Michelle_Williams's Blog

You have several options, if you want to get your old records transfered to CD or converted to MP3 files (what you use on portable music devices like the iPod).

Here are the basics:

The Easy Way You can buy a combination Record Player - CD Recorder, like the ION LP Dock (www.ion.com) or the following turntable/recorder devices: TEAC LP-R400 TURNTABLE CD RECORDER & RADIO Crosley CR248OA Songwriter CD Recorder OAK To get the songs listed as individual tracks on your CD or iPod, you'll still need to use computer software to chop up your recorded files.

The Harder Way

If you still have a turntable at home and a stereo receiver/amplifier, you can plug the receiver/amplifier into your computer's soundcard. Then, using widely available sound editing software (costing $25-$50), you can record the songs and make them into MP3 files.

The key is that you need to have than amplifier (or a turntable with a built-in amplifier) to make the sound loud enough to be recorded by your computer. Check your sound card to see it has one input or two inputs for incoming sound. You need to find the Line In jack. (If you only have one Line In jack, you can buy an inexpensive patch cord from Radio Shack that will merge the two stereo out cables into one.) Either way, make sure you clean you records and the stylus on the turntable first. Use distilled water on older records.

You can find lot of information on these topics online - it's a popular web topic and you'll find lots of good info using Google or another search engine.