# Record to CD Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 10, 2002, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-to-cd-question/141817 "2002-12-10T19:04:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LiquidChaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/77aa72/32.png) [@LiquidChaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiquidChaos)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-to-cd-question/141817/1 "2002-12-10T19:04:16Z")
I would like to buy my dad a software program to allow him to convert his old records to CD. He has a new Dell computer with a CD burner and he also has a record player. I recently saw something Sony sells to do this (prices at $49.95) as well as other software programs as low a $7. My main question is what kind of cables or cards would he need to hook-up the record player to the computer? Any help? ---
**Author:** ![Lagged2Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ac8455/32.png) [@Lagged2Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lagged2Death)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-to-cd-question/141817/2 "2002-12-10T20:25:37Z")
He’ll need to connect his turntable to a preamplifier of some kind (like a stereo receiver with a phono input, a stereo preamp with a phono input, or a dedicated phono preamp), and the outputs of the preamp to the audio input of the PC’s sound card. That last connection will probably require a patch cord with two RCA plugs on one end (for the preamp) and a 1/8" mini-phone plug on the other (for the PC). You can get one of those at Radio Shack for a few dollars. I’ve used this hookup to record some LPs and some radio broadcasts with my PC’s el-generico soundcard. The results weren’t uber-fi, by any means, but they were good enough to make for enjoyable listening. ---
**Author:** ![satanslawyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@satanslawyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/satanslawyer)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-to-cd-question/141817/3 "2002-12-10T20:31:34Z")
Good call on the hardware, Lagged2Death! Software: It’s a little spendy but well worth it: Sonic Foundry’s Sound Forge. Great for recording and cleaning up the recording. If he knows what he’s doing, he could even get rid of the clicks and pops. ---
**Author:** ![moes\_lotion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@moes\_lotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moes_lotion)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-to-cd-question/141817/4 "2002-12-10T21:27:07Z")
I have used a program called Clean! (with the exclamation mark!) by Steinberg. It runs about $90 Canajun dollars and comes with a pre-amplifier that performs RIAA equalization. Unfortunately, it is designed for magnetic coil pickups, which my turntable doesn’t have. What I do is run from the tape output of my stereo amplifier to the stereo input of my soundcard. I get good levels this way, despite having to run a 30 foot cable from the living room to my computer room. Clean! also has some fairly good noise reduction components, a de-hisser, a de-clicker and a de-rumbler that help to eliminate some of the surface noise from my less than mint LP’s. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-to-cd-question/141817/5 "2002-12-10T23:23:04Z")
The cd writer should have the software to make audio cds. Play the music into the sound input connector & your Dell & record & see how you like it first. ---
**Author:** ![Blueapple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Blueapple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blueapple)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-to-cd-question/141817/6 "2002-12-12T04:55:19Z")
> [@](#): > > You cannot connect a turntable directly to your computer. Why? A phono cartridge puts out an extremely small signal, which has a rather strange frequency response curve (due to RIAA equalization). A phono preamp is required to boost the signal and “straighten out” the frquency response. This is why you must plug a turntable into the “phono” input of a reciever or Amplifier rather than the “Line” or Tape inputs. Therefore you must connect the turntable to the Reciever, and then connect the Tape outputs to the computer, using the computer as you would a tape deck. [here](http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/howto-pc-audio.html) [Copying vinyl to your computer](http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A810091) [Eight part series on coverting LP’s to digital](http://www.hardwaresite.net/d211101.html)