| Convert slides and LPs |
|
|
|
Like many “baby boomers” I have boxes of 35mm slides and several hundred LPs in good condition. I would like to convert these into a digital format, which is more readily accessible on the computer. What options do I have for such a conversion? Converting old media to digital formats is a good idea, as it allows you to keep a good digital copy of the material which will not degrade over time. Dealing first with the 35mm slides, most flatbed scanners have adapters which are able to scan slides. When looking at scanners, you should consider whether the scanners do have this feature. That said, if you have a large number of slides to scan this can be a very manual process and you may be better purchasing a dedicated slide scanner which can feed and scan batches (about 50 at a time) of slides without user intervention. Another reader asked a similar question in April, and you can find my answer to their question in the SK Archive: http://www.siliconkid.com.au/sk_archive/printer/slide_scanners_and_portable_printers.html. Converting your vinyl LP records to digital format on the computer is a more involved process. There are two main options you have for completing this conversion. The first involves purchasing a LP turntable with USB output. One such product I found is the “Ion LP-Ripping Turntable with USB Output” which is a turntable specifically designed for ripping (i.e. copying) music from vinyl to digital formats on the computer, through a USB connection. I am unsure whether this product is available in Australia, and given the US prices found you would be looking at around AU$200 - $250 for the item. For more information on this product, search Google for the product name. Assuming you do not wish to purchase a new turntable with USB output simply for the purpose of converting vinyl to digital, the next option is to connect your turntable to the computer sound card and record the audio. This is a more complicated process, since you will generally need to connect a receiver or amplifier between the turntable and the computer sound card due to the different impedance between the turntable output and sound card input (meaning the sound level will be very low if the turntable is directly connected to the sound card). You will also need to consider using software which can clean-up the recorded signal and remove any hiss or crackle from the recording. That said, if you just want simple software to record the signal from the turntable then one of the best free audio packages is Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net). The exact process to convert vinyl to digital on a computer is rather long and complicated to explain, but there is a wealth of information available on the web about how to complete this procedure. Your best option would be to search Google for articles and have a look at the different options available, for both the hardware conversion and also the software available. Also, make sure you observe any copyright restrictions regarding copying vinyl records. |