Vinyl Conversion

Audio Restoration

What is it?

If, like me, you have a collection of vinyl (LPs & 45s) that you've collected over the years, but that you can either no longer play, or want to transfer to a PC or MP3 player, this service re-invigorates that collection by converting the discs into a digital format and returning it to you on CD.
I have been converting records and tapes for myself and for friends since 2002. In that time I have collected a number of software and hardware solutions to the problems of removing noise from vinyl.
With the rise of popularity of the iPod and other devices for playing MP3 files, more and more people want to revisit their old record collections, but are unable to find everything on CD. This is where I can come to your rescue. I can take your disc, convert it to a digital copy, clean up most of the pops and clicks, then write the results to CD ready for you to play wherever you wish. As an additional service, I can provide a copy of the same source material in MP3 format, ready tagged with track details and the appropriate cover art work, ready to be transferred to your MP3 player or PC. Most vinyl LPs clock in at around 35-45 minutes. This means that there is usually ample room on disc to create a dual format disc, i.e. an audio disc that can be played in your Hi-Fi CD player, that also contains the same material in MP3 format, suitable for copying to your PC or MP3 player.

How does it work?

Your disc is first cleaned with a carbon fibre brush, then recorded into a digital format. The disc is played just the once, everything else is done within the digital environment of a PC. The sound wave recorded is split into its separate tracks (providing a track listing is available) and then cleaned digitally to remove as much of the crackle and popping of the original vinyl as is possible. If the original recording is lacking in 'depth', some of this can be added back in during the mastering process. Finally (except for in certain cases) the results are 'maximised' to get the best possible signal when played back from CD. This helps to bring out nuances within the record that previously could have gone unnoticed. The aim is to produce a file that sounds at least as good as the original vinyl source, without the harshness of sound that is often associated with CD based music.

Once the source has been cleaned, it is converted to the MP3 format at a rate of 192 Kbps. This results in a copy of the file that to most people (and especially when played back through the headphones of a portable MP3 player), sounds identical to the original.

The full process is illustrated here by two fragments (<13 seconds each) taken from the track "Still in Love With You" by Thin Lizzy, available on their "Nighlife" LP. Both are from the same vinyl source. They have been converted to 192Kbps MP3 files to make them easier to audition. These two audio fragments are provided here purely to demonstrate the results of audio processing. They are intended for no other purpose and no copyright is claimed over the contents above that existing in the original Vertigo Records recording.

The fragment below shows the state of the audio before any processing has taken place.		The fragment below shows the state of the audio after processing. Note that, as well as removing the majority of the surface noise, the overall volume has been increased, improving the clarity of the individual instruments used.
Still in Love With You (fragment 1).mp3		Still in Love With You (fragment 2).mp3

What does it cost?

Two levels of service are offered, budget or complete. The differences are detailed below...

Budget Service. Your LPs will be recorded as two tracks (one per side of the disc), put through a "maximizing" process to increase the volume and copied to audio CD. The music will not be split into individual tracks, nor converted to MP3 format.
The budget service is priced at £7.00 per LP disc (a double LP counts as two discs).
Full service. Your LPs will be recorded as above, but will undergo extra processing to remove (where possible) the surface noise, pops and clicks. The audio will also be split into the individual tracks before the "maximizing" process. After cleaning in this manner, an MP3 copy will be made, each track will be tagged with the track name, album name and artwork (where available). Once completed, the tracks are written back to an audio CD, along with an accompanying disc of the MP3 material. This itself will be packaged with the album artwork (again, where available).
The full service is priced at £10.00 per LP disc.

In all cases, the cost of return postage will need to be added. For local (London based) customers, a collection and delivery service can be arranged on request.

Other format conversions will be priced on request.

What else can be converted?

Initially this service is restricted to vinyl records (33 or 45 rpm), and cassette tapes. The following additional services will shortly be made available. Please feel free to ask for details.

Conversion and clean up of reel to reel tape (1/4 inch stereo and 1/4 inch half track)
Conversion and clean up of 78 rpm records
Wet/vacuum cleaning of discs prior to conversion.

This comprises a full audio restoration service. LPs and tapes can be cleaned up, as can old reel to reel recordings, such as old tapes recorded by family members that you want to preserve as part of your own family history search.

Is it Legal?

During the 70s and 80s, the record companies waged a campaign against people recording their own discs to tape under the title "Home taping is Killing Music". It seems to be generally accepted these days that you may make a backup copy of something that you own and store it in a different format (CD/MP3). Such a clause is now a standard part of the license agreement when purchasing many software packages.

For the LP owner, this means that, provided you do not relinquish ownership of the original LP, you may own a copy of it in another format. Should you decide to dispose of your vinyl collection after having it transferred to CD/MP3, we expect you also simultaneously to dispose of your CD & MP3 copies of that music. By requesting the transfer of a vinyl disc to CD/MP3, you agree implicitly to the following conditions...

That you are the owner of the recording medium in question (LP, single, tape etc).
That, should you later dispose of the original medium (LP, single, tape, etc) you will also dispose of the CD/MP3 copies made from it.

What to do next

Contact me via this form, for a quotation, listing what you have and how you want it converted.