Bring your LPs into the digital age

Bridge the gap
Using separate hi-fi components rather than an all-in-one system may yield unsatisfactory results. Unless, for example, your separate turntable or tape deck has a built-in pre-amplifier, it's best through a separate amp first, using either the output or headphone methods described above. Otherwise the output level will be far too low to run the signal.

If you plan on doing a lot of LP-to-PC conversions, you could go to a specialist hardware or DJ shop such as DJ Store, where a standalone pre-amp to sit between your record deck and computer can be bought for about £20.

There are also a few specialist products to bridge the gap between hi-fi equipment and your PC. Terratec's excellent Phono Preamp Studio USB, for example, comes with an external pre-amp that allows you to capture directly to digital via your PC's USB port.

In its favour, the Terratec option also comes with its own program to capture, edit and even restore recordings (SoundRescue 2.0), taking care of the other end of the process too. On the downside, it's one of the pricier options, costing around £75 from Terratec's own website.

Much cheaper is Magix Audio Cleaning Lab 2005 Deluxe, which features clever software that generates a 'virtual' pre-amp on your PC along with a capture, edit and output application and cables to cover most people's set-ups.

Audio Cleaning Lab 2005 Deluxe is a very good value all-rounder and we'll be taking a closer look at it a little later on.