Convert Analog Audio to Digital With an Apple Computer

Importing music off of a CD is easy because your computer has a CD-ROM drive and the audio is already stored in digital format. But getting music off of all those tapes you bought before the digital revolution, those radio shows you enjoy so very much, and those classics you've got on vintage vinyl out in the garage is a bit more work.

But fear not, for with the right hardware, the right software, and some patience, you can import your analog library onto your Mac as well.

Steps

  1. You will need a media reader that can read your chosen analog media. If you've got a record, get a record player, If you've got a tape, get a tape player, etc. Odds are if you have the media you've already got the media reader, but if not you'll need to get your hands on one.
  2. Be sure your media reader has an "audio out" port. That's a fancy way of saying a headphone jack, though there are more kinds of audio outs than just your run-of-the-mill headphone jack.
  3. Now that you have a way of turning your kinetic audio into static, you'll need a way to get your audio data into your computer. Not surprisingly, this is done with an "audio in" port, which is a fancy way of saying microphone jack. Some computers have audio in ports built into their sound cards, but most modern Apple computer designs have opted for a built-in microphone instead. Fortunately there are peripherals that can help. A good, but not the only, device to use would be the iMic USB audio adapter (see tips).
  4. You have an out and you have an in; now to bring them together. This uses the simplest hardware of the whole thing, a wire. A male-to-male stereo audio cable is really all you need for this step (see tips). There are lots of types of audio cables in the world, so be sure your cable is the same format as your ports.
  5. Put your desired media into your media reader, connect the audio out of the reader to the audio in of your computer via your cable. (Note: Connecting some record players directly to the audio input will yield unsatisfactory results. See warning below.)
  6. Here's where software comes in. You are going to want some sort of program that can record from your "line in." (the line in is what your computer calls the microphone data). A good free program that should work well is Audacity. Another good user-friendly and capable program is Audio Hijack, but this will cost you money.
  7. Make sure whatever program you use has the port where you have all the hardware connected selected as your recording source. This differs from program to program, but it shouldn't be too hard if you read your user manuals. If all else fails, check your system preferences to see if your computer is still trying to record from the built-in microphone.
  8. Take your program of choice and be sure it's set up to record with a high sound quality. That means record in stereo with a high bit rate. If you can choose an encoder, go for .mp3 or .aac, and if you'd like you can use .lossless for extra high quality (see tips).
  9. Hit the record button on the computer, and then hit play on your media reader. If everything is connected properly and all your software is functioning well, then it should all be recording onto your computer.
  10. Wait for whatever you are recording to finish playing, then hit stop and save on your program.
  11. Convert the audio file into the format and quality you want it in. iTunes is good at doing that sort of thing.

Tips

  • It's important to use a stereo audio cable (as opposed to mono) because if you don't, you risk losing a lot of sound quality. Stereo refers to sound coming out of the left and right speakers. Some audio sources use this to add depth to their sound and this depth can be lost if you use a mono cable.
  • The iMic USB audio adapter is a good choice because it has audio in and audio out ports, plugs into and is powered by the USB ports that are most likely on your computer already, and is modestly priced. The iMic comes with free software specifically designed to record old records and tapes. With the iMic and this software (Final Vinyl) you can connect old record players directly to the audio input and get the correct equalization without going through a phono preamp.
  • Be sure that your audio in and audio out are the same type. If they aren't, you may need an adapter, and that complicates things.
  • The male-to-male audio cable is more simple than it sounds. "Male" refers to the metal stub at the end of your cable. Think of a pair of headphones; the little metal thing that goes into your computer so you can hear what's coming out is the male part, while the part it goes into is the female part (sounds dirty, but this is actual professional terminology). A male-to-male cord will have one of these on each side.
  • You can get a male-to-male stereo audio cable at a lot of places; check out your local Radio Shack, Circuit City, or your local electronics or computer store.
  • The high recording quality helps compensate for any slight signal degradation that could happen between your media reader and computer, and if you plan on editing it or converting it at all it's best to start with a high quality source file.
  • After you are done recording, you may want to use an audio editing program to cut out any empty silence at the beginning and end of your recording.

Warnings

  • Many record players (especially older ones) have low-level phono outputs that are designed to go through a preamp to raise the signal level and provide proper equalization. If you are using one of these players, you will need to either use a standalone preamp or feed the audio from the turntable through a stereo receiver with a phono input before the computer connection.
  • Music on tapes and vinyl is subject to the same trademark and copyright laws as music from CD's or other sources. Keep that in mind.

Related Articles

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Convert_Analog_Audio_to_Digital_With_an_Apple_Computer&oldid=273276"