Terry’s Computer Tips newsletters February 10th
This week’s email and on-line newsletters are now available:
* free weekly Terry”s Computer Tips email newsletter
* weekly on-line Terry”s Computer Tips newsletter
This week’s online articles include:
* Converting Vinyl LP Records to Digital
I think everyone wants to do this some time or other — at least those of us old enough to have turntables and LP records…
* Updates Last Week
I watch a few operating systems and programs for updates — mainly because these are the ones that I use or in which I am interested. What updates or versions were new last week?
* My Computer Security Software Recommendations
Want to know which Antivirus program I recommend? Which firewall program? Which Antispyware program? Which Antispam? Or, which router for your home network?
Hi Terry,
Greetings from one of your UK subscribers.
I have been converting my vinyl collection for some time now with great success (especially on the ones that have been looked after better). I use the program MP3Directcut, which converts to MP3 on the fly. I convert a whole LP side at a time and the program gives me a pictorial representation of the resulting waveform, and allows you to play it from any point. You can then highlight portions (tracks) and save them individually making it very easy to cut a side into tracks. It also has an automatic gap sensing facility. What’s more the program is freeware.
Thanks for the newsletter. I always look forward to reading it.
Best regards,
Ian Page
Hi Terry. I`m also in the UK!
As you quite rightly say, the idea of a program detecting gaps in vinyl tracks is all very well in theory, but…….been there, done that! Just not reliable enough. Also, having to do it in real time is very laborious. The only suggestion(s) I have is to record the whole album as one long file in Audacity, then insert “silence”, using the “generate” tab by selecting the gaps between tracks, with possibly also creating a better fade-out (under “effects”) if need be. You can then use “analyze/silence finder” and it will insert track markers just before the beginning of each track (if that is clearly defined – might still have problems if you have a weird track that starts very quietly or fades in) and you can then “export multiple”. The only cast-iron, sure-fire way I`ve found is just to highlight the tracks individually (expand the waveform a tad to make it easier to see beginnings and endings) and export them in the desired format one by one but, either way, it sure is teejous, ain`t it?
Incidentally, there is a very useful utility in Audacity in the shape of the pencil tool, which can be used to remove clicks and pops, although, once again, it all takes time. You have to select the click with the cursor and expand the waveform (sometimes adjusting the position of the cursor, as you go, to keep it in the middle of the observable pulse) until you can see individual samples. At that point, you can actually “re-draw” the waveform to smooth out the click. It works like a charm, but if you have an old piece of vinyl that`s not in good condition, be prepared for a marathon session. Fortunately, all my own purchased discs are in excellent condition, but I have been given a few over the years and I have had to give them the treatment. It`s worth it in the end.
Hi Terry,
What is the word “sae” in the following sentence?
Goldwave lets you mark the places to separate the cuts and then sae automatically from the one full album side into however many individual cuts you marked.
By the way, I can only say Audacity may not be the best but it’s the best for the price … $0.00. LOL
Clif
“the best things in life are still free”
http://freewarewiki.com/NewsLetters
Fixed it now – the word is “save”
Goldwave lets you mark the places to separate the cuts and then save automatically from the one full album side into however many individual cuts you marked.
Terry