How To Convert Vinyl To MP3

This is a very useful video that should help you decide if you want an USB Turntable and how to convert your Vinyl music into MP3 format:

Ion USB Turntable

Firebox - £119.95 Savastore - £119.00 Maplin - £112.95

Digital music is great but isn't it a pity you can't transfer your old records on to your computer? Well guess what? You can! That's right vinyl lovers, thanks to the ingenious USB Turntable you can put all your LPs, 12"s and singles straight into your digital library. Simply plug this chic little turntable into the nearest USB port, fire up the idiot-proof Audacity software and start converting your collection. Forget about clumsy adaptors, special drivers and mismatched software. It's easier than, er…well, it's easier than putting a record on! Just think of all that lovely vinyl you've got languishing in the loft. Fair enough, some of it should probably stay hidden (no, we don't know why we bought Bruce Willis's Return of Bruno LP either), but even if it's just for the sake of nostalgia, hearing all the records you grew up listening to makes for a fantastic trip down memory lane. And if you're one of those trendy DJs (we're talking Carl Cox, not Pat Sharpe) who likes mixing it on the decks with vinyl you can put all your bangin' anthems on to your PC for transfer to CD or MP3. Featuring adjustable gain, anti-skating control and high-speed vinyl recording function, the belt-driven USB Turntable can also be connected to any home stereo with CD or auxiliary inputs. This means you can spin your records through your regular system when you're not converting them. You can even don a big pair of tinted glasses and pretend you're Simon Bates. If you want. Whether it's Whitesnake, Wham, Spandau or some ancient disc belonging to your dad, the USB Turntable can convert it. And it doesn't matter what speed the records in question are - this Turntable can handle both 33s and 45s. So why not forget about buying any new music for a while and rediscover your vinyl. All right? Not 'arf! Recording to MP3 This simple guide explains how to record MP3s using your USB Turntable and the Windows® version of Audacity. This process is very similar for other operating systems and audio software. In the Edit menu, bring up the Preferences and select the appropriate audio devices. After preparing your vinyl, click the Record button to begin recording. Press play to start the USB Turntable. Once the song has finished you can stop recording and make any desired adjustments. After installing LAME, select "Export As MP3" from the File menu. The first time you save an MP3 you will have to locate the LAME library on your computer. Enjoy your record collection in the portable MP3 format!

Numark USB Turntable

Gear4Musc - £124.95 Savastore - £134.95

Numark USB Turntable Details:

Numark has created the world’s first USB turntable allowing you to convert your old vinyl collection directly to CD or MP3 with the included recording software. (NO SPECIAL DRIVERS NEEDED).

The Numark USB turntable includes Audacity software for Mac/PC for recording as well as a trial of Bias Soundsoap 2 for cleaning and restoring vinyl.

This turntable also has line level output for connecting to any home stereo with CD or auxiliary (AUX) inputs.

This product is compatible with any software that supports USB audio input sound cards.

Includes:

• TTUSB Belt Drive Turntable with Metal Platter & Pitch Control
• Vinyl recording software
• USB Cable
• Cartridge with Stylus
• 45 Adapter
• CD with Mac/PC recording software
• 33 1/3 and 45 RPM.
• Software allows for 78 RPM conversion
• Adjustable Anti-Skating control for increased stereo balancing
• High speed vinyl recording
• Line level RCA outputs
• 1/8" stereo line input so you can digitize music from cassettes or other sources

Computer Requirements

• PC running Windows 98, 2000, or XP
• Mac running OS9 or greater
• One available USB1.1 port