[Peter Larsen[_3_]]

On 05-10-2015 03:03, Nil wrote:

This was discussed here some time ago, I believe, and I thought I saved
the instructions, but I can't find them, so I hope for some advice...

I want to digitalize a mono LP. I record it to the computer as a stereo
WAV file. What's the best way to make it a mono WAV file?

Sum the channels and be happy, but declick large clicks first, leave the
crackle and the small ones, they are proof of authenticity and great for
testing AD conversion and loudspeakers and their time domain behavior.
If one is dramatically better sounding than the other because of
previous playback with misaligned crap cartridge - a lot of cheap
grammophones offered that as a design feature - then select the best
sounding channel.

My usual
practice has been to pick the best-sounding/least-noisy channel and
eliminate the other. But I recall someone here recommending doing
something like inverting one channel and then summing them in order to
cancel out more noise. That's not it, but something like that.

If you are really in trouble with the sound - applies also to 78 rpm -
try a different tip size, I had one problem lp that needed a poorer
cartridge, otherwise it was unbearably noisy.

If all else fails, you could use something akin to the center channel
extract function of Audition, but beware, it does add artifacts similar
to noise reduction artifacts.

The analog version is to convert to sum and difference and keep only the
sum track. That too focuses on what is common and discards what is
different.

Can someone please steer me in a good direction?

You are on the track already by making a stereo transfer! - try the MS
stereo conversion first, probably the best idea, but only the actual
transfer will tell you which of the above works best.

The record should be clean. If you wash it with dishwasher, then rinse
with slightly acetic water, it will make the water pearl off of the
vinyl and easy to dab off with a cloth and it will remove calcium
deposits if there are some from previous incorrect washing. You can then
washs remaining water off with a record cleaning implement with pure
isopropylic alcohol.

Do if avaliable spray a quality antistatic record cosmetic antistatic
spray on or you will go mad from small noises. QED made some way long
time that are in fact very good.

Kind regards

Peter Larsen