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How to Record Vinyl Through a Microphone Jack

Although vinyl may have been superseded by more sophisticated music formats, the characteristic warm crackle as the needle scores the grooves is a pleasing sound. If you have a collection of rare vinyls, it's smart to make digital copies in case they are damaged. Transferring vinyl to CD isn't as easy as hitting record, but you can use a microphone jack and computer to archive your treasured collection. You can also use the recordings as samples for music production. Adding the sound of vinyl to one of your own recordings can create a distinctly vintage sound.

Things You'll Need

  • Microphones
  • XLR cables
  • Audio interface or mixing console
  • Recording software
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Instructions

    • 1

      Set up your record player. Connect the player to a pair of speakers using speaker cable. Load a record onto the turntable, put the needle on the outside groove, set the playback speed to the one recommended on the sleeve and hit "Play." Stand in the center of the two speakers to ensure that playback is in stereo. If one speaker is louder than the other, adjust the balance on the record player. Once you're happy with the playback, lift the needle from the record to pause playback.

    • 2

      Connect three microphones to your mixer or audio interface. Plug an XLR cable into the bottom of the microphone. Connect the other end of the XLR cable to the XLR input on your mixer or audio interface.

    • 3

      Connect your mixing console or audio interface to your computer. If you are using a mixing console, this typically calls for a 1/4-in. cable. If you are using an audio interface, this will call for either a USB cable or a FireWire cable.

    • 4

      Open your recording software and start a new session. Assign each microphone to a channel. Double-click the name of the channel to edit it. New channels are typically automatically named numerically. Rename them according to the function of the assigned microphone. For example, "left speaker", "right speaker" or "ambient."

    • 5
      If the meter is going red, reduce the gain to prevent "clipping" and distortion.

      Check the microphone levels. Play the record and monitor the information on your mixing console or audio interface. A mixing console typically has a volume meter for each channel. If any of these volume meters are turning red, it means the input level is too loud. This is called "clipping." Slide the gain slider down until they go green. If you are using an audio interface, observe the LED display. As with the mixing console, reduce the gain if any of the input channels are clipping.

    • 6

      Record the first side of the vinyl. Hit "Record" on the recording software and then put the needle on the record. Leave the first side to play in its entirety.

    • 7

      Save the recording and convert it to MP3. Once the first side has recorded, hit "Save" to save it to a new folder. If you plan on sampling the sound of the vinyl crackling, use the software "Scissor" tool to isolate the crackle. Save that to your "Samples" folder.

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