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In Reply to: RE: 16 bit = 96 dB dynamic range posted by AbeCollins on May 18, 2025 at 06:19:30
you just don't like the way his turntable sounds. I'm sure he loves his TT and he's proud of his recordings of it.
I have nothing against his turntable or mine... or his Tascam. But his digitized vinyl was anemic. My digitized vinyl were very 'alive' just like coming off the turntable.I can't explain the 16 bit vs 24 bit issues that have you concerned. I would simply experiment with turning the gain up/down while recording in 16 bit -or- 24 bit and see what works best. I guess that's easier said than done if you don't yet have a 24-bit recorder.
My "recorder" was comprised of a Phono preamp driving a 24-bit/96kHz ADC that was USB connected into my Mac running the free Audacity software. Both the Phono preamp and Audacity on the Mac had gain adjustments so adjusting the level was super easy. The software made it easy to visualize the signal level with colored bar graph VU meters (L & R channels). I would digitize with the VU meters mostly in the green with the very occasional peaks into the red.
As for that inmate's Tascam recordings they were extremely weak compared to anything I had heard before - That included my own CD rips, commercial music downloads, and my own vinyl conversions. My point being, I think he was shooting for extreme dynamic range by keeping the signal low but the result was anemic sounding recordings. I don't think it was the Tascam's fault.
My setup from over a dozen years ago
TT + MM Cart -> PS Audio GCPH Phono -> HRT Linestreamer ADC + -> Mac -> Audacity software.
Headphones on the Mac came in handy for monitoring the audio.
Edits: 05/19/25 05/19/25
Not sure what I was thinking when first looking at the pics. Thanks for the info.That recording setup would take a tremendous amount of work. I like recording via tape outs when listening. I've made over 2000 recordings of vinyl.
How does the recording shown in Audacity in your pic sound? Looks like a decent recording down about 6 db. How far off max scale before recordings start sounding weak?
Using the 16 bit CDRW recorder every recording I've compared head to head with vinyl sounds weak.
Edits: 05/20/25
I haven't recorded vinyl in several years. None of them sounded weak. In Audacity I do a dry run playing various sections of various tracks looking for peaks. I adjust the level so it's mostly in the Green on the bargraph VU meters with occasional peaks into the Red. If it looks good I digitize the entire album side. If it ever did sound weak you can simply bring up the level across the board within Audacity software after the fact. However, I think it is always best to start with a decently robust analog signal into the ADC to begin with.
Edits: 05/21/25
> > My point being, I think he was shooting for extreme dynamic range by > > keeping the signal low but the result was anemic sounding recordings.
That doesn't make any sense to me.
Unless I buy a recorder a dedicated laptop is going to be required. The Tascam is a basic 16/24-bit 44.1/48/96Kz recorder SS storage and a network interface. This is just about perfect for my specified usage - I'm waiting for a response from Tascam on a query I made on Saturday. There's a slightly less costly RME interface that adds another sample frequency, more gain choices, looks better but needs laptop.
Glad you mention it. My CDRW recorder is attached to my line out. Wonder if that line out could attach to a ADC that could connect to laptop running Audacity. What kind of connectors do you use on the laptop? What's a good ADC? How's that work - turn on ADC, prepare for needle drop, start Audacity, needle drop?
"> > My point being, I think he was shooting for extreme dynamic range by > > keeping the signal low but the result was anemic sounding recordings That doesn't make any sense to me."By keeping the input signal low he avoided any chance of even the slightest clipping on peaks thinking he had lots of extra headroom for dynamic range. Unfortunately in doing this most of the desired signal was way down resulting in an overall very 'weak sound', even with the playback volume turned up on my end. Doesn't make sense to me either.
" My CDRW recorder is attached to my line out. Wonder if that line out could attach to a ADC that could connect to laptop running Audacity. "
You kind of lost me here because I thought we were talking about digitizing vinyl. If you're making a copy of a CD there's no need to use a line-out. No need for an ADC. Just pop the CD in your PC and using something like dbpoweramp software create a perfect digital copy (rip) of the original. This will result in multiple tracks (files) that correspond to the tracks on your CD. Music servers PCs, Macs, and player software on them will know how to handle it.
For digitizing vinyl in my setup I had a separate Phone preamp and ADC. There are products out there that combine both and make it a little easier.
My setup:
TT+Cart -> RCA cables to Phono Preamp with variable output -> RCA cables to ADC -> USB cable to Mac -> Audacity software to capture the digitized signal. If your Phono Preamp lacks variable output (most don't) take the signal off your preamp as the preamp has variable output. IMHO having the variable analog output helps in adjusting the signal level driving the ADC. You can also adjust signal level in Audacity but you first want to ensure that you have a solid analog signal driving the ADC.
I capture one full side of the LP (one huge file) using Audacity then use Audacity to break up each track on that side. Repeat for the other side of the LP. This process is optional. Some people just create one huge file per side and listen with no track breaks. There is specialized software that breaks up the tracks and helps to automate the process. I have no experience with it but one such software is Vinyl Studio
If you can accomplish all of this with a dedicated digital recorder that's great. Either way, it will be fun (for a while) but a royal pain in the butt! ;-) I digitized a dozen or so LP's then gave up. I already had a few hundred CDs that I 'ripped' to the music server. I still play them but it's all also available to me via streaming service Qobuz.
Parasound Z-Phono USB = Phono Pre + ADC + USB Out to your PC for capture:
There are other similar units like the Parasound with higher resolution. However, you don't NEED 24-bit unless you're in the studio doing a lot of multitrack edits.
P.S. If you go to YouTube and search on "Digitizing Vinyl Records" you'll find tons of info.
Edits: 05/20/25
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