Digitizing old records, bit by bit
 Q: How are movie films and old records converted to digital recordings? Michael M., Cincinnati, Ohio
A: This--the second of a two part answer- tells how we digitize old vinyl records. Last week's column
addressed how to digitize old movies.
[Corel (modified by April Holladay)] Converting music to a series of 0s and 1s.
The vinyl platter spins on the record player. I set the jewel-tipped needle on its spiral groove and the needle
vibrates. The vibration produces analog electrical signals that head up the phonograph arm to the speakers
and in an instant I hear Duke Ellington's band bopping out "Take the 'A' Train-music from long ago.
Digitizing a record means converting the analog signal on the record to a series of bits that convey the same
information. I do this by connecting the output of the record player-the analog signal- to the input of my
computer. Then a sound card in my computer converts the analog signal to a digital one, i.e., a series of 0s
and 1s. The result is a data file in a special format, called a .WAV file. I then store this file from my hard
drive to a CD. That's it.
To connect the record-player output to the computer input-- I need to stick two things in between: a CD recorder and an adapter cable
(about $6) with two male RCA plugs at one end and one stereo mini 3.5-millimeter phono plug on the other.
I must amplify the sound coming from the "out" jack of my player and correct it for undesirable phonograph needle and turntable effects.
Yamaha sells a CD-RW Recorder that does this and also writes the music to a CD, says Chuck Hill of Yamaha. My computer will
control the recorder via the USB data interface. So, that's the kind of recorder I need: Yamaha's Model CRW2200UXZ, for connecting
to the computer via the USB 2.0 interface. It sells for about $200.
My computer has a sound card but is it good enough? It's a Sound-Blaster Live! 16-bit card with a sampling rate of 44.1 kilohertz--
good resolution for recording good music.
I use my Sound-Blaster Live! software from Creative Wave Studio to convert the record sound (Duke Ellington's band music) to a
digital file. To do this, I start the program and open a new .WAV file. From the Audio menu, I click "record", set the needle on my
spinning platter, and wait until the record is done playing. Then I click "stop" from the Audio menu and save the new file.
That's it. Digitized music. I can play it from the hard disk (click "play" from the Audio menu) or record it to a CD and play it from
there.
(Answered by April Holladay, science correspondent, December 26, 2001)
Further Surfing:
USATODAY.com, WonderQuest: Digitizing movies http://www.usatoday.com/news/science/wonderquest/2001-12-19-digital-film.htm
Yamaha CD-RW Recorders-differ for connecting to different computer data interfaces
Smart Computing: How to digitize old records
Roxio Newsletters: digitizing old records and tapes (Mac)
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