Copy your old records to CD, and perhaps enhance their quality in the process!

Do you have a collection of old vinyl records? If so, you might wish to transfer them to CDs. By doing this, you will preserve their value because you will only need to play them once. It may even be possible to enhance the sound by removing some of the background noise and clicks, which are found on worn recordings. If you have a CD player in your car or own a portable unit, you will also be able to play your work “on the move”.

In order to transfer a recording to CD, you need a computer with a Compact Disc writer installed. However, it is not a good idea to link the record deck to the computer sound card direct by plugging it into the microphone input, because it will be found that the copy recording is deficient in bass (low frequencies) but has excessive treble (high frequency content). In other words, it will sound very “tinny”.

A better method would be to use an existing hi-fi amplifier. In this case, the record deck is plugged into its “Phono” input and a Line (high level) output obtained at the back (the one used for tape recording) is connected to the line input on the computer's sound card. Unfortunately, many modern amplifiers make no provision for playing “old fashioned” vinyl discs. You may therefore find that it has no phono input. Even if you do have a suitable amplifier, it may need a long connecting lead to reach the computer station and this could result in hum pick-up and degraded performance.

The circuit described here is a small battery-operated stereo preamplifier, which provides equalisation and boosts the output respectively. As well as being useful for making CDs, the preamplifier will be found handy by enthusiasts who simply wish to play their vinyl records using a hi-fi amplifier that does not have a phono input. Some readers may even use it for tape or Mini Disc work or for making MP3 files to be sent over the Internet.