On May 13, 9:13 pm, (dougreed) wrote:
Hi, I am not a computer or tech geek. I have over 1000 lp's and I need
some help so I can listen to them on wma or mp3. My old Gateway micro
tower has been just fine til now. I tried the Gateway 'Tech' site and
guess what, no help . I need to know if I can put some type of
card in the empty add-in slot in the back of this thing. All I need is
a card with RCA input jacks that I can plug my stereo into and turn
the analog signal into digital for wma or mp3 storage on a hard drive.
I do not know what type of connectors ( if any ! ) are in the empty
slot, I don't know what type of card I may need. I dont need any bells
or whistles, just interface from analog to digital via RCA inputs. Yes
I've seen the millions of ads for hardware/software programs that
restore the sound, arrange the tunes, bring disco back to life,
and...bla-bla-bla, I just need inputs and a processor to turn the
analog signal to digital...is there such a simple plug-in 'sound' card
device, and will it work in an old Gateway ???....thanks, Doug...
PS I promise not to listen to any of my lp's on an Ipod :smirk:

Doesn't your computer have a sound card? That's nearly all the
hardware you'll need. Magnetic phono cartridges (and that is the vast
majority) require an RIAA preamp to boost the very low level and
correct the frequency response. Most older (pre 1990) receiver/
amplifiers had the phono preamp as standard equipment. To connect them
you'd need an RCA to 1/8" stereo mini plug cable available at Radio
Shack (and many other) stores. Software is another issue. I use Adobe
Audition but that is expensive. It does a very good job with tick/pop
reduction but I'm sure you'll get many suggestions for less expensive
solutions.

If the machine is so old it doesn't have the sound capabilities it
might be lacking on other issues. Audio can easily go through
gigabytes of storage even in MP3 or WMA formats. 128 kbit MP3 uses a
gig for roughly every 16 hours of program. Uncompressed needs 11 times
more. I've done audio work with a Pentium 166 but it was SLOW.

GG