What kind of setup do you have to rip your vinyl?
I listed all my gear once before.
Basically I have a modified Dual (2 actually, an olde goode one and a goode olde one) turntable and a Lazarus preamp. The newer turntable has been modified to lower the resonances further into the lower infrasonic range (platter, tonearm, base, and cartridge all have their own resonances and preventing them from re-enforcing each other is the goal) and I've made a dandy base for it out of approximately one hundred eighty millimeters of solid MDF. I then textured the base with a black rubber compound like used for hand tool grips.
I have a choice of cartridges, also, each with its own signature sound. I generally divide them into two categories. One set for clarity and extended frequency response and another set for better bass response, with less tendency to second and third harmonics in their resonance. Third harmonic of a typical tonearm resonance is in the usable range of low frequencies on playback.
Then I use the tube preamp (which sports cryo'ed tubes) to match gain (and provide equalisation to match the RIAA standard) for the level where the sound card works OK. I have many more options with the M-Audio (2496) card than I ever had with the Creative (Audigy Pro). Still I am out of date, because this M-Audio card is three years old. I have come to understand that there are two more major generational dividing lines made in the technology of AD/DA conversion since this card was made. That makes my "fancy" soundcard a grandfather, already. In theory I can upgrade an older card, but if I actually thought I wanted to buy a current production A/D chipset for over four hundred dollars I would probably put it in my Denon player and just buy a new card for hard drive play. Better yet, I could put the good stuff together inside a Squeezebox for network HD playback.
That's it, nothing fancy. Of course, I then have to record a WAV file as the LP plays and later convert it to FLAC. I use EAC for that. As you know, Windows can do all that too (there's even a FLAC Frontend/Windows GUI thing to be had), but it's so much easier to have one, almost bug-free solution for hobbies, without having to deal with Microsoft's bandwagon-jumping, accessory add-ons.
... unless Windows is your hobby.
;P
Still on Hendrix, but I've decided to make my next two days off from work a ripping marathon. I have only ripped about two hundred LPs, but I have around five times that many I would like to rip and at least that many more that I will not need to rip.
The problem is that most of my LPs are in boxes, so I will have to put on my miners hat to find certain things.
... because I don't have the shelf space to properly organize my music collection.
