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How to Record an LP to a Mac

Transferring your vinyl collection to your Mac computer is a great way to enjoy records on your computer or digital music player. The easiest way to transfer records to a Mac is with an MP3 turntable. An MP3 turntable works by plugging into the USB port on your computer and recording the LP as it is playing. All MP3 turntables come with a music recording software disc that you can easily install on your computer. Although some MP3 or USB turntables can be quite expensive, as of 2010 there are several companies that make these special record players for around $150. You can find MP3 turntables at many technology stores, so take the time to find the best turntable that will suit your needs.

Things You'll Need

  • USB or MP3 turntable
  • LPs
  • Computer
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Instructions

    • 1

      Install the music recording software that came with your MP3 turntable on your computer. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to ensure that you do this properly.

    • 2

      Plug the MP3 turntable into the USB port on your computer. The USB port is normally located on the front of your system unit for a desktop computer, on the side of your keyboard if you have an iMac or on the side of your computer if you have a laptop.

    • 3

      Open the recording software, and your turntable will be ready to record.

    • 4

      Place your record on the turntable and set the needle to the beginning of the record.

    • 5

      Press "Record." The recording software will begin recording. Start playing the record, and your computer will begin to capture the music from your LP.

    • 6

      Once your record has finished playing, you will need to save the track. The easiest place to save your track is to your desktop. Make sure that you save the track as a WAV file. WAV files tend to be the best-sounding form of digital music, which means your new music files will have the highest fidelity possible.

    • 7

      Open iTunes and drag your new track into the music library. iTunes will automatically make a copy of the track in your music library.

    • 8

      Press "Command" on your keyboard and click on the track in your music library with your mouse. This will open a menu that will allow you to convert your track to an MP3. Click on "Convert to MP3," and a new track will appear as an MP3 version.

    • 9

      Delete the WAV file and keep the MP3 version of the track. The reason to delete your WAV file is that these types of files take up a lot of space on your hard drive, whereas MP3s takes up very little space.

    • 10

      Repeat Steps 1 through 9 with all of your LPs, and soon your entire record collection will be conveniently digitized on your computer.

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