It's been a bit since I've blogged about music... but I just got my hands on this cool little device called Instant Music.
It's pretty cool. Basically, it is a bridge from an analog audio source to a computer (via USB) so you can create digital copies of music from old records or tapes.
I'm just starting to get the feel for it - and all the associated software - but my initial impression is that it works pretty darn well.
I'll try to post a file or two to show the results.
Gimme Gimme. Way cool!
Posted by: Aleah | February 19, 2005 at 11:48 AM
Isn't this what you were trying to do a while back?
Posted by: Chuck Conway | February 20, 2005 at 07:45 PM
Aleah, I'm working on it! I'm getting some static and I can't figure out how to get rid of it.
Chuck, yep, this has been a pet project of mine for some time.
Posted by: Jon Strande | February 21, 2005 at 06:05 AM
Very cool. I guess I shouldn't have carted off all that vynil last weekend. Damn!
I didn't really have a choice. Between the bikes and tricycle and scooters and skateboards and wagons and strollers, there just wasn't enough room.
It was either the LPs or the wetvac.
Posted by: Troy Worman | February 21, 2005 at 11:12 PM
Troy,
Darn, sorry to hear that!! What were some of the records that you got rid of?
Jon
Posted by: Jon Strande | February 22, 2005 at 06:27 AM
For the MacGyver in you, simply dig up a cable with stereo RCA adapters on one end, and a mini plug on the other. Looks like this.
Plug the RCA into your old tape deck or record player, and the mini plug into the mic in on your computer. Then rip and edit the audio with an old shareware copy of "cooledit 96" which I think you can still find available on the web. (You'll have to muck around with levels on the Windows volume control a bit).
With a tape-deck, this setup is also useful for recording an analog cassette copy of "streaming only" audio from the Internet, then re-recording it as a wav file with cooledit. Of course, do this only with audio in the public domain. For instance, I have used this to save audio of Congressional testimony. No, seriously.
Total cost for me: nothing... the cable came free with my camcorder.
Posted by: Basil Valentine | February 22, 2005 at 02:58 PM
Whoops. The image is wrong. Should be male ends on the RCA.
Posted by: Basil Valentine | February 22, 2005 at 03:03 PM
Jon, that rocks!, even though I've had success with basil's route too, but on macs.
Troy, I feel your pain. When I was faced with your choice, I wheedled my wife down and she let me keep the Bay City Rollers collection AND my Big Wheel.
Posted by: fouro | February 22, 2005 at 11:08 PM
Nice...
Fouro, you actually wheedled your own wife? Doesn't that require special training and licensing?
Man, I'm tired.
Posted by: Bren | February 23, 2005 at 01:24 AM
Basil, yeah, I've tried that - I was hoping that this would produce a nicer sound... it really comes down to the software they included, which is pretty nice. Thank you so much for taking the time to share that - wish I would have spoken with you first! BTW: I've got some static/hissing in the line, it shows up and then goes away... any thoughts?
Fouro - big wheel??? Wanna race?
Posted by: Jon Strande | February 23, 2005 at 05:36 AM
I had a static problem, but it was a constant background noise. It was often due to the levels being out of whack. I would play around with those until I had reduced the background hiss from the source.
The up and down static is new to me, although it sounds like the audio-equivalent of the old Macrovision copy protection on video (which I experimented with only for research purposes). When you would attempt a VHS to VHS copy, the signal strength would go up and down, and the image would brighten and darken on the copy.
My first thought is that your source might have copy protection.
My second thought is there is interference. Any other unshielded electronic equipment in the immediate vicinity?
My third thought is a competing source. I have also used the "line in" plug to rip material from my cassette deck. Unfortunately, I was having a conversation while I recorded, my microphone was plugged in and on, and I ended up with an unintended mash of the two.
Sounds like the Instant Music will be worth the cost. With cooledit 96, you can only save as wav (although at a 44K sample rate, you can get CD quality recording), which you then have to convert to mp3. Sounds like the Instant Music can let you skip the step.
Hope this helps.
Posted by: Basil Valentine | February 23, 2005 at 09:06 AM
Basil, yes... stupidly... my desk is a mecca for electonic equipment. I thought that might be it - I'll be moving things around this weekend.
Yep, this helps big time! And I appreciate it!!
Posted by: Jon Strande | February 24, 2005 at 05:20 AM