplifier settings: Are the volume and bass & treble controls relevant for this exercise? If so, what principles should be observed in setting up? Normal listening level? or maximum? (Normally we have the volume at only about 25-30% of the maximum possible, 50% is near deafening.). 

A: No, the volume setting on the amplifier will not affect the recording level, and neither should the Bass/Treble controls. Some amplifiers allow you to adjust the output levels, but this will be a separate knob. To be safe, set the Bass/Treble flat (in the middle). 

Q: What is the difference between data CDs and CDs intended for audio use. The price difference is very clear. What is the theory and what is your experience? 

A: All of the standard data CD-Rs are suitable for audio, and supposedly the more you pay the better they are. The Gold CDs ($1.50) should theoretically last longer than the cheaper blue or silver types ($0.60 - $1.00). The dedicated audio CD-Rs that you speak of (around the $4 mark) are designed to be used in dedicated audio copying devices, not computer CD burners. These dedicated audio copying machines are home HiFi equipment, made by companies such as Pioneer and Phillips. They cost around $700 and can only copy audio. They are designed to plug into your HiFi, not your computer. 

Q: Editing sound and checking result: I doubt that the little speakers you get with PCs are much good for real HiFi sound reproduction to hear how the result will sound on the stereo system? Is it feasible to play the file back through our normal stereo speakers -(presumably using the auxiliary input on the amplifier - I will read the manual). I assume that, CD burning errors aside, this would be an accurate reproduction of the sound that would come from the end result CD? 

A: Typical computer speakers are not good enough to listen to the subtle differences that filtering music can make. I have an amplifier and a good set of reference speakers connected to my computer for this purpose. So - yes -play the files back through your home stereo, this will give you the best sound. There shouldn't be any discernible quality loss burning to a CD. 

Q: When we got our new PC, I omitted a sound card from the spec, as I didn't see any need for it to be able to do more than beep when we made an error. Not into adventure games, pop music off the Web or any of that sort of stuff. How wrong I was! Now that I have to go and get one, have you any recommendations? Are all the ones meeting the specs you quoted much of a muchness? We are rather keen on high quality sound reproduction of our classical music. If I am going to put in the time and effort to transfer our LP collection to CD - and obviously it is not a five-minute, nor a go-away-and-let-it-happen exercise, I want the best results possible. Appreciate any comments you feel able to offer. 

A: Sound Cards - well, like most computer gear, there are the big name brands, and the no name brands. Creative Sound Blaster cards like the Vibra 128 ($75) and Sound Blaster Live ($120), Live Platinum ($450) are great cards, but you pay a bit for the name. There is a Yamaha sound card (YMF 754, I think) that retails for around $70.00. It offers great performance, including optical digital outputs and I think it's good value. We sell all of them where I work. 

Useful Audio Programs and Utilities:

• Cool Edit Pro - check out http://www.syntrillium.com/.

• Audio Grabber - Note: MP3 enthusiasts: to enable more sample rate options for MP3 encoding in Audiograbber, go to http://www.audiograbber.com-us.net/ and download the LAME MP3 encoder. This .DLL file just needs to be extracted into the same directory as Audiograbber and then you can choose from any bit rate up to 330, including variable.

• dBpowerAMP - http://admin.dbpoweramp.com/.