looking for several pieces of gear

[Lt. Bob]

Help save me googling time!!

I desire a couple of things ...... less money rather than more if possible but I don't want crap ..... I'd want stuff that will perform decently so I'd like:

#1 a device for digitizing music.
Primarily I'd like to be able to digitize my vinyl.
I do NOT want a USB turntable ..... I have about 5k in turntables and would have zero interest in a cheapie.
I want something I can hook up to the extra RCA outs of my stereo pre-amps OR the Line out from my phono-preamps and send that to a 'puter as a digital file.
I have around 7000 LPs and it would be awesome if I could start setting them up so I had a central place to play them when I don't feel like cleaning a record and putting it on the turntable.
And then it would be easy to send them to my MP3 players for listening while doing yardwork or driving to gigs and such.
Obviously it would not be limited to vinyl ..... anything I could hook to it would be 'puterized so stuff I have on my Masterlinks could be converted to digital for example .... but the primary purpose would be vinyl conversion.
I think I would want it to be able to make them into WAV files for stuff I want top quality on but I suppose some stuff I might just go with hi-rez MP3s for space saving.

#2 a blue tooth transmitter and receiver .... my 'spensive turntable and all my recording gear is in my studio but I'd like to be able to put a record on in there and listen to it in my living room 50' away.
I don't play records in the living room because cat hair and dust is rampant.
And I have to burn CDs and carry them to the living room right now to be able to listen to recording projects in there or show them to my wifey.
I'd like to be able to hook up to my mixer/stereo pre-amp/recorder in my studio and transmit it to the living room where a receiver would allow me to connect it to the living room stereo.
I'm not married to the bluetooth method .....an FM type system would work too.
I just want to be able to send whatever I'm playing in the studio to the living room.

Help me oh Obi Wan Kenobis ...... you're my only hope of not having to spend a lot of time googling all this stuff plus you may have direct experience to help decide what actually performs well.

[Tadpui]

For the vinyl transfer, I'd think that any 2x2 USB audio interface would work, with a 2xRCA to 2xTS cable or adapter. The input gain can be adjusted to account for the signal strength coming out of the turntable. I bet that something like the Behringer UMC202HD would work great at the cheaper end of things. Or a MOTU M2 at the midrange, or an RME Babyface at the higher end of the price spectrum.

I'll have to shop for a transmitter though. I think that you're onto something with the FM idea, but I dont know any specific products.

[JD01]

Hmmm. On the vinyl transfer thing... i wouldn't worry to much about this pretty much everything is on Spotify these days, probably cheaper for you to get a Spotify account.

The Bluetooth thing is easy. There are loads of options on that my Bluetooth receiver connected to my big old stereo cost me 12 quid.

[Lt. Bob]

Hmmm. On the vinyl transfer thing... i wouldn't worry to much about this pretty much everything is on Spotify these days, probably cheaper for you to get a Spotify account.

The Bluetooth thing is easy. There are loads of options on that my Bluetooth receiver connected to my big old stereo cost me 12 quid.

Thanks for the help ..... what Bluetooth receiver exactly?
I already know bluetooth receiver ..... I'm looking for specifics .... they're not all the same ...... some seem to have more range than others ...... I live in an old house with plaster/metal lathe walls which is basically a faraday cage so I'm gonna need something with fairly good range to be sure it'll even penetrate my walls.
Plus reviews seem to suggest there's a difference in sound quality ..... at its very best bluetooth sound quality is 'meh' .... anything less than the best 'meh' isn't gonna do it for me.
So I'm looking for specifics.

As for Spotify ....... I don't own 7000 albums because I'm happy with MP3 sound ..... the best you can get out of Spotify is 320kps and that doesn't cut it for me on stuff I care about.
My good vinyl rig is FAR superior soundwise to Spotify or any of the streaming services unless I'd want to pay for some of the hi-rez services and they have a much smaller availability of music and a monthly fee ....... you know how much it costs me to play my records? ..... zero.

Also there's no chance Spotify, even if I were to be satisfied with inferior sound quality, has some of the stuff in my vinyl collection that I care about.
Show me the first Potliquor album on Spotify ..... Colours' 3 albums no one but me ever heard of? No way.
And even if they did ( I doubt it ) there's the sound quality issue ....... I'm an audiophile with significant money in my stereos to achieve sound quality of a high level. Not a chance I'm gonna go to listening to crappy MP3 sound on stuff I really like and want to sound studio quality.

Plus sometimes the only reason I play an album is I run across it and go, "Oh look at this ...... wonder how it is?"
I'd never even run across it on Spotify 'cause I wouldn't know to even look for it.
I'm not simply looking for a way to play music on my living room stereo ...... I already have ways to do that.

I'm looking for a good way to digitize my vinyl ..... not find an alternate way to play other music.

[rayc]

I used to have a turntable above my computer and an old stereo amp then took the line out of the amp into the aux in of the comp.
These days it's turntable, and little phono preamp device into my recording interface.
Behringer has a couple of devices...mostly default to 6 bit and are fine...not high end but they work and are VERY cheap. Not ruggedly built but it'd be set n forget for the most part.
To record and deal with any problems, ( splitting sides into tracks, dealing with an egregious click) I use WaveRepair...a nice piece of software written by an LP collector. It's not popular these days as it was written for 16 bit the CD quality being the aim as most folk then transferred the LP to a CD.
It can then be converted to MP3 if needed...though most folk will keep the .wav file now that storage isn't an issue.
Any DAW will record the sound, check out the inputs on any stand alone machine you have they may enable it as well. i know I have a Roland DiskLab that has a phono preamp in it....old DJ gear would be useful too.
There are turntables that will do it all - play, record and convert...my wife bought me one. I used it once so she'd know I was making use of her gift and then put it away...cheap & nasty gear that did the LP no favours...I used an old, unloved 2nd for that process.
http://www.delback.co.uk/wavrep/
https://www.ebay.com.au/i/283670551066? ... d1b1261f9f

[Lt. Bob]

I used to have a turntable above my computer and an old stereo amp then took the line out of the amp into the aux in of the comp.
These days it's turntable, and little phono preamp device into my recording interface.
Behringer has a couple of devices...mostly default to 6 bit and are fine...not high end but they work and are VERY cheap. Not ruggedly built but it'd be set n forget for the most part.
To record and deal with any problems, ( splitting sides into tracks, dealing with an egregious click) I use WaveRepair...a nice piece of software written by an LP collector. It's not popular these days as it was written for 16 bit the CD quality being the aim as most folk then transferred the LP to a CD.
It can then be converted to MP3 if needed...though most folk will keep the .wav file now that storage isn't an issue.
Any DAW will record the sound, check out the inputs on any stand alone machine you have they may enable it as well. i know I have a Roland DiskLab that has a phono preamp in it....old DJ gear would be useful too.
There are turntables that will do it all - play, record and convert...my wife bought me one. I used it once so she'd know I was making use of her gift and then put it away...cheap & nasty gear that did the LP no favours...I used an old, unloved 2nd for that process.

thanks I will check those out.
As for turntables ..... I'm gonna want to use my $2000 VPI with a Sumiko Blue Point Special cart thru my Audio Alchemy phono Pre-amp.

Or possibly the https://www.schiit.com/products/lyr-1 which I'm seeing has a DAC so it may be the way to go right there.
Still ..... I'm not convinced I need a new pre-amp and the Schiit is 500 bucks ....... I have a couple of good phono pres already so I'm hoping for a cheaper way to digitize my vinyl.
After all ..... I have other music gear to buy!

[rayc]

Your turntable to your preamp out RCAs with adaptors on the end to suit your best available recorder/interface is all you need so long as that recorder can handle 2 x 20mins.
I used a dedicated set up so I wouldn't have to stuff about connecting stuff which was inclined to prevent me doing a session.
Schiit didn't explain if the DAC worked both ways. I suspect it's just to convert D to A . Nice unit though. Oh, you have to select and pay for a phono preamp and I'm not sure if you can have DAC + phono...still cool tool.

[Lt. Bob]

Your turntable to your preamp out RCAs with adaptors on the end to suit your best available recorder/interface is all you need so long as that recorder can handle 2 x 20mins.

what is 2x20mins?
I mean the 2 is obviously 2 channels but what is 20mins?

[Tadpui]

what is 2x20mins?
I mean the 2 is obviously 2 channels but what is 20mins?

I think he was referring to a portable recorder that has enough storage to hold 2 20 minute sides of an LP.

On the Bluetooth thing, it does have a reduced frequency bandwidth. I can't remember the specifics, but I think the low frequencies don't go as low. I think that a lot of the consumer grade bluetooth speakers/headphones do some sort of trickery to replace that missing information.

I think that the effectice range of Bluetooth is about 30 feet, so your 50 foot span through dense walls might be a challenge. Maybe FM could penetrate. It might come down to getting a 2-zone receiver and run speaker wire through the ceiling or floor. I'll keep looking though, surely you're not the first person to have this need.

[Lt. Bob]

what is 2x20mins?
I mean the 2 is obviously 2 channels but what is 20mins?

I think he was referring to a portable recorder that has enough storage to hold 2 20 minute sides of an LP.

Holy fucking crap!
Sometimes I'm so slow!!

I have 2 Tascam DR-05s, a Tascam DR-608 MKII , a Fostex MR-8 and a Fostex 16 track recorder in a case for carrying around!
The DR -5 gives me 96 hours or so on whatever card I have in it ... a 32G or maybe 64G and I could actually just stick the card in my 'puters card reader once I had the records on it.
The 608 gives me about 11 hours and also uses a card.
So all I have to do is decide if any of them sound better used that way than the others and I'm golden.
I can't imagine why I didn't see that ..... thanks ya'll for getting me there.

On the Bluetooth thing, it does have a reduced frequency bandwidth. I can't remember the specifics, but I think the low frequencies don't go as low. I think that a lot of the consumer grade bluetooth speakers/headphones do some sort of trickery to replace that missing information.

I think that the effectice range of Bluetooth is about 30 feet, so your 50 foot span through dense walls might be a challenge. Maybe FM could penetrate. It might come down to getting a 2-zone receiver and run speaker wire through the ceiling or floor. I'll keep looking though, surely you're not the first person to have this need.

I guess I should measure the distance ..... it will be thru EMG resistant walls for sure but maybe it's less than 50' ..... lemme go see .... ok, it's less than 30 feet ..... maybe around 26-28 .... all I had handy was a 24" ruler so it's not exact ....
So maybe a good bluetooth could do that.

But I bet there's some FM transmitters/receivers that could do that.
I could buy 2 wireless guitar units and use one for each channel but there has to be a stereo unit.
Thanks for the help ...... one problem actually solved without spending money and the other is getting narrowed down

[Tadpui]

[mention]Lt. Bob[/mention] oh heck yeah, those portables will do the trick, for sure! I think that the hardest (or most tedious) part would be splitting everything into individual songs, then naming them, then tagging them with artist, title, album, track number, etc. That's always a pain. I used to use a ripping program that connected to a database that had all of that info and it'd apply it to my MP3s as I was ripping them from CD. It was awesome. Then it went away and I couldn't ever find it again. Surely there's something like that still around...I'll have to hunt around to see if there's anything that can speed up the tedious parts for you.

Oh and I saw this on Sweetwater's site, not sure if it'd be appropriate as an FM transmitter in your home. But all you'd have to do is tune to the radio station of your choosing on any other radio-equipped stereo in your house and you could listen to whatever you plug into it (and your neighbors could probably tune in too ): https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... ransmitter

[rayc]

I think that the hardest (or most tedious) part would be splitting everything into individual songs, then naming them, then tagging them with artist, title, album, track number, etc. That's always a pain.

Yes and no. ANY dig recording program will make it happen with some time n effort, (Wavereair makes it fairly easy), BUT if Lt. Bob's the LP fan I think he is he'll be, mostly, happy to play a side at a time and that makes it easy: Fred Dagg's Allen key1 & Fred Daggs Allen key2 will sit in most dig players in order and play through. NOT in my Dig player though...it's stripped down software to allow for the best sound. Its running order is as loaded.

[Lt. Bob]

I think that the hardest (or most tedious) part would be splitting everything into individual songs, then naming them, then tagging them with artist, title, album, track number, etc. That's always a pain.

Yes and no. ANY dig recording program will make it happen with some time n effort, (Wavereair makes it fairly easy), BUT if Lt. Bob's the LP fan I think he is he'll be, mostly, happy to play a side at a time and that makes it easy: Fred Dagg's Allen key1 & Fred Daggs Allen key2 will sit in most dig players in order and play through. NOT in my Dig player though...it's stripped down software to allow for the best sound. Its running order is as loaded.

ooh, thanks for those suggestions! ................... [EDIT] ... a quick google showed nothing under that name ]
I do have CDs I've put on my 'puter for various reasons ..... mainly to send to my MP3 players ..... I don't really use the 'puter for listening at home but it would be nice to be able to organize them better. Windows media player sucks at that.
And I'll check and see if those programs might help me do that with my LPs once they are digitized ..... might not though because there is no meta data on a LP ..... but maybe once it's converted.

However you are correct .... it will always be 1 side at a time ..... I don't really care about anything but the name and making sure it plays in the correct order which I actually can do on the recorder as it records the tracks since I'll have to be sitting there.
It won't be like doing 20 CDs at a time where it does a huge amount in a short period of time.
I'll have to actually play the LPs and record them in real time.

And yes, I am a LP fan ...... I mean, I specifically said this is for LPs .... lol .... the question was specifically and only about LPs and I said I had around seven thousand LPs ..... that's not a made up number ..... that's how many I have .... lol.

I still pay good money to buy music on LP rather than CD. I bought several recent Hendrix releases on vinyl at $30 a pop rather than the CDs at half that.

I don't need digitization of CDs ..... they're already digital .... and it's easy as crap to load them into a 'puter but why ? I have the CDs ....... I'll just play them. I mean, CDs will go bad so important stuff I might want to have on the 'puter as a backup and I use MP3 players quite a bit for various things like mowing the lawn or break music or to show other musicians at rehearsals etc.

But at home I have several thousand dollars worth of CD players around the house including 2 Masterlinks so I play CDs when I want to listen to them.
I have a pretty nice sounding Teac CD player I recently got that I'm really enamored with the sound ......a noticeably more nuanced sound than many.
I don't even own a laptop.
The reason I'd like to digitize LPs is simply for the purpose of being able to play them elsewhere when I don't have a turntable like in the car or as break music on a gig ...... if I'm home I'll just mostly play the LPs.

The funniest non-recognition of the fact that I was specifically asking about digitizing my LPs was JD01 whose -answer was "Don't digitize your LPs"!

[JD01]

Sorry, Bob. Its an "Anker Soundsync Bluetooth Receiver" the cheapest one I could find!

[Lt. Bob]

Sorry, Bob. Its an "Anker Soundsync Bluetooth Receiver" the cheapest one I could find!

cool thanks ..... no need for sorry .... I WAY appreciate you taking any time to look for something for me and I will check it out.



And actually that doesn't cost much at all

[WhiskeyJack]

Sorry, Bob. Its an "Anker Soundsync Bluetooth Receiver" the cheapest one I could find!

cool thanks ..... no need for sorry .... I WAY appreciate you taking any time to look for something for me and I will check it out.



And actually that doesn't cost much at all

[mention]JD01[/mention] never say sorry to the Lt. You will get an earful.

As a Canadian i have to now limit my interactions with him because i am genetically one mass of flesh that is perpetually sorry.

[Lt. Bob]

well ..... it's just that in this hyper-sensitive age my direct and often detailed responses get interpreted by some to mean I'm angry.
I'm just not ..... unless I say "That pisses me off!" or something similar then I am not angry ever .... not even a little bit.

But I do talk directly and in a detailed way without any of the "I think your idea is good too" BS and so I'm very aware of the fact that it comes across as anger to people and if they say they're sorry I assume they probably thought I was mad and they should apologize.

It's never the case but every time I see it I feel like I have to reassure them because I don't want anyone thinking I'm mad.

[JD01]

well ..... it's just that in this hyper-sensitive age my direct and often detailed responses get interpreted by some to mean I'm angry.
I'm just not ..... unless I say "That pisses me off!" or something similar then I am not angry ever .... not even a little bit.

But I do talk directly and in a detailed way without any of the "I think your idea is good too" BS and so I'm very aware of the fact that it comes across as anger to people and if they say they're sorry I assume they probably thought I was mad and they should apologize.

It's never the case but every time I see it I feel like I have to reassure them because I don't want anyone thinking I'm mad.

Oh, I'm really sorry, Bob. It appears that I've misunderstood you.

[Lt. Bob]

well ..... it's just that in this hyper-sensitive age my direct and often detailed responses get interpreted by some to mean I'm angry.
I'm just not ..... unless I say "That pisses me off!" or something similar then I am not angry ever .... not even a little bit.

But I do talk directly and in a detailed way without any of the "I think your idea is good too" BS and so I'm very aware of the fact that it comes across as anger to people and if they say they're sorry I assume they probably thought I was mad and they should apologize.

It's never the case but every time I see it I feel like I have to reassure them because I don't want anyone thinking I'm mad.

Oh, I'm really sorry, Bob. It appears that I've misunderstood you.

lol ......

[vomitHatSteve]

@JD01 never say sorry to the Lt. You will get an earful.

As a Canadian i have to now limit my interactions with him because i am genetically one mass of flesh that is perpetually sorry.

Isn't there a law in Ontario or somewhere that apologizing after a traffic accident is not to be interpreted as an admission of guilt?