[LAU] Simple hardware & software for digitizing analog audio recordings

[Paul Davis]

i use jack_capture to save to flac.

i have a music hall turntable, feeding a NAD preamp, which then feeds
my frontier designs tango24 ADC which feeds my RME audio interface.

the biggest obstacle: i have to manually create track boundaries or
per-track files *if* i want them.

second biggest obstacle: the music hall is a fully manual deck, so i
have to be there to both stop the recording *and* lift the tonearm off
the vinyl.


On 3/4/12, Adam <adam707 at verizon.net> wrote:
> Hello everyone!  I just joined this list and already I feel I'm in
> way over my head. :-)  I have one simple question, but it definitely
> involves using Linux for audio.  In fact, it's such a simple and
> common question that I'm almost embarrassed to ask the experts here
> about it.
>
> I've finally got my collection of analog sound recordings (LPs and
> audiocassettes) down to the relatively few that aren't available in
> any digital format but are worth preserving.  That means I'll have
> to digitize those myself.  So --
>
> Can anyone recommend (or disparage) any particular hardware and
> software for digitizing sound recordings?
>
> Here are some specifics about my equipment and my expectations:
>
> Something close to CD quality or 320 kbps MP3s will be "good enough"
> here.  I'll be dealing only with existing stereo recordings.  I
> already have a turntable, receiver (including phono preamp), and
> cassette deck, all working, that are IMO good enough.  I also have
> the 25' of audio cables (RCA plugs) necessary to connect my "stereo
> system" to my computer, unless rearranging my entire room to bring
> them closer together would make a significant difference.
>
> At the computer end, I have an low-end Compaq desktop with
> integrated audio (inadequate quality for input here) running
> Mandriva 2010.0, an available PCIe-x16 slot and some USB 2.0 ports
> (no Firewire), plus lots (hundreds of GBs) of free HD space.  For
> the new audio hardware, I'd prefer something that not only fits this
> machine and runs well under Linux, but will also be usable in future
> desktop Linux systems (e.g. not a plain PCI card if possible).
> Anything that would fit into that PCIe x16 slot (I understand a PCIe
> x1 card will work in a PCIe x16 slot) or a USB port -- I just need
> something that will accept line-level stereo inputs.  I'm hoping to
> find something decent in the US $40-80 range, new or used.
>
> For software, I thought I could use 'rec' to put the digitized audio
> into some standard file format (and automatically split it into
> tracks if desired), and 'audacity' for the digital signal processing
> (noise reduction, declicking, etc.).  Or are there other programs
> that would be better for me, either in audio quality or ease of use?
>
> Any recommendations for hardware or software, especially hardware,
> would be very much appreciated!  Suggestions on where else to look
> for advice would be welcomed too.  Thanks!
>
> Adam
>
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