Vinyl records are a great source of attraction for all the music lovers. There is a huge crowd out there who is crazy for these classic vinyl records. Millions of such copies have been sold so far in the market. These vinyl records are still into demand, but the increasing digitalization and technological advancements give birth to a new pattern. To convert all the music, you have to a format that is playable in your modern device. It demands you to convert the vinyl record to WAV file format.
There are a number of ways that offer you to convert vinyl to WAV file format. Most of them are concerned with a processing unit and a large musical setup. Most part of this conversion takes place in the mixer. But if you have the vinyl record and you wish to convert the sound into WAV format, here is a guide for you.
There are a number of turntables that allows you to connect them to your system through a USB cable, many of the classic turntables do not have this facility and they rely on the receiver. So depending on what kind of turntable you have, you can do the processing.
The conversion process demands some patience from your end, as you have to play all the sound tracks in real time to properly record them.
Machine Integration
As mentioned above, the turntable has to be connected with your system to convert the vinyl record.
Apart from the USB port, you will need some cables to make necessary connections. If there are no USB ports in your turntable, you will need an RCA cable and a 3.5mm cord or connector.
Apart from these cables, make sure your computer has sufficient space to make the conversion. Make sure that your computer has a line-in port for input/output sound.
Software Requirements
Once you get a signal from your turntable to the computer, it’s time to start the charade. The recording process is also interesting as it will give you a proper feel of record room. It also enhances your hearing capability and the power to distinguish sounds.
Now you have to find an adequate software to perform the task. There are a lot of software available in the market, but very few of them are worthwhile. I suggest you to first make a thorough research on the software you are using and reviews from the people who have already used it. Maybe you can go to the nearest music shop and ask about it. Software like ‘pure vinyl’, vinyl studio and audacity are among the most used tools for our task.
You can set the sample rates and other attributes and format to .wav as it is a lossless conversion. Your new recorded file will have a great detailing of music.
How to Convert Vinyl to WAV
So you have done all the prerequisite arrangements, you can start with your conversion process. Remember you are converting an analog record which is the vinyl record that you have into digital format. It needs to be done with patience and precision. Make sure the surrounding is sound proof and there is the constant power supply to all your equipment.
Keep in mind the conversion process goes smooth all the time. If there are any anomalies in conversion, it may lead to corruption of your sound files. Although, there is a number of software to recover corrupt WAV files in the market. You don’t want to be involved in repairing those files after a lengthy session of conversion.
Here is how you can convert your files to WAV sound files:
Clean up
The first step you should do is to clean the vinyl record that you want to convert. You can make use of some cleaning solutions but take it softly. Any scratches can ruin your records. There are a number of other reasons for the vinyl record to go bad like dirt, dust, scratches etc.
Try to save your vinyl record out of danger and clean the recorded surface with caution.
Make Connections
The next you should take is making the connections. With all the cables you have and your computer, make a connection that can give you a proper result. Connect the inputs to the jack of your computer.
If your turntable has a USB port, connect the USB cable to your computer to an appropriate port. If there is no USB connect the record player to A/V receiver and make the connection in RCA-3.5mm cable.
Launch the Tool
From the software icon you are using, launch the tool to convert vinyl to .wav. Any preferred choice of software will do, just make sure it works fine before implementing it for your task.
Set the audio file format into digital format and WAV as the file type. Go to the recording section of the software and start the recording process.
Record
Once you are done with all the setup and your vinyl record handy, you can start the recording process. Make sure there is no external noise that might be loud for your record.
Hit the record button as soon as you have started playing the record. You can set the input parameters like distortion and adjust input levels as per your requirement. Wait for the whole record to play and get recorded fully. It is recommended that you allow the record to play full on a side before stopping.
Finally, once you have recorded all the tracks, you can split them into individual songs. You can also manipulate on some level of the recorded songs as they are digital now. Using vinyl record is one of the most interesting practices for music lovers. Digitalizing these records can result in the quality decline. But for most of the parts, the WAV is uncompressed and carries large data and sound details. Having a CD handy with your vinyl will give you an added advantage.
Looking for reasons to choose WAV over other video formats? This article talks about 5 reasons to choose WAV over MP3 and WMA.
