78rpm FAQ
Frequently asked questions from the new collectors
this page first published by John Wright, 12 Feb 2002
last update 23 April 2007
vintage@jabw.demon.co.uk
FAQ 10
How do I get the sound from 78's on to my PC?
For most 78's good results, playing and recording, are obtained by connecting an old (1960's) electric record deck player to a more modern hi-fi or directly to a PC with a CD-writer. There are different ways of doing this and some give better results than others. On this page I am working only with British equipment.
Record Deck or Turntable
If you acquire a decent 3-speed 1960's record deck (i.e. turntable only) like Garrard, Thorens or Lenco, then the deck's audio-out leads are usually compatible with even a 1990's hi-fi which still had a turntable. With my Sanyo hi-fi I have simply disposed of the Sanyo turntable and plugged an old Garrard deck straight into the phono sockets at the back. The Sanyo's audio-out is then connected directly to my PC's sound card in-sockets. You can view a selection of Record Decks and Players that are compatible with modern equipment.
Less expensive players:
Hi-fi Record Player
I define a 'record player' as a turntable with it's own amplifier. At the back of most 3-speed 1960-1975 record players there's a five-pin socket and with the right connection wires this should be connected to the AUX or LINE-IN sockets in a modern hi-fi unit rather than the phono sockets, or directly to a PC. With this method sometimes the volume controls can't increase the sound so the recording can be too quiet. Also not all PC's are compatible with the signal from a five-pin.
At the front of most record players there is a phono-socket for headphones. With the right connection wires this can be connected to the AUX or LINE-IN sockets of the hi-fi or PC. The volume controls of the record deck can be turned up to give a louder signal for recording, and also useful is the record player's treble control which can be adjusted down to crudely decrease the crackle-noise of the 78.
It can help to have another amplifier unit to improve and control the signal from a record player to the recording hi-fi or PC. At one time I had decent results connecting a record player via my VCR which acts as an amplifier (it was set up that way because I sometimes play TV or video sound to my Hi-Fi).
Having recently purchased a new PC and a Garrard deck I have been recording 78's onto my PC for web pages and for CD writing. Most PC's have LINE-IN sockets to the sound card. To record a 78 I use either Windows Sound Recorder or Audacity software to make .wav files.
A brief look at Windows Recorder
You usually find a shortcut icon to Windows Sound Recorder in WINDOWS/MEDIA or maybe in WINDOWS/PROGRAMS/ENTERTAINMENT. In Edit>Properties Select Sound Recording > Volume, from the choices choose Mono Mix (this is the choice on a British PC anyway). Adjust the record volume level to a low level.
Windows Recorder normally has a recording length of 1 minute but there is a trick where you can make a 4 minute silent file which can then be used each time you want to record a 78.
Windows Sound Recorder can record in Mono or Stereo, 78's are in mono sound but you must consider the end-use of the sound files you are making.
If your soundfiles are to remain on your PC (for example to play in Winamp or Real Jukebox) use Windows Recorder File>Audio properties and convert the size of the sound file to Mono, but so as not to reduce sound quality use Properties converted to PCM 22KHz, 8 bit mono. A full 3 minute 78 can be just 4 megabytes with that selection.
Most of the sound bites on my webpages are recorded this way now. If you can't follow my brief description for recording I have written a more detailed instruction for Windows Sound Recorder
If your end-use is to put your soundfiles onto a CD, and you have a CD writer with your PC, then you should start Windows Recorder Audio Properties at 44KHz, 16 bit stereo which will make a ~30 megabyte file. Usually up to 25 78 sides can be put on a CD with a CD writer.
Always set up Audio Properties for the end-use, converting later can adversely affect the sound quality and lead to 'squeaks and whistles'.
Over the years (before PC) I taped onto cassettes a lot of music from the radio or LP's. Since my Sanyo hi-fi is now connected directly to my PC I can also use Windows Recorder to make .wav sound files from cassette tapes either to transfer to a CD or for web page clips e.g. hear the Billy Thorburn web page clips which came from a cassette tape.
brief look at Audacity software
Audacity software is currently free to download from audacity.sourceforge.net. As well as recording and playing your 78 sounds this software can be used for noise reduction, to reduce the crackle and hiss in a 78 recording. As it's a free program it needs a lot of work to get good results, lots of trials to get a clean reduction in noise. Noise reduction programs rely on the theory that if you record a few seconds of the hiss alone you can then subtract that noise from the rest of the recording. In theory that sounds good but rarely is the level of noise the same the whole way through a 78. Your sample noise usually has to be taken from the first few grooves or the last few grooves, and unfortunately in a used 78 the first few grooves have often suffered from very sharp steel needles ploughing through them before they've got worn down, and in the last grooves the steel needle has got so worn that it's scraping through the grooves, so the noise at either end of a 78 groove is usually severe and there will be different noise throughout the rest of the 78 where the music plays. Since the noise samples don't match then you never get a good clean noise reduction with Audacity, even though you can vary the level of reduction. On 78's of loud music you can get away with the less than perfect noise reduction but with quiet vocal or small group music your attempts at noise reduction may leave audible 'artefacts' that sound like whistles or whines. Since Audacity software allows you to vary the level of subtraction of the noise sample so you can have a few attempts and vary the level at different parts of the recording. If you have any mint or near-mint 78's you should get better results as the first and last grooves will have little or no damage so the noise should be fairly uniform throughout the whole 78.
For further advice particularly for US collectors go to Maddie's site.
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