Pure Vinyl Workflow: a Technical Rationale

Based on our experience, we have concluded that the most viable workflow involves the following:

1. Use Pure Vinyl Recorder to record the audio at the highest possible sample rate and resolution (bit depth), allowing several dB (typically 8 - 10 dB, but up to 20) headroom below clipping level. Here, the bit depth usually would be 24 bit, which provides more efficient storage than 32 bit floating point. The sample rate ideally would be 88.1 kHz or higher, preferably 192 kHz, 24 bit.

2. Optional, but highly recommended: eschew the turntable inverse-RIAA equalization of a standard turntable preamplifier (and head amp, if using a MC cartridge) and use a high - quality microphone preamplifier instead (with appropriate cartridge loading).

3. If intending to split the recording into individual tracks for CD or digital jukebox use, use Pure Vinyl Recorder to automatically decimate and capture to a separate 44.1 kHz, 24 bit file, allowing several dB headroom (if the level is modified by software inverse RIAA equalization and make-up gain). The decimation can be done automatically during recording, with Pure Vinyl Recorder.

4. Setting a normalization level and adding track markers (or basic album side markers) to the 44.1 kHz file. This is nondestructive to the original file.

5. Optionally, editing major pops and clicks in Pure Vinyl. This is nondestructive to the original file, and edit decisions can be changed or reversed at any time. Third party noise removal software also can be used for "cleaning" of the intermediate edit file, if desired (but at the cost of modification of the file).

6. Render the tracks to 16 bit 44.1 kHz tracks. New, individual track files are created. The normalization level from Step 4 is applied, as are any pop/click edits. Here, the extra dynamic range of the 24 bit intermediate file is used to advantage, because during recording the level used in Pure Vinyl Recorder could be set conservatively, without needing to be concerned about squeezing out the last bit of headroom.

7. Archive the high-resolution audio files to DVD or other media for safekeeping.

8. Enjoy listening to the high-resolution audio archive file. After completing Steps 1-6 above, the high-resolution audio version of the recording can be played back directly in Pure Vinyl, in "album" format: the recording is split into sides designated in Step 4, and the noisy lead-in and lead-out areas of the recording are skipped automatically. The proper inverse-RIAA equalization will be applied in real-time during playback (if the audio was recorded without a standard turntable / cartridge preamp, as in Step 2). And the audio will retain every bit of the pristine, 192 kHz 24 bit quality that you heard the first time it was originally captured and archived in raw format at 192 kHz, every time you play it. Goodbye to unnecessary record and stylus wear!

(Note: if you are connected with a cartridge manufacturer, please don't view this as a potentially negative point; we hope very much that this software leads to an even greater resurgence in the interest in and adoption of high-end vinyl playback - which also will expand your market base. On the other hand, because of our promotion of Step 2 above, we do anticipate possible backlash from makers of RIAA preamplifiers... unless they recognize the market opportunity for producing a high-end preamp with defeatable RIAA equalization? Consider the benefits of having raw digitized audio sourced from vinyl, RIAA equalized in software, and driving a digital room correction system...)

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