Finally! A book for the vinyl-phile who wishes to convert LPs to MP3s. The Little Audio CD Book, a joint effort by Bob Starrett and Josh McDaniel, bridges the gap between vinyl and computer/CD audio. Providing a wealth of information about hardware and software choices, the authors lead us from desire to fulfilment in the world of analogue LP or tape to computer digital re-recording. Extensive use of tutorials and screen shots make this volume both easy to read and easy to follow.The book introduces the CD Recorder and explains the differences between CD-R and CD-RW. Various brand names are described along with the explanation that "in some cases cost does not equal quality". Along with the descriptions of the various types of media available and explanations of the different read and write speeds, Starrett and McDaniel de-mystify the computer CD-R.
The authors do an admirable job presenting all of the concepts involved in producing an audio CD on your home computer. The sections devoted to audio software choices and system configuration are worthy of enthusiastic praise. More raves are in order for the coverage on recording from vinyl or cassettes. It is in these two areas that The Little Audio CD Book really shines. If you follow the steps as outlined in chapter 7, you will be able to make a quality digital recording from vinyl in a surprisingly short amount of time. The authors' ability to anticipate common stumbling blocks and many of the more arcane problems one might encounter is notable.
If you have hundreds of irreplaceable LPs (as many of us do) and live without the hope of ever seeing them in CD format, you can stop despairing right now. With this book, filled with handy tutorials, you get a step-by-step tour through the process of recording your favourite music onto your hard drive. The presentations of how to edit the hiss, clicks and pops out of the resulting WAV file, preparing and finally recording your favourite jams onto a CD alone is worth the price of this superlative book. Buy it, study it, treasure it! --Robert D. Gately