Topic: Turntable----->JB3

[T.J.]

so right now i am in the process of transfering old Zappa records onto cdr's. i have a pretty standard panasonic turntable, which has both a headphone and mic jack. by using a standard mini stereo chord, i connected the turntable to a JB3 (line in). i turned the volume about 1/2 way up on the turntable and set gain @ -05 on the JB3 to leave me right around -06 db. it sounds pretty good right now, but i'm not sure if there is another way i should do this (since it is my first time transfering records to cdr). i have the following questions for anyone who has done this before:

1. should i use the phones or mic jack out of the turntable?
2. is it better to leave the gain @ 0 on the JB3, and just adjust the volume on the turntable to get the levels i like?
3. is it really necessary to stay around -6 db when doing a project like this, or is that only applicable to live recording settings?

any other input or hints is greatly appreciated. i have wavelab 5.0 which i will probably play around with and cd wave to track.
thanks in advance,
    t.j.

[blastroknow]

I'm baffled by the phones/mic jack, too.

I transfer vinyl by using a regular hi-fi preamp with a phono input.  The phono input stage will give you the gain needed to get your levels up to a nice clean line level which you then take from a tape monitor send and jack it into the JB3 {or your computer} with the 1/8" stereo mini.  I suppose that phones out on your panasonic might have enough gain but if it sounds hollow or noisy the phono preamp route will cure that.

Record it hot but you can always add some gain in Wavelab - I don't know if Frank would want you normalizing.

[Evil Taper]

off topic...but dj style turntables (ie technic 1200 or similiar) have no volume control or gain adjusting options, so they won't work without a mixer or reciever to control the sound with.  you also have to ground the stereo wires or else they don't work properly, and usually you can't find a grounding clamp by the phono in except for mixers designed for dj use.  this is probably the way to go with transfering records though, since you can get the mixer set to the absolute peak level you desire.  above anything else though, as mentioned earlier, vinyl noise is sometimes unavoidable if the record is in less than great condition.  the clicks and pops will be there...and that does suck.  so if that's the case, copy a friends cds to backup your vinyls with.  according to the riaa that's ok since you do own the music.

[leegeddy]

moke said it already. run the turntable hot. if you have a receiver that has phono inputs, you can use that as well. then take the line out to the jb3.

marc

[pfife]

I just did the exact thing with Apostrophe...  turntable line out -> MSBM-1 -> NJB3...

[T.J.]

mic jack out on a turntable,.... ??
asking for clarity here, because a standard turntable has a stereo rca cable, or a pair of rca jacks for an output cable, and has nothing to do with mic jacks (unless it is a dj table, which I know nothing about).
Headphone jacks are cheap, and should be avoided especially for archiving efforts.

on the front of the turntable there are two 1/4 inch jacks. one is labeled "phones" and the other is labeled "mic" so far i have only tried the "phones" jack assuming this is intended for headphones. the "mic" jack i will probably try tomorrow. but the first attempt turned out pretty well, even though the record is a little warped (spelling?  ) i will try it again running the levels a little hotter.

[Big Muff]

vynil transfers,
one of my favorites pass-times.
What works best for me,
just come from an RCA line out of your reciever.
Do you use CD wave ,soundforge, or anything similar?
My best vynil transfers were done with my pc onto CD wave (which is free to download from etree.org)
you can take that 1/8" stereo mini plug and pop it into any input on your pc, and they ALL pretty have one. Should be right next to the speaker outputs.
set your "line in" level through 'sounds and audio devices' in the control panel (provided you use windows),
and you're good!

if you maintain the jb3 it doesn't matter just how high your level is, you can always normalize it later. 

Good luck!
-Mike

what's the ugliest part of your body?

[1st set only]

so what zappa are you transfering?

anything rare?

[SparkE!]

Also remember that there is an RIAA equalization curve associated with your vinyl recordings.  So, you need to use a preamp that has the correct equalization curve built into it.  Phono level out is about the same level as microphone level, so you'll need about 30 to 40 dB of gain to get it up to line level for going into your JB3.

The way I do it is use a phonograph > phono input on integrated amplifier (has RIAA equalization built in) > line out of integrated amplifier > line in of NJB3.

Some people claim you can apply the RIAA equalization curve afterwards if you just go phono > mic input on your recording device, but  your results will be better if you do the RIAA equalization in the analog world.  It amounts to having more dynamic range.  Some people claim that the extra dynamic range only makes for higher fidelity pops and clicks, but I can tell the difference in A/B listening tests about 80% of the time.

[Ray76]

what's the ugliest part of your body?

WTF??

[Big Muff]

what's the ugliest part of your body?

WTF??

Zappa!
off the album "We're only in it for the Money"

Take your clothes off when you dance >
what's the ugliest part of your body

good stuff 

[Scooter]

What SparkE! said above.  The RIAA curve is the key.  The levels can always be raised in post.  I believe Rolls makes a sweet little phono preamp w/ RIAA curve, it's like $40, and it also solves the ground prob.

Edit- http://www.rolls.com/new/vp29.html

[T.J.]

so what zappa are you transfering?

Chunga's Revenge right now. but my buddy has a whole slew of great albums that are just collecting dust (Zappa and others).  Plus I have Pearl Jam fan club vynil single since 1998, which i also want to get into the digital world for archival purposes.

Also remember that there is an RIAA equalization curve associated with your vinyl recordings. So, you need to use a preamp that has the correct equalization curve built into it. Phono level out is about the same level as microphone level, so you'll need about 30 to 40 dB of gain to get it up to line level for going into your JB3.

The way I do it is use a phonograph > phono input on integrated amplifier (has RIAA equalization built in) > line out of integrated amplifier > line in of NJB3.

Some people claim you can apply the RIAA equalization curve afterwards if you just go phono > mic input on your recording device, but your results will be better if you do the RIAA equalization in the analog world. It amounts to having more dynamic range. Some people claim that the extra dynamic range only makes for higher fidelity pops and clicks, but I can tell the difference in A/B listening tests about 80% of the time.

okay, this was something i was unaware of. after a quick search i think i have a little better understanding (but i'm still unclear). basically, the RIAA curve is equalization applied to records that is an industry standard. by using something like the one here: http://www.rolls.com/new/vp29.html the RIAA curve will be changed to a flat line out (from the phono preamp). then i can plug a JB3 or even a UA-5--->JB3 combo into that same line out for a fuller dynamic range. Am I on the right track? And if so, I still wonder if it would be worth it.

EDIT: i do have wavelab 5.0, so i wonder if i could edit the RIAA curve in post b/c i don't really have the $$ to spend on any additional toys