The Fish People

Withnail

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
It has come to my attention that there is no access to Alexie Sayle's 'Fish People Tapes' on the web.

I have a copy on vinyl and though i don't have a player myself, have access to both a record player and a tech-minded father.

How would one go about rectifying this situation? Please bear in mind that i am a bear of little brain and need very simple dot-to-dot instructions.

And remember kids, even though Superman can fly, you can't.
Not unless you take a lot of dwugs.
 
gdavies

gdavies

Well-Known Forumite
does your tech father with the said record player have a head phone jack on that said player if so i have the means to put it on to a disc that is playable in all types of music players that accept cd's
 
Ecker

Ecker

Well-Known Forumite
Might I suggest the: iMic from the company: Griffin Technology

Here's the trumpet blowing stuff:

The Griffin Technology 9066-IMIC2 iMic/USB Audio Interface, the original USB audio adapter, lets you connect virtually any microphone or sound input device to any Mac or PC system with a USB port. iMic supports both mic and line level inputs via a selectable switch, and has a variable level output for connecting speakers or headphones. The iMic really shines as the essential tool for converting your old LPs and tapes into MP3s and CDs. Griffin's audio recording software, Final Vinyl for Mac OS X (provided for free exclusively to iMic owners), makes recording old records and tapes very easy with its advanced features, including waveform-based cue editing and built-in 10-band EQ. You can use Final Vinyl to equalize LPs without having to connect a turntable to a pre-amp. iMic is also an ideal solution for your podcasting needs and for use with GarageBand, iMovie, and Final Cut Pro.

Translation: If you have a device with phone cables, you can record from it to your computer.

There's a bit of a learning curve to it mostly, not letting the input levels get too high, this causes very unpleasant results. The software will display a visual image of both stereo channels, just don't let the levels go above the top of each display. The other slightly tricky bit is the recording time setting, I'm not sure what the default is at the moment but it is immensely annoying when recording stops because you didn't know about the default time.

Using the iMic is much cheaper than buying a usb turntable and you don't have to get rid of the turntable when you have finished with it.

Hope this helps.

I should have added: It is always advisable when recording audio/visual, to ensure that you have as much contiguous free disc space as possible.
 
tek-monkey

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
U have a weird-ass blob of plastic that takes in audio and video over USB and records it to your PC. Wanna borrow? Not used it in years but assume it still works!
 
Goldilox

Goldilox

How do I edit this?
Ok, although I'm sure all these USB devices work fine, you shouldn't need any specialist equipment beyond what you already have kicking about the house.

First download Audacity or Kristal Audio.

Now set up your turntable & amplifier within wire reach of your computer.

On the back of your amp you should have a set of phono connectors labelled 'tape out' or 'line out'.

Connect these to the 'line in' (if you have one) or 'mic in' 3.5mm jack socket on your soundcard using one of these which you probably already use to plug your mp3 player into the hi-fi.

Hit record in the program you chose, drop the needle onto the vinyl, record side one. Edit into tracks by moving the markers on the timeline at the top of the screen to the start and finish of each song, and then using the 'export mix' function. If you're burning CDs it's best to export as interleaved stereo .WAV or AIFF files rather than using more compressed formats. Repeat for side two.

I've skimmed over some details on the basis that they're the kind of stuff you'll get from the help files in the programs I recommended, but feel free to ask if I've over-simplified anything. Good luck.
 
db

db

#chaplife
Goldilox said:
Connect these to the 'line in' (if you have one) or 'mic in' 2.5mm jack socket on your soundcard using one of these which you probably already use to plug your mp3 player into the hi-fi.
Click to expand...
excellent advice.. just to clarify, the holes on the back of your computer (line in, mic in, etc.) are 3.5mm, not 2.5mm.. the link is exactly what you need though, as per goldilox's advice..
 
shoes

shoes

Well-Known Forumite
do turntables not need pre-amps, or an amplifier which has this function built in? also am I correct in believing that the frequency response of dedicated turntable receivers is geared towards the output from a stylus whereas a normal 'aux' input is flat?
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
If you connect your turntable to the appropriate connections on the amplifier and then take the tape-out connection from there, it should be OK, as most amplifiers are now 'integrated' and so have the RIAA filter included on the turntable input..
 
db

db

#chaplife
shoes said:
do turntables not need pre-amps, or an amplifier which has this function built in? also am I correct in believing that the frequency response of dedicated turntable receivers is geared towards the output from a stylus whereas a normal 'aux' input is flat?
Click to expand...
yes, on both counts.. turntables use what is called an RIAA curve (yes, that RIAA) on the output and have a very low impedance, so you would need a stereo/amp with a dedicated phono input.. however, goldilox did say "Now set up your turntable & amplifier within wire reach of your computer" so i guess it was assumed that the OP has line level output somewhere in the chain!
 
Mr X

Mr X

Well-Known Forumite
If you need phono-jack cables, Poundland have them (at £1 surprisingly) instead of paying £6 at Maplin. They are only short cables though so no use if your computer is anything other than next to the amplifier! Quality of them seems fine.
 
Goldilox

Goldilox

How do I edit this?
You're right that I was assuming that anyone owning a turntable would be aware they needed to attach it to the dedicated 'phono' channel of an integrated hi-fi amp or else preamp it before putting it through an 'aux' channel. This is stuff they'd have needed to get right to get a pleasant sound to issue from their speakers in the first place.

I'm embarrassed that I got the size of a mini jack wrong, even after proof reading & correcting what I'd written though. :eek:
 
Withnail

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
Thanking all for advice.

Not that i understand much of it but hopefully techno-dad may.

If i ever manage to digitalise it (and that is quite an if), i may be back with advice on uploading.

Ta.
 
Goldilox

Goldilox

How do I edit this?
Withnail said:
Thanking all for advice.

Not that i understand much of it but hopefully techno-dad may.

If i ever manage to digitalise it (and that is quite an if), i may be back with advice on uploading.

Ta.
Click to expand...
Please don't be put off by any off this. Recording vinyl to a computer isn't really any more complicated than putting a record onto a C90 cassette used to be, it's just a matter of knowing how to connect things together. Of course if shoes is willing to assist he'll no doubt be able to express better in person what just seems like technobabble when you type it out...
 
Withnail

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
shoes said:
I'd be happy to perform the conversion for you over the weekend?
Click to expand...
That's a very generous offer, thank you.

I'll have a go - techno-dad enjoys a challenge - but may take you up on it at a later date if unsuccessful and offer is open ended.

May seek advice on uploading but not now. My brain hurts.
 
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