• Galliano
  • Programmed just to please
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  • From: 10:15 flight to Madrapour
  • Registered: 2008-07-08
  • Posts: 733

Topic: Most simple/cheap/small device to record/rip vinyl?

A dumbass question perhaps but I'm kinda lost:

Since I moved six months ago I still haven't figured out how to do when it comes to recording/ripping stuff from vinyl.

Earlier I had my "music computer" (desktop) next to my turntables/mixer and the computer was on all the time.
No problem.

Now In my new home I have the turntables/mixer/vinyls downstairs in the livingroom and my computer upstairs.
My computer is now some years old, noisy and a bit weird (turns off by itself sometimes) but it has a decent soundboard (most of you wouldn't call it decent, I guess, but at least it's a soundboard...) capable of dealing with the recording/ripping in an OK way.

My girlfriend has a laptop (usually downstairs) but it has only integrated sound on the motherboard and I guess that's not good enough. She uses it frequently and I don't wanna be demending on that it's not occupied.

The options so far have been:
1. Permanently put the desktop computer closer to the turntables. That's not gonna happen, I'm afraid. My girlfriend has accepted my vinyls in the livingroom, the computer stays upstairs smile Actually I agree with her.
2. Temporary bring the computer downstairs when i wanna record something. I've done that once when I had a sickday. Lot of work though, unplugging and bringing the gear downstairs.
3. Connect the two with cables running up my staircase. I've done that once (haha) but running up/down to start/stop turntables or press record/stop in the software was fun the first five times or so...
4. Buy an decent soundcard for the laptop and record onto it. See girlfriend dilemma above.
5. Buy another small computer with OK sound and use it for this task. Naah, sounds too expensive plus I don't want it in the livingroom.

Some background:
I have no interest in doing this "seriously". I don't make any music and don't wanna spend a lot on great equipment, at least not for the moment. I live with my girlfriend and our 2 year old son and we will have one more child soon.
There will be no time spending the nights sitting by the computer recording stuff and/or mixing records frequently.

My goal: It would be nice to one in a while, maybe only for 30 minutes or less, be able to put on some records, ripping them to mp3 to put in my old ipod nano, or do a quick mix and in some simple way record it.

Actually, I don't even wanna put on the computer to be able to do that.

Today with all the cheap flash memories and stuff, I would like to just connect some small simple device to the mixer (one cable), "press rec" and start the vinyl. Then after the record/mix is finished, I just press stop on the device and "save".
Then when I feel like it, I can hook up the device to the computer (USB) and transfer the files onto it (already in wav/mp3 or similar format) and perhaps edit and name the files.
I'm good with 192/256kbps mp3 or so.
No tricky converting of audio formats. Should be as simple as possible.

Is there some small gadget up for the job? I wanna be able to put it in my pocket and it should be simple to use.
Like a USB stick but with a rec/stop button smile
Or it could be a mp3 player with record function. Do the new ipods have that?
Way back a tape/MD-recorder could have been the option but today flash memory must be the best, no?
Hard drive is an alternative, but I prefer flash.

It would be great if the device works on battery as well as external power, perhaps usb connector that I can connect to the electrical outlet using an adapter.

Would be nice too if I could bring it when I occasionaly play vinyl as a DJ in some club, to discreetly record the mixes. With or without external power (depending on the length of the recorded set, I guess)
Just plug it into the "tape" output on the mixer and record, no need to make room for a laptop among all the gear.

As I said at first: This might be a stupid question.
Perhaps there are no good stuff for this, that's why people use laptops, don't they?
Or I haven't thought of the obvious alternative already availabe?

It's gotta be cheap too. I have no advanced demands when it comes to sound quality, it's not ment to be used professionally, just for fun.

Simple, mobile and cheap.

Any good ideas?

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
All of my base,
Are belong to you.

Galliano's Website

  • Registered: 2008-07-08
  • Posts: 184

Re: Most simple/cheap/small device to record/rip vinyl?

maybe buy a cd-r recorder,
i bought one from Philips
you can find them very cheap because no one really want them anymore because of the laptops
once you have it on a cd-r you can easily put it on a usb-stick on your hd or just keep them on the cd-r

  • beem
  • The Methuselah
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  • From: Erotic City
  • Registered: 2008-07-07
  • Posts: 15,327

Re: Most simple/cheap/small device to record/rip vinyl?

Nothing needed a master thesis more than this subject.

http://tinyurl.com/ycpckzs

CRACKED BY MR. Z...

beem's Website

4 Reply by Galliano (edited by Galliano 2009-11-12 16:43:35)

  • Galliano
  • Programmed just to please
  • Offline
  • From: 10:15 flight to Madrapour
  • Registered: 2008-07-08
  • Posts: 733

Re: Most simple/cheap/small device to record/rip vinyl?

Thanks but sorry, no CD-r recorder.
I hate to have a lot of CD-r's laying around, have enough of them already.
And they are quite big, aren't they?

This seems to be kinda what I was looking for though:

http://media.createdigitalmedia.net/cdmu/images/storiespre2k6/ikey.jpg

http://www.skratchworx.com/images/Gemini/ikey/ikey_full.jpg

http://www.geminidj.com/ikey.html

I found a review here:
http://www.skratchworx.com/reviews/ikey … z0Wdif6pO4

I had a conversation with the guy from Gemini at MusikMesse last year. Like many others he told me of all the hot new things that were coming our way but mentioned a cool little USB recording device he'd come up with. "Can I see it?" I asked?. "Oh I only sketched it out last night" came back the vapourware smelling response.

Well it's vapourware no more. The iKey is real and it works.

http://www.skratchworx.com/images/Gemini/ikey/ikey_deft.jpg

Shamlessly jumping on the iThisAndThat bandwagon that shows no signs of stopping, the iKey is unashamedly aimed at iPod users - and why not indeed. Apple own the mp3 player market thus meaning that many people have got some sort of storage about their person at all times.

But it's not just iPod users who benefit from the iKey - you can use pretty much any USB storage device with the iKey. I've successfully tested it with a 3G iPod, a shiny new Nano, a USB key, compact flash card via a media reader and a 250gb hard drive. It has to be said though that I found the non-iPod solutions to be easier, simply because they mount on my Mac desktop as drives and files are dragged and dropped whereas with the iPods, you have to either use iTunes or do some fancy terminal hacking to get to the invisible folder.

Size wise it's perfect. As you can see from the pic, it's all dinky and iPodish. It happily fits in a pocket or snuggly in the corner of a bag, provided you use batteries. Obviously, if you bring along the supplied power adaptor, things begin to get a little more bulky. But rather than spend a small fortune on AA's, the iKey doubles as a recharger as well. Quoted battery life is 4 hours so you'll be able to get a fair amount of audio recorded before the iKey needs more juice.

http://www.skratchworx.com/images/Gemini/ikey/ikey_top.jpg

As far as making a recording goes, it's extremely simple - but in usage and function. Plug the iKey into the desired line level output, attach the external USB media and you're off. Granted you have to get the input level just right - a light stays on if it's too quiet but sadly there's no light to tell you if is turning into a distorted mess. Next hit the select button to get the desired format, hit record and you're recording.

http://www.skratchworx.com/images/Gemini/ikey/ikey_button.jpg

Quality wise, the iKey isn't going to please audiophiles. Backing up Joe's findings, the MP3 format isn't great, with a heavy dose of background buzzy hiss at all compression levels. WAV really is the only way to go with the iKey unless your USB device is woefully small or short on space.

http://www.skratchworx.com/images/Gemini/ikey/ikey_side1.jpg

To sum up, I really like the iKey. It's a keenly priced no-frills box that does exactly what it says it does. It has no pretentions of being some high end digital recording solution, simple a quick and dirty solution to a long standing problem.

It's a shame that the MP3 quality isn't as good as it could be as this would reduce the need for larger storage options to be bought and carried around (10meg=1 minute of sound for WAV). But I'm led to believe that the iKey can and will be software upgradable so the MP3 encoding will almost certainly be improved in time. However as it stands, it's perfect for my simple plug and play needs. And if you buy one understanding that the price and functions reflect the resulting quality, you won't be dissappointed.

Rating - 87%

http://www.geminidj.com/images/ikey_applications_chart.jpg

Ease of Use
The iKEY makes it easier to transfer audio to digital media by skipping over the need to work with confusing computer programs and additional hardware.

The process is simple:
1. Connect any device capable of audio output directly to the iKEY

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
All of my base,
Are belong to you.

Galliano's Website

Posts: 4

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