Hello, Vinyl

For a long time I've been wanting a turntable. I've been collecting vinyl for months in preparation for the day that I would finally get one (despite much mocking from my friends). I spent the searching for and going through my parents' respective collections to mixed results. My mother happened to have an original Meet the Beatles that she had reprehensibly let warp by storing it in the garage. My father had eclectic mix from The Allman Brothers to Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell to Men at Work (really Dad?) to The Very Best of the Loving Spoonful. But somehow he'd lost his Tommy. I took what was of interest, having full faith that one day, one day, I would be able to drop the needle, sit back, close my eyes, and enjoy.

Well friends, that day has finally come.

For Christmas I was gifted this fabulous ION TTUSB turntable. Not only does it kick out the jams while spinning some sweet sweet vinyl, but it connects by USB to your computer device, making it possible to record your vinyl to mp3. It may be one of the most fantastic things I've ever owned (next to my wine red Fender Jazz Bass, naturally). The EZ Vinyl Converter software lives up to its name, and in connection with the Gracenote database's song-identification system, it practically works by magic.

I spent yesterday and today making recordings. First was The Rolling Stones' got LIVE if you want it!, an incredible recording with a fun mix of their earlier songs. Unfortunately, one of my mother's brothers long ago defaced the sleeve by drawing mutton chops and mustaches on each of the Stone's. It worked on Keith far more than on Mick (that man was not made for facial hair).

Next I recorded The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour, a recent gift. Actually, it was rescued from destruction by my mother from being made into a bowl by her boyfriend's sisters. They claimed it was warped, but it was not so. It played beautifully, not a single scratch or skip. However, Abbey Road was not so lucky, and is now sitting on my desk in a less-than-flat shape.

Finally, at my father's request, I recorded The Allman Brothers Band. With longer tracks, the process took less monitoring on my part. I also thoroughly enjoyed the heavy bass in the intro to "Whipping Post." But my favorite part was the naked group photo on the inside of the sleeve. Don't worry, no one is overexposed, they are obviously sitting in a creek. The 70's was such a strange time.

The one drawback to the recording-vinyl-to-mp3 process is that it can only be done in real time. Particularly if you want to differentiate between tracks, which has to be done manually. Now, I don't mind listening through entire albums, but it does take a certain time commitment.

I thoroughly recommend the ION turntable, it has made my vinyl dreams come true.