Decks To Computer Options

[tom2323]

what do i need to hopefully burn a mix c.d. want to link my decks to my g4 imac?

[xingu]

Not sure exactly what you're trying to do, but why not rip songs directly from the cd into iTunes and make your mix from there?

[robrecord]

Nice idea, but if all your tunes are on vinyl, it's no help.

Forgive me if I'm being patronising during this, but I have no idea what your level of experience is. You need to do this:

Connect your decks to the mixer. Your decks need more amplification than a normal unit (eg. a CD player) - and need an earth connection too - so you can't just connect them straight into your mac, for example.

Then just connect the output of the mixer to the input on your mac, using a '2 phonos to stereo mini-jack' adapter. The 'record' output on your mixer is the best to use for this purpose, if you have one - this makes sure the volume is consistent, and is not controlled by the 'master or 'booth' volume controls.

If your iMac does't have a sound input (this might be only reason why you made this post - I dunno) you need to get an audio interface. On the cheap, a USB one could be good, or for more cash, a Firewire interface provides more channels. For this purpose, the cheapest USB interface will be cool. I don't know what's available, but check a few reviews out before you buy - they're not all good. Connect it up and away you go.

Extra info about mixing into a digital recorder (ie. your iMac):

Put your first record on, making sure the gain on the mixer channel is set so the loudest parts of the tune just hit the level meter's '0 dB' mark and no more. Try and keep your gains under control during the mix, using the '0 dB' mark for reference - whilst helping to keep the mix sounding smoother, it also reduces the possibility of overloading your soundcard - which could sound nasty.

Record your mix using an audio recording program - any will do, but having one with editing facilities is a bonus - you can chop off any periods of silence from the beginning and end. Make sure the input gain is set at about -3dB or -6dB. This gives you some headroom, in case of unexpected loud bits. Keep an eye on the amount of time you've recorded, remembering that an audio CD contains either 74 or 80 minutes total. This equates to 650 or 700Mb of data, so make sure you have enough hard disk space.

Then use a program like iTunes or Toast to burn to CD.

Hope this is what you wanted. Need any more info?

[xingu]

I'm not a vinyl guy at all, so my bad for the oversight. Come to think of it, I don't know how I interpreted 'decks' as 'cd player' - if anything, tape cassette would have made sense, but I digress...

No, the G4 iMacs don't have an audio input, so yes, you'll have to grab an interface. On the cheap, Griffin's iMic seems to be a suitable choice. For editing, give Spark ME a try - it's free. Other than that, robrecord has laid the rest out for you.