Ripping Vinyl - The Basics

[GOS]

There's also a feature in the effects tab called "noise reduction", that lets you sample noise between tracks and then remove that specific sample from the entire waveform. This can work wonders on 8-tracks (as the hiss level is relatively constant) but on vinyl it's hit-or-miss. I've had some success with it, but on other occasions it can really dull the sound.

That's very interesting as I have had some issues with certain albums. And..I mean, brand new albums. Between the songs there is this very audible sort of scraping noise. At low levels no issue at all, but if you have it cranked - that scraping noise can be alarming. I have no idea what it is, or how on earth a pressing can get through QA with this intact.

No, the vinyl isn't warped, or otherwise. They have no visible defects. It's hard to explain, unless you've heard it. I have a Metallica box that is 45rpm and I spent decent money on it...only to later find out that it has these scraping noises between tracks.

 

[markshan]

That's very interesting as I have had some issues with certain albums. And..I mean, brand new albums. Between the songs there is this very audible sort of scraping noise. At low levels no issue at all, but if you have it cranked - that scraping noise can be alarming. I have no idea what it is, or how on earth a pressing can get through QA with this intact.

No, the vinyl isn't warped, or otherwise. They have no visible defects. It's hard to explain, unless you've heard it. I have a Metallica box that is 45rpm and I spent decent money on it...only to later find out that it has these scraping noises between tracks.

I usually fade to black between tracks.

There is no QA anymore. I was so excited for the RSD pressing of Tuesday Night Music Club by Sheryl Crow. I'd been waiting 20 years to see that one on vinyl. Side four has an obvious pressing defect. Universal seems to be impossible to contact for these issues.

 

[markshan]

If you don't want to fade to black between tracks, folding the dead space to mono will easily remove much of the artifact. One of the cool things about stereo records is that the music is generally in phase between channels but the noise is usually out of phase. That's why most receivers back in the 70s had mono buttons on them.

 

[GOS]

If you don't want to fade to black between tracks, folding the dead space to mono will easily remove much of the artifact. One of the cool things about stereo records is that the music is generally in phase between channels but the noise is usually out of phase. That's why most receivers back in the 70s had mono buttons on them.

That's also interesting. Let me also say, the deal breaker for me on the Metallica album is, they do a cover of Turn The Page and there are some moments during the song where instruments are quiet, but then there are some semi-spoken sentences...and you can again hear that scraping noise during those quieter moments. Sucks, because it's a wonderful album, full of dynamics..it simply cranks...but....

 

[J. PUPSTER]

I don't use a USB table. I use my regular table and an outboard ADC. I recommend the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 as being the best "budget" option. If you already have a table this is certainly a much less expensive way to go, and probably better sounding as well.

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2

Hey markshan, I like where you're going with the Focusrite; however my only turntable currently is an old Technics with RCA outs. I see the Focusrite takes XLR balanced ins, so is this a required / preferred feature or is there a hard work around? Also, do you ever make use of the ProTools software included with Focusrite?

Thanks.

 

[markshan]

Hey markshan, I like where you're going with the Focusrite; however my only turntable currently is an old Technics with RCA outs. I see the Focusrite takes XLR balanced ins, so is this a required / preferred feature or is there a hard work around? Also, do you ever make use of the ProTools software included with Focusrite?

Thanks.

No, the Focusrite jacks take XLR or 1/4" phone (think guitar cable) in the middle of that jack. It's a dual jack (note the larger than usual hole in the middle). All you need is a pair or 1/4" to RCA adapters or cables with RCA on one end and 1/4 on the other.

I've used ProTools for years, but not for drops. ProTools is wonderful multitracking and editing software, and is good for MIDI, but for restoration work Audition and Isotope RX are much better. ProTools and Audition are both wonderful tools with slightly different uses.

 

[markshan]

my only turntable currently is an old Technics with RCA outs.

Just in case, I'll mention that the Focusrite needs a line level input. You can't go from the RCAs on your table. You keep your table hooked up to your receiver (or whatever your pre-amp is) and use the tape outs into the Focusrite.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

Just in case, I'll mention that the Focusrite needs a line level input. You can't go from the RCAs on your table. You keep your table hooked up to your receiver (or whatever your pre-amp is) and use the tape outs into the Focusrite.

I have a Rotel pre-amp; forget the model # right now.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

I usually fade to black between tracks.

There is no QA anymore. I was so excited for the RSD pressing of Tuesday Night Music Club by Sheryl Crow. I'd been waiting 20 years to see that one on vinyl. Side four has an obvious pressing defect. Universal seems to be impossible to contact for these issues.

Ahhh, "Tuesday Night Music Club", always reminds me of the David and David scrum bust; but yeah I love that album also.

 

[Sonik Wiz]

So, you ripped your first vinyl, you cleaned up the silent spaces between songs...you placed a tag that shows start and stop of each song and inserted a name of the song in the box....at least for me, that is the extent of tagging I do within Audacity. Yes, you can do more, but I choose to do the detailed meta data in another program......more later on that. (I use Tag&Rename...because I like it and I know how to use it....but...it costs money too...I assume there are some free programs...don't know)

• If you are paranoid...and I would be if I were a rookie - save the Audacity file as is. Keep that in case you blow something up...you don't want to have to re-rip the vinyl all over again. Once you have a backup, proceed to next step.
• If you are me, you simply hi-lite the whole file (go to "select" tab/dropdown) click all and it will hi-lite the whole area and turn it white.
• Go to "file, Export multiple....select where to place the files....decide if you want it Flac or Wav or whatever.....and off it goes.

Now, you have some decisions to make when choosing Flac or Wav. For me, I want to do some additional click repair type stuff and I purchased another application (US $40) called Click Repair. So, I have to choose WAV as Flac will not work with Click Repair....

Anyway, just to show what the Export Multiple looks like...see below.

View attachment 38631

Very good tutorial. I’m sure it’s going to be a long term reference source & should probably be made sticky. I did not know about the click repair de-noiser for example. So I’ve already learned something. I have checked out the website & will install it later tonight.

As you said at the start this is bare bones basic info. There are other ways to do it & I’ll be interested to see how others accomplish this. I must agree with Markshan comments in the sense USB TT is to be avoided if possible. USB TT’s are always a bit suspicious to me as I have never seen one reviewed in depth; never see specs on RIAA analog quality & distortion & never seen specs on the AD convertors. At least I haven’t.

Fortunately I have two interesting ways to rip vinyl. My TT is an Audio Technica AT-PL120 (NOT the USB version) & AT440Lb cart. Not exotic or the best combo there is but it’s the best set up I’ve owned having cruised through most of quad’s golden years with a Phillips 212 and Pickering something number CD-4 cart. The TT plugs into an Adcom GFP-555 pre-amp.
From there I have two choices. I have a Delta 1010 sound card so I could run the pre-amps outputs into the analog inputs on the D 1010. Problem is all my AV gear is at the front of the room & my audio video PC work station is at the back of a 25’ room. I either carry the needed gear back to the PC or run long two ch cables to the back. I prefer neither.

So what I do is plug my Adcom pre-amp out into a 2 ch analog input on my Anthem AVM-30. The cool thing about this is it has a built in AD convertor for 2 ch sources. From the menu you can select 16/24 and 44/48/96. I settle on 24/48 as that is most compatible with various video formats & honestly I don’t think I would hear the difference at 2x the data. Then from the Anthem’s SPDIF digital out I have a RG-6 cable running above my ceiling back to the D 1010’s SPDIF input. Easy peasy.
I prefer Adobe 3 to Audacity but A 3 locks up occasionally so I have used both. I don’t do any tagging or labeling, I don’t use a media manager. I am pretty much a listen all the way through kind of guy so just using a file naming system works fine for me. I save as 24/48 flac & it plays back great on my Oppo 105.

Your thread is really opportune. I have started wholesale ripping of my quad SQ/QS discs in prep for the new SM V2. I hope to learn some more as it goes along.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

Very good tutorial. I’m sure it’s going to be a long term reference source & should probably be made sticky. I did not know about the click repair de-noiser for example. So I’ve already learned something. I have checked out the website & will install it later tonight.

As you said at the start this is bare bones basic info. There are other ways to do it & I’ll be interested to see how others accomplish this. I must agree with Markshan comments in the sense USB TT is to be avoided if possible. USB TT’s are always a bit suspicious to me as I have never seen one reviewed in depth; never see specs on RIAA analog quality & distortion & never seen specs on the AD convertors. At least I haven’t.

Fortunately I have two interesting ways to rip vinyl. My TT is an Audio Technica AT-PL120 (NOT the USB version) & AT440Lb cart. Not exotic or the best combo there is but it’s the best set up I’ve owned having cruised through most of quad’s golden years with a Phillips 212 and Pickering something number CD-4 cart. The TT plugs into an Adcom GFP-555 pre-amp.
From there I have two choices. I have a Delta 1010 sound card so I could run the pre-amps outputs into the analog inputs on the D 1010. Problem is all my AV gear is at the front of the room & my audio video PC work station is at the back of a 25’ room. I either carry the needed gear back to the PC or run long two ch cables to the back. I prefer neither.

So what I do is plug my Adcom pre-amp out into a 2 ch analog input on my Anthem AVM-30. The cool thing about this is it has a built in AD convertor for 2 ch sources. From the menu you can select 16/24 and 44/48/96. I settle on 24/48 as that is most compatible with various video formats & honestly I don’t think I would hear the difference at 2x the data. Then from the Anthem’s SPDIF digital out I have a RG-6 cable running above my ceiling back to the D 1010’s SPDIF input. Easy peasy.
I prefer Adobe 3 to Audacity but A 3 locks up occasionally so I have used both. I don’t do any tagging or labeling, I don’t use a media manager. I am pretty much a listen all the way through kind of guy so just using a file naming system works fine for me. I save as 24/48 flac & it plays back great on my Oppo 105.

Your thread is really opportune. I have started wholesale ripping of my quad SQ/QS discs in prep for the new SM V2. I hope to learn some more as it goes along.

So SW, when you say ripping SQ/QS; do you rip to stereo or Quad. I'd assume stereo if the SMV2 takes a 2 channel input; and how does that work as far as the SM accepting the ripped data? This is all new stuff to me and was hoping to do something similar. Sorry if this is a little off topic.

 

[Sonik Wiz]

So SW, when you say ripping SQ/QS; do you rip to stereo or Quad. I'd assume stereo if the SMV2 takes a 2 channel input; and how does that work as far as the SM accepting the ripped data? This is all new stuff to me and was hoping to do something similar. Sorry if this is a little off topic.

I rip it as stereo. I'll let the SM V2 do all the quaddy decoding. The SM V2 does not have a digital input so that is a non-isuue. My files will play back through my Oppo> 2 ch analog out> SM V2> decoded out> Anthem AVM-30 5.1 analog inputs. Another nice thing about the Anthem is that these inputs are pure analog there is no AD>DA conversion again. There is a digitally controlled resistor ladder that acts just like an old fashioned analog potentiometer. So I still have full remote control over level and balance from the sweet spot.

As a side note the SM V2 will actually plug into a Zektor switcher which lets me select from multiple 4/5.1 sources and then the Zektor outputs plug into my single sets of 5.1 inputs on the Anthem.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

A few members have been asking me to shed light on how "I" rip my vinyl. I do it often and have learned some tricks over time. I'm sure others already know...but I'll try to go in a bit deeper.

Basics you will need for bare bones ripping are:

• Turntable with USB connectivity. (I currently own Pro-Ject Debut Carbon USB, see on AMAZON)
• PC or laptop to connect your TT USB cable to
• Audacity - an application that will work directly with your TT where you create your music files from ripped vinyl (link to Audacity download)

If you have considerable money already in an older TT that does not have USB, there is some reading material HERE, though I have not thoroughly read as it's just not applicable to my situation...though it does go into some detail about using Audacity if you want to read that.

More coming....but just for a visual, here is Audacity when I first open the application, but not spinning vinyl yet. You will need to click the HELP button to get into the online Audacity tutorial/manual, which is extremely helpful. It's been too many years, but I'm pretty sure there could be some initial preferences you need to type in first time you use Audacity.

For my setup, notice the taskbar which starts with MME, then MIcrophone, etc. Even though it's not really a microphone, they call it that and in this case, if your TT is correctly connected to your PC, you should see a selection similar to mine. Notice it says USB... Make sure you have 2 (Stereo) selected and then in terms of how you will hear or playback what you are recording or have recorded, the speaker icon can be either your internal PC speakers or in my case it's all routed through my Denon AVR as noted below in the taskbar.

View attachment 38615

GOS, thanks so much for getting this tutorial thread started (precious bodily fluids saved), I'm sure it's going to be a huge hit here on the forum!

Some of my thoughts so far is about what I'm planning for this sort of thing in the near future (LPs plus SQ/QS). I saw someone mention that Audacity doesn't handle multi-channel, but I could swear I saw somewhere that if set up properly it can handle some basic surround editing; do you have any experience with multi-channel & Audacity?

Thanks!

 

[J. PUPSTER]

I rip it as stereo. I'll let the SM V2 do all the quaddy decoding. The SM V2 does not have a digital input so that is a non-isuue. My files will play back through my Oppo> 2 ch analog out> SM V2> decoded out> Anthem AVM-30 5.1 analog inputs. Another nice thing about the Anthem is that these inputs are pure analog there is no AD>DA conversion again. There is a digitally controlled resistor ladder that acts just like an old fashioned analog potentiometer. So I still have full remote control over level and balance from the sweet spot.

As a side note the SM V2 will actually plug into a Zektor switcher which lets me select from multiple 4/5.1 sources and then the Zektor outputs plug into my single sets of 5.1 inputs on the Anthem.

Awesome, I figured it must be something like that, thanks for the details

 

[GOS]

GOS, thanks so much for getting this tutorial thread started (precious bodily fluids saved), I'm sure it's going to be a huge hit here on the forum!

Some of my thoughts so far is about what I'm planning for this sort of thing in the near future (LPs plus SQ/QS). I saw someone mention that Audacity doesn't handle multi-channel, but I could swear I saw somewhere that if set up properly it can handle some basic surround editing; do you have any experience with multi-channel & Audacity?

Thanks!

Yeah, you can pull in multi-channel files and manipulate that way. I do it all the time...fairly straight forward. You just cannot record in multi-channel from source to Audacity.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

This thread is a real blast, but I'm starting to feel a little like this poor fellow beggin' for the "Real Deal"
(Only referring to my begging part - everyone here is Golden!!!)

 

[markshan]

That's also interesting. Let me also say, the deal breaker for me on the Metallica album is, they do a cover of Turn The Page and there are some moments during the song where instruments are quiet, but then there are some semi-spoken sentences...and you can again hear that scraping noise during those quieter moments. Sucks, because it's a wonderful album, full of dynamics..it simply cranks...but....

Is the record a 180 gram release? I've been thinking about what would make a scraping sound, and I think it may be underfill. I describe the sound as waves crashing against the shore.

 

[jimfisheye]

I don't want to derail what looks like an excellent tutorial here too badly...

Just a couple points and/or opinions on gear:

I've never seen a USB turntable combo device that was serious IMHO. These go ratty cheap on analog components. Better to get these items separately. They're all critical.
A high end cartridge on a proper tone arm on at least a decent turntable. Plugged into a high quality phono preamp. Plugged into pro quality AD converters in an audio interface and finally into the computer. The meat and potatoes of the effort in vinyl transfers is the time spent. Real time rolling in. Mastering prep (trimming, labeling). Would be a shame to spend careful time with all that for a mediocre quality capture of the audio. Capture at 24 bit at 96k. You can capture at 192k and reduce to 96k later if you think the AD converters perform better at that ultra HD rate. Don't ever not use 24 bit. (FYI The hardware converters are 24 bit. A 32 bit capture would only fill the lower bits with zeros. The most you can get at capture is 24 bit fixed.)

I still recommend a DAW like Reaper. It's not technically free but the everlasting and unrestricted full demo mode is if you're uninclined to spend money.
iZotope RX has the best click repair. Always best to try to replace damaged vinyl but if it's something rare and unobtainable there may be no choice.
A modest little interface with high end AD conversion can be had for under $500. (Apogee, RME, Prism are all have higher end converters) If you already have a nice vinyl setup, you only need a good interface.

You can find examples on the internets of vinyl rips done with what appears to be decent-ish pro-sumer gear. Technics, Dennon, Shure... Interfaces like Focusrite or Presonus... Some of these transfers are even clearly done with care and attention to detail. They all sound like there's a blanket over the speakers though! Not all vinyl pressings are perfect of course. But the best ones have fidelity that equals what you might hear from a properly mastered mix in 24 bit 96k digital from a bluray or download. You kind of need the offensively expensive analog gear to reproduce it from vinyl though. Form cartridge to preamp to AD converter. Tone arm needs to be good enough to micro adjust the cartridge into position critically and not cause any problems. Table needs to be good enough to dampen vibrations, prevent microphonic feedback, and spin the platter consistently at speed. That list starts from most expensive with the cartridge.

 

[GOS]

Is the record a 180 gram release? I've been thinking about what would make a scraping sound, and I think it may be underfill. I describe the sound as waves crashing against the shore.

Yeah, it's 180 gram. These vinyls have the feel and appearance of super high quality. Like I say, dynamics is powerful..but the damn noise between songs and during quiet passages is unbearable. I paid in the $80 range...and I see now used copies asking $170.......lol.

 

[GOS]

Maybe I'll rip Turn The Page and make a flac and let you all listen to it......just for the learning experience.