Transferring music from vinyl to CD

[SurreyGuy]

Hi Guys

Does anybody know if there are places that could put some of my 7" vinyl singles onto CD? If so, is it expensive? I'm not techno enough to do it myself :o)

[Dsg]

With this package it's a doddle

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002W5VH8/qid=1135079793/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_11_1/202-6023595-5772650

It does cassettes too.

Try it

[LeMarchand]

I'd offer to do your tape for you, but it would have to be via the post etc and it sounds as if you need it in a hurry (I wouldn't have time before the New Year) - hence the reply here.

It really is very easy to transfer tapes and vinyl to your computer yourself. You will need a tape player or record deck (as appropriate) a suitable lead to connect your source to your computer (available from most "Pound" shops) and computer with a soundcard, CD writer and suitable software to record the music. You hook it up and then record to your computer and then from your computer to a CD. There's plenty of suitable free software to download, too.

If you really can't face the DIY option, you can get "standalone" CD writers that work like tape decks. (We have a Coomber device where I work). Not sure how much it costs, though!

Failing that, there are people who will do it for you ( http://www.vinylrecords.co.uk/ , for instance) but as (if you have a PC with a CD burner) it is virtually free to do it yourself, I'd strongly recommend giving it a go.

[stevie21]

Is downloading the same songs an option? That'd bypass the whole techno aspect of it.

[SurreyGuy]

Le Marchand

Thanks for the offer. No, I don't need them by xmas, but I wouldn't trust the Royal Mail with my stuff.

stevie21

Thanks for the suggestion. I've signed up for itunes, but thast doesn't actually have much variety. All the other sites I found seem to p2p ones and I'm not allowed to do that stuff on my work PC.

[LeMarchand]

If you're worried about the postal service, another option (though the quality would obviously degenerate) would be to copy all your stuff on to blank tapes and get someone to work from those.

[SurreyGuy]

Aha! I've got most of the stuff on cassette too, but I just thought that I'd get a better quality of copy from the vinyl to CD - cheers! Right.........................does anyone know how I can get music from cassette to CD please? :o)

[LeMarchand]

You would get better quality going from the original source, whether it be vinyl or cassette. Sorry if I confused matters - I was trying to give you an alternative that meant that you wouldn't have to worry about your originals getting lost/damaged in the post.

Unfortunately, using a cassette as the source doesn't give you any more options. You are still limited to:

1) Getting a standalone CD recorder - I had a quick look and prices seem to be in the hundreds of pounds. Relatively easy to operate and understand though.

2) Copying the music to your computer and then using its CD Burner to create the discs. Not that hard - and you can probably use your machine's existing software (or, if necessary, either download some free progs or buy a package).

3) If you have a computer literate friend, get him or her to do it for you (easiest!) - but if you get them to show you how to do it, you'll see just how simple it is.

4) Send off your stuff to someone who can do it for you. (Hence my suggestion of sending copies - though a "professional" service may not want to work from copies).

[SurreyGuy]

Thanks again. The problem I have is that I do not possess a home stereo system - I wanted to copy the music to CD so as I could listen to it in the car. Looks like I'll have to invest in a home stereo and some leads! :o)

Failing that, I'll have to find a professional service provider to do it.

[stevie21]

Compared to a professional service : I think it'd be cheaper to get broadband at home and download the songs! Whichever way you do it (broadband) though, there's likely to be an equivalent of a 12 month contract (even when there isn't a 12 month contract : you'll maybe get a �50 fee instead of a tie-in).

[SurreyGuy]

Thanks for that.

As I said in an earlier post, I'm looking to do the downloading at work and can't use p2p sharing sites. Even if I had broadband at home, I'd be reluctant to use sites like that as I don't believe that they are secure.

Also, some of the stuff I'm looking to put on CD is quite obscure.

[stevie21]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news then. If you're downloading only from internet sites rather than p2p software then your choice will be quite limited and it'll all end up quite costly.

Best stick to plan A and transfer from vinyl !