Digitizing Vinyl-Recording

Digitally Recording a Vinyl Record

Last Updated: 03/19/2025

Audacity User Interface

Before recording, it's helpful to become familiar with aspects of the Audacity user interface. Figure 1 displays the main window, where key interface elements used for vinyl recording are highlighted in yellow rectangles. Labels for each highlighted element are provided in gray boxes with arrows pointing to the elements. Audacity was actively recording when this figure was captured. The audio tracks are visible; however, this screen section appears blank at startup.

Below are the essential controls for recording and initial editing of audio tracks. For a complete user interface overview, refer to the Audacity User Guide.

Transport Toolbar: This toolbar includes buttons for recording, stopping, pausing, and playing recordings.
Edit Toolbar: This toolbar includes tools for viewing audio tracks, particularly zoom-in and out controls.
Recording Level Toolbar: Shows and adjusts the recording level for the session.
Time Toolbar: This shows the current elapsed time from the beginning of the track.

The position of each toolbar can be adjusted according to user preference by dragging the individual toolbar or by adjusting the window size. For instance, narrowing a window causes the toolbars to shift and wrap vertically.

The main Audacity Application Window Showing Main UI Components

Figure 1. Audacity User Interface

Setting Recording Levels

Before starting the recording process, it's best to check that Audacity is receiving audio correctly from the turntable and, if so, to set the recording level. My setup has an external phono preamp with its own volume control, which adds an extra step that others may not have. Here are the steps I used to set the recording volume level.

Find a loud section of music and start playing that section. Optionally, a section of audio can be selected and then looped by selecting the loop tool.
On the phono preamp (see Figure 2), increase the GAIN TRIM knob (highlighted in yellow) until the CLIP LED starts to flash red. Then, back off slightly until the CLIP LED stops blinking to reduce the clipping of the signal. The goal is to adjust the preamp to achieve the loudest output signal without noticeable clipping (or distortion).
Again, ensure that the loudest section of the record is being played, then click the Record button in the Audacity Transport Toolbar (see Figure 1). An audio track window will open, and the recording will start.
Next, adjust the recording level by dragging the small circle icon in the Recording Level Toolbar (shown in the upper right of Figure 1). During the recording, the green bars will follow the audio level and turn red when the level approaches 0 dB. The goal is to keep the loudest audio level between -2 dB and -4 dB. The goal is to set the level to avoid the Recording toolbar reaching 0 dB because Audacity will clip (and distort) any signal above this level.
Once satisfied with the level, Stop the recording and close and delete the current audio tracks.

ART USB Phono Plus (Phono Preamp) Front Panel

Figure 2. Adjusting Phono Preamp Volume

Recording

Now comes the easy part: capturing the audio of the vinyl record in a digital format. Usually, when starting a new recording, it's simpler to close all previous recordings and open a new recording window from the File menu (or type Ctrl-N).

Start playing a record and optionally wait for the needle to drop into the lead-in groove.
In Audacity, click the Record button.
Let the entire side of the record play while capturing in Audacity. Unfortunately, there is no simple way to speed up the album's recording, so it is played in real-time.
1. It is usually recommended to capture the whole album (both sides) in one Audacity project file. Doing so simplifies labeling and exporting later. When recording both sides, the recording is Paused (or Stopped) at the end of the first side. The record is flipped. Playing starts on the second side of the record, Audacity is un-paused, and the second is captured. At the end of the second side, Stop the recording and save the Audacity project file (see Figure 3).
2. Sometimes, recording one side at a time can be more convenient. In that case, after recording one side and then stopping and saving the recording, the second could be recorded separately and appended to the first in the same project file.
3. It is also possible to record each side in a separate project file in entirely separate sessions. Having separate project files for each album side can slightly complicate the exporting process. Specifically, when exporting songs as individual files, the track numbering for the songs on the second side of the album may need to be adjusted in the exported files. Alternately, in Audacity, it is possible to open the two project files, copy the recording of the second side into the first side's project file, and append side 2 to side 1.

It is usually recommended to start recording before or immediately after the needle hits the vinyl album and wait a few seconds after the end of the last song on the side before stopping the recording. These recording sections will contain a few seconds of the vinyl album's background noise, which can be used later to help reduce noise.

Figure 3. Save Project listed under the File Menu

Audacity main window with recording open.

Figure 4. A full (single side) recording of an Album

Once the recording is complete, the project file needs to be saved. Figure 3 shows the menu structure for the Save Project command. Figure 4 displays a single-sided album recording (use Ctrl-f to zoom out fully). The next step involves the potentially time-consuming task of refining the recording to enhance it and eliminate clicks, pops, and noise from the captured audio. This will be addressed on a separate page.

Merging Two Project Files

When two separate project files are recorded, one for each side of the album, merging them into one file makes the export process a little simpler. This way, Audacity can automatically number the tracks correctly (which eliminates having to edit metadata after the songs are exported). Various tutorials recommend many ways to accomplish this, but most seem overly complex. The simplest method I have found is a cut-paste method described in the following steps.

This method should be used only after the initial clean-up stage, and the files have been normalized. Normalizing before merging ensures no volume mismatch between the two sides.
Open the two project files. For this example called, side-1 and side-2
On the side-2 file, select the entire wave file. (Click on the Track Control Panel or click on the audio track and type Ctrl-A).
Copy the audio to the clipboard via menus by selecting Edit➞Copy or typing Ctrl-C.
Select the side-1 file. Place the cursor at the very end of the side-1 audio track. Ensuring the cursor is at the end of the track is important.
Paste the clipboard into side-1 by either typing Ctrl-V or, from the menus, selecting Edit➞Paste. The side-2 audio is appended as a separate clip after the side-1 audio clip.
The two clips can be joined into one by selecting the Join command. First, using the cursor, choose a small bit of the end of side-1 and drag the cursor also to select a small bit of the beginning of side-2. Then, use the menus to select Edit➞Audio Clips➞Join. The two clips become one.
Finally, save the project.

Another method that avoids careful cursor placement is the following:

Steps 1-4 from above are the same.
In the side-1 project, select Tracks➞Add New➞Stereo Track. This command creates an empty track below.
Select the empty track and Paste (Ctrl-V) into it.
Click on the light blue bar at the top edge of the audio track, hold the mouse button down, and drag the audio track up and immediately after the original track. Release the mouse button. Both clips are now back-to-back in the side-1 audio track.
Delete the empty track, then do steps 7 and 8 from the above.

Next: Pre-Clean Up