Recording Vinyl to Digital with a tape based digital format

The recording process is a varied one. Old formats are thrown away and buried as soon as one looks away. Well I believe that "Everything is Everything .

There is a lot of ways to make your Vinyl sound very good indeed on all Digital formats.

The formats that I still use are DAT ( digital Audio Tape ) Sony Portable. Tascam DTRS ( DA-98) , also recording directly to HI-MD via the lossless route .

All the formats produce sublime audio, which when played back on a full range professional system, can produce spine tingling moments which we all crave .

The way that I have produced this within my own system, is by first taking care of the power that you provide for each component within the system, and secondly if you are using interconnects, need to be of good quality. Paying strict attention to the connectors .

When dealing with digital audio, a lot depends on the Digital to Analog and Analog to Digital Conversions that take place within the recording chain.
I have found that when you are recording Vinyl to a digital platform, it makes sense to use a separate Pre-Amplifier and then go through a ADC ( Analog to Digtal Converter ) in my case I prefer the Yamaha AD2X ( An old Professional tool from the nineties ) excellent if you crave a particular sort of sound Analog sound capture.

I then use a Sony professional CD SBM recorders internal DAC. This comes out directly to audio interface for recording to any Computers. The DAC connection from the Sony CD SBM Recorder has the SPDIF out going Directly to the TASCAM Audio DA-98 IA digital interface, which is connected to the main Tascam DA-98 recorder via 25 Pin TDIF cable.

I prefer MIT audio cables, which I have used since 1990. They provide a clear and balanced sound to my ears . I also use AES /XLR cables for my other equipment that is within my Arsenal.

Try recording your Vinyl with a good Turntable, that is setup correctly, and that also has a good needle to reproduce the transients in a truthful manner. This will enable your recording equipment to faithfully reproduce that sound to archive for future Digital platforms .

Lastly, I would make sure you use a good audio interface within the mid range category , if you decide to record straight to computer. I prefer two recording software digital audio workstations. The first being Samplitude Pro X , and also I have use of the digital audio workstation Ableton . These workstations provide me with the perfect platform to record .
You do not need to have a ultra expensive setup, although if you did the benefits would be small. Study turntable gurus like Michael Freemer and various others ,to enable you to setup your turntable correctly. This is a must , so that you put in a good stable signal into the recording chain. "Good in Good out " .

If you have access to things like limiters and SBM ( Super Bit Mapping ) the latter applying to Sony Professional units. This is a filter that is basically a quantifying aid. Also it is a very good one .
Use all formats old and new, it will provide you with new avenues into listening and rediscovering your musical gems. Also it will provide you with insight into trusting your ears and your feelings for what the original recorded sound of a Vinyl record should sound like.