soundcard

i got a new soundcard (E-MU 0202 USB). it was a decent entry level external card and wasn't too expensive so i thought i'd give it a shot. better rips to come.

test

in waiting for my holiday and looking at ripping guides i stumbled upon two breakthroughs:

1. my current soundcard is capable of 24-bit/192kHz rips, and i've found the setting to enable this. this is extra good because i can't afford a new card for a while anyway.

2. how to make it louder. if you listened to my first rip, it was very quiet and i couldn't figure out why. well, i've found out the setting for that too! my new rips are far more listenable.

the ability to make full 24/192 rips opens up the ability to make better 16/44.1 rips; i'll be using iZotope RX Advanced to resample and dither the original resolution and in doing so preserve some of the detail captured that a standard 16/44.1 rip could not.

also, reading back these posts made me realise how a few days ago i didn't understand any of this mumbo jumbo i've written about and i sound like an audiophile nerd (i'm not, just bored).

so, to demonstrate: digital mystikz' remix of love you to life, released on record store day 2010 and limited to 1000. again, no low-end but it allowed me to play around with high sample rates.





















Grace Jones - Love You to Life (Digital Mystikz Remix) [WOS058T]
01 - Love You to Life (Digital Mystikz Remix)

16-bit/44.1kHz FLAC:
[LINK REMOVED DUE TO BEING SHIT]

test

my first decentish sounding rip! this was done with my onboard soundcard, which isn't ideal, but i've yet to buy a new soundcard. also acts as a stripped-down comparative rip. i'll be posting 16-bit/44.1kHz FLACs on this blog, anything less could likely be found elsewhere. there is no low-end on this rip which i am trying to figure out.

i'm going on holiday tomorrow for a week before i enter the soundcard market, after that the frequency of posts should increase up until i get my foot out of the cast and i can go outside and play again.

the fantastic mr fox remix on this 12 is awesome. unofficial white label release limited to just 300 copies.





















Erykah Badu/Brandy - On & On/Angel In Disguise (Remixes) [ERCA001]
01 - On & On (Pariah Remix)
02 - Angel In Disguise (Fantastic Mr Fox Remix)

16-bit/44.1kHz FLAC:
[LINK REMOVED DUE TO BEING SHIT]

intro

my first foray into vinyl ripping left me with a terrible rip of Digital Mystikz - Return II Space, that was not worth the effort it took, nor the space on my harddrive. this was mostly due to my ignorance of vinyl ripping, as well as using the wrong pre-amp output and the onboard stock soundcard that came with my laptop. despite this, i was eager to learn how to rip vinyl well and breaking my foot gave me the time to do this.

my current set-up is a hand-me-down from my parents:
Dual 505, with Ortofon VMS2E cartridge
NAD Series 20 Sterep Amplifier 3020

it served me well, and for a beginner i enjoyed the opportunity to start buying and playing vinyl without having to cash-out for a new turntable.

i recently acquired a genuine ebay steal of this set-up for very little money:
2 x Technics 1210 mk. 2, with Stanton 500 Systems cartridges.
Gemini KL10 Platinum Series 2 Channel Mixer
Cambridge Audio Amplifier A500

all in great condition and only saw home use from a wannabe DJ. i had no desire to get two turntables, let alone a mixer and new amp but the price wasn't far off getting myself a single Technics 1210. i chose a 1210 mainly for the massive upgrade path; i look forward to being able to mod it into something very good, and with it being so abundant in the world, the opportunities for parts and advice is vast. as well as this, even in its stock form it outperforms many other entry-level decks (read: Pro-Ject Debut III).

so, this blog will hopefully document the evolution of these decks and my ability to rip high-quality copies of my vinyl collection. it will mostly contain dubstep releases, as that's what i mainly buy, although you may find the odd curve-ball from my collection.

cheers.