Don’t throw out your old records yet

We live in a digital world. Everything is electronic; everything has to be bigger, brighter, bolder, and cleaner. So when you buy music on iTunes or a CD, you get clean sound and it is so intricate that the speakers most people have don't let you hear the fullness of the sound. But what has happened to the good old "pops-" The "clicks-" The light "hiss-" The younger readers of this column may not understand what I'm talking about, I am only 22 and the only reason I know about these sounds is because of my love for equipment that was built before I was born. That's right, record players with vinyl albums, tape decks from the birth of cassettes, 8-track tapes, and reel-to-reel audio players. I'm sure some of you knew where I was going.

When I was in my early teens, I began tinkering with my dad's old stereo equipment. This equipment includes a 35- (or so) year old tuner made by Harmon Kardon, a Harmon Kardon variable speed turntable, a reel-to-reel tape machine, and a 35- year-old tape deck by JVC. To this day, I still use the tape deck when I have a tape that I need to convert to CD. I have not used any of the other pieces since I was 17, and aside from a needle for the turntable I believe everything still works well except the tuner, which blew a capacitor back in 2001.

So why talk about vintage gear- Because it is equipment that was built well and still works, 30 years later! I have seen consumer audio equipment today that lasts as short as two years, and only as long as five years before it needs major maintenance. Have you ever had one of those bookshelf stereo systems that come with decent speakers separate from the CD player and FM tuner- My family has owned at least four that I can remember, all of which have broken in some aspect. I have one that has a three disc CD changer, which broke one year and two months after purchase. Now that's pathetic, if you ask me. Now of course you can get the really good systems that will last you 30 years but sometimes only for a lot of money. Money that could be better spent on the music you want to enjoy.

Now, though, I want to switch gears and actually talk about the music itself.

Today's music industry is all about clean, crisp and loud music. Professional recording studios have been migrating to digital equipment and methods for quite a while now and the product they put out sounds beautiful. But what about the things that make the sound that come from vinyl albums and similar older methods- Digital recording sometimes almost seems cold and lifeless. If you're old enough to remember - or even still own - vinyl albums, do you remember all of warmth you felt from listening to an LP- You get those "pops" and the "clicks" that represent a live environment. I know from personal experience that those sounds can be warm and inviting, like the musicians are almost in the same room. There are so many more things you can do with digital recording, so many effects to add, so many options in the editing process that won't damage the original product, but you lose some of the characteristics you get from recording with acoustic equipment.

People ask me if its possible to put their vinyl records on CDs so they can listen to them on a CD player without losing any of the vinyl qualities. The answer to that is yes, there are a few ways. What you need to convert them over is a turntable, and a digital recording device.

I have a recording interface that connects with my computer and lets me transfer it all to mediums like putting it on my iPod. Another way to transfer your music is with the help of software. I have looked at two pieces of software by the names of; "Golden Records" and "Spin it again." Both programs will convert your LPs to Mp3 on your computer and both will even remove most of the "pops", "clicks" and "hisses." On paper they are a great solution to getting the music you love on to CD. There is one catch; in order for you to connect a turntable to your computer you need a new USB turntable or other input device like I have. The USB turntables tend to be at least $150 and once you've converted all of your LPs you would not need it any more.

But what if those "pops" and "clicks" are important to you- If you use a device and software that just goes straight into your computer, the extra noise will transfer to the CD just fine. There is not doctoring to that process like there would be with the programs designed to convert your LPs.

I would say the software is definitely worth getting if you have a lot of LPs you wish to convert. And if you know of a friend that also has a lot of LPs you could always partner with them to get the USB turntable.

Brian Dunn can be reached at .