iPod and iTunes Hacks

Get Your Record Collection into iTunes

Are your old records collecting dust, now that you’ve gone digital? You can digitize your old records (remember those?) for playback in iTunes and on your iPod.

So, you’ve already digitized your CD collection [Hack #55] , but what if you have old records that you’d like to play on your computer or your iPod? Many of music’s greatest albums have been resampled, digitized as CDs, and eventually ripped as AACs for purchase from the iTunes Music Store (iTMS). But what about that favorite album that hasn’t caught up to the digital age? Some of my favorite jazz albums are not available on CD, let alone on the iTMS. If only there were a way to import that vinyl into iTunes….

And indeed there is, thanks to the combination of a dongle called the PowerWave USB Audio Interface and Desktop Amplifier with a piece of software called FinalVinyl.

Connecting

First, connect your old turntable to your computer. I use the PowerWave USB Audio Interface http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/powerwave/; $99.99). This little beauty is more than an integrated desktop amplifier that lets you connect a set of home speakers to your computer. It lets you archive records and tapes to MP3/MP4, enables you to record instruments or voice into your computer, and can act as a standalone amplifier for your iPod.

Turntables require preamplification and a special equalization curve. ...