I’m sometimes asked what I use to create digital recordings from vinyl, or any other source I have. When I create CDs or other digital media from my own files, I load them into the computer for editing. My arsenal is extensive these days, but I’m at a point where I’m comfortable with what I use, and the results I can expect.
On the analog end, I have my computer hooked up to my main sound system. Using one of the tape outputs from the Hafler preamp, I route this to an M-Audio Audiophile USB input box. This is the same circuitry as their Audiophile 24/96 sound car, but is in an external USB-connected box. To have the box separate from the computer has the advantage of keeping the EMI/RFI noise lower, as you are not routing any low-level audio signal cables near the “noisy” computer. There is no problem with latency on the USB connection–I have never had any dropouts in my audio, even when recording at the full 24 bit, 96kHz sampling rate. USB 2.0 is every bit as fast as Firewire, so there have been no speed issues here.
The only drawback to this unit is that there is no input level adjustment. This unit really needs a built-in amplification circuit with a level adjustment, since you are stuck with whatever level you put into the unit. For this, I’m currently using a spare Hafler preamp between the Audiophile USB and the tape output of my other Hafler preamp, and using the volume control for the level adjustment. I could theoretically plug my sources directly into the spare Hafler, and I may have to do that if I have to move my computer away from my audio rig.
From there, the digitized audio goes via USB right into the computer. My audio editor of choice is Sonic Foundry’s Sound Forge. (I also have Adobe Audition and Wavelab, but the Sound Forge user interface is more compatible with the way I work.) I record directly into Sound Forge at 24/96. I will usually do one WAV file per LP or tape side, but if it’s a shorter album, I’ll do both in one file. It’s actually more convenient to keep the music in one file–you can apply some filters globally across the entire file, and even more importantly, when you normalize your volumes, you keep the volume levels of each track consistent. (You do not want to have a quieter track raised too much in volume!)
From there, I can do any touchup editing, cleanup, EQ, etc. right in the program. Once I’m done, I save a copy of the cleaned-up file, retaining the original in case I need to go back to it. If I’m sending out the WAV file for someone else to burn to CD, I’ll downsample it to 44.1kHz, then convert the bit depth to 16 bit at that point. If I’m burning my own CDs, I’ll skip that and move to the next step.
CD Architect is by far the best CD authoring program I’ve ever used. It prepares CD masters to the exact redbook CD standards when you work in “strict” mode. It’s also very easy to use, once you’ve mastered it. For needle drops, I can put my one or two WAV files right into the CD architect timeline, insert the track markers, and burn away. CD Architect will even downsample my project to 44.1/16 on the fly, which saves an extra step. If I am creating a CD compilation, I can just drag and drop all of my files into CD Architect, adjust the levels of each track, apply a filter to individual tracks if needed, and burn. No need to open each WAV file to make adjustments! Even easier, when I create a two-fer album CD, I can rip the tracks right into CD Architect.
From there, I burn my work out to a CD-R with my LiteOn burner.
I have not yet experimented fully with it, but the Wavelab editor has the built-in ability to create and burn DVD-Audio projects. I may use this feature in the near future to transfer some of my 96/24 needle drops to DVD-A at full resolution, or create some extended DVD-A compilations from CD, since you can fit nearly seven hours of CD-quality audio onto a DVD-A disc. I do want to find a DVD authoring application that lets me create audio DVDs, a different format entirely, but one that is playable in ANY DVD player at full 96/24 resolution (which is part of the DVD specification).
In part two, we’ll look at the steps I go through to clean up an audio music file, including notes about the filters I use.