The era of the 8-track has
solidly come to an end, but vinyl is a medium that just won't go away. Our
strange obsession with the plastic platters keeps the record player atop
the stereo system, and all our albums
nearby. Do you treasure the fuzz and hiss that reminds one of an era long past?
Do cracks, pops and scratches mean more to you than digital remastering? If so,
we have the guide for you! Follow these few easy steps to make all your records
into MP3s, and never fiend to drop the needle again.
Setup In order to convert your records to MP3 format, you
must first prepare your PC with the proper hardware and software for the job.
To start, you will first
need to connect your stereo system to your computer with a stereo
RCA-to-headphone cable. One end of this cable should be connected to your
amplifier's line-out, and the other end should be plugged into the line-in of
your sound card. This cable is available for just a few dollars at Radio Shack
or any audio component store. Connect RCA cables to your amplifier's line-out
Connect headphone cable to your PC's
line-in
Second, you will need a
software application that is capable of
recording sound through the line-in jack of your sound card. We recommend
Music Match Jukebox for its ease of use. Finally, you'll also need a recordable
CD-ROM (CD-R) player in your computer to burn your MP3s onto a CD. CD-R is a
recordable CD format that is used for both recording data and audio CDs. CD-RW
is another type of recordable disc format, but it is better suited for storing
data, as many stereo systems are not compatible with CD-RW discs. If you would
like help installing a CD burner, consult our Beginner's Guide.
Step One To begin recording, start Music Match and choose your
input source from the following menu path: options, recorder, source, and
line-in. The "recorder" window will appear underneath the music
library. (If it
doesn't, click the REC
button.) Click on "artist" and "album" to change the name
of the file and enter the song title on the right before recording.
Now, simply press the record
button in the window and begin playing the record. When your recording is
complete, press stop, and the new track should be recorded and placed at the
bottom of your music library. Repeat this process for each track you record.
By default, each track is
saved in 128kbps, which is more than sufficient for most high-quality
recordings. Once you have completed your first recording, you should play the
file and confirm that it was recorded at the proper volume level. (If the track
is distorted or too soft, you can adjust the volume input level on either the
stereo system or from within Windows by double-clicking the speaker icon on
your task bar, which is at the bottom of the screen. In the "play
control" window, select options, properties, recording, and finally, OK. A
"record control" window should appear, where you can choose a proper
volume level. Be sure that the mute button is not selected, or else you may
record silence and frustrate yourself to no end.)
Music Match offers a host of
additional, advanced preferences for recording as well. You can configure these
options by choosing from the menu path: options, settings, recorder tab, and
advanced. Options include fades, off-set, and more. As you become more familiar
with making your own MP3s from records, these preferences can help you make
near professional-sounding recordings from your old analog music. Once you have
compiled 74 minutes (or less) of MP3s, you can make an audio CD.
Step Two Once you have garnered enough MP3s, you can organize
a list of tracks that will be copied onto the recordable CD. The upper,
right-hand window of the Music Match
Jukebox is the playlist. To copy a song onto the playlist, drag any file from
your music library to the playlist window. In general, blank CD-R discs hold up
to 74 minutes' worth of music. (Music Match does not currently support the new
80-minute CD-R format.)
Once you have added all your
tracks to be burned, press the CD-R button above the playlist. A new window
will appear, which consists of many CD-burning options. Be sure to select audio
(default) as the type of CD to
create. (By selecting data,
the other option, you can store over 600MB of MP3s on a blank CD. However, this
format will not be playable
on a traditional stereo system.) The status bar on the bottom of the window
informs you of how much space you have left on the blank CD. You may add or
delete songs from your song list in this window as well. In the options area,
we recommend that you select "test then write CD" for more reliable
burns. Also, if you are mixing electronic music, such as house or trance, you
may want to leave "2-second gap" unchecked, avoiding the silence
between songs.
When you are ready to copy
your tracks to CD, drop a blank CD-R disc into your CD writer and press the
"create CD" button.
Traditional CDs use a music
format called Red Book Audio (RBA). When MusicMatch burns your tracks to the
disc, it is converting the MP3 to a WAV format (which is compatible with RBA)
before writing it to the blank CD-R disc. This process can take some time, and
for reliable burning it is best if you do not use your computer while this
process is taking place.
By registering the Music
Match software (for only $30), you can get encoding speeds and CD burning rates
that are six times faster and can print CD linear notes with track names and
track times. If you plan on burning and archiving many CDs, we highly recommend
purchasing the upgrade.
There, that wasn't so bad,
was it? If you have any other MP3 related questions, you can be sure that our
Beginner's Guide will have the answers you need. Good luck, and happy burning!