recording

To convert LP records to MP3s or CDs, you'll need a stereo with a working turntable and phono preamp you can plug into your PC via the Mic or line-in jacks, or a USB turntable with a built-in phono amp. You'll also need software designed to convert analog audio to digital and clean it up by removing ticks, pops, and surface noise. We've tried many such tools, yet we've often gone back to Golden Records Vinyl to CD Converter from NCH Software, which also converts tapes and other analog audio sources.

Before installing and setting up … Read more

Debut Video Recording Software Professional Version from NCH Software turns your computer into a flexible, capable video capture and recording device. It can record video from a wide range of sources, including VHS VCRs, and save it in many formats; it can also capture screenshots and save them as JPEG stills. It will even capture and record video playing on your PC's screen. When all else fails but you've just got to save that clip, Debut can save the day.

Debut detected our video capture and playback devices, but it will automatically configure itself as a screen capture … Read more

The Zoom H1 Handy Portable Digital Recorder is exactly what the name claims. Measuring just 8x2x5 inches it's very portable, and this little thing records high-quality WAV files at 44.1- to 96-KHz sampling rates with 16-bit or 24-bit resolution.

If you're more interested in maximum recording time, it can also do MP3 files at 48Kbps to 320Kbps. The H1 records on microSD cards and comes with a 2GB card. Step up to a 32 GB microSD card and you'll get over 50 hours of recording time at 16-bit/44.1KHz.

I first wrote about Zoom products in late 2007, and came away really impressed with the company's H2 recorder's sound quality. The H1 doesn't replace the H2, but it's a more evolved design, and goes for just $99!

Connectivity is pretty basic; there's a 3.5mm mic input, a 3.5mm headphone output, and a USB 2.0 port. You can monitor the H1's sound over headphones, or in a pinch with the recorder's tiny built-in speaker. Zoom claims the single AA battery should last 10 hours, but I only got 5 or 6 hours.… Read more

Among all the exciting news at the iPad 2 event today, Apple announced that GarageBand will be coming to the iPad. Already a part of the Mac's iLife suite (latest update for Mac here), GarageBand lets you make music using prerecorded clips as well as your own real-time recordings to lay down multiple-track songs.

At the event, the director of music marketing for Apple, Xander Soren, gave a rundown of the main features for GarageBand on the iPad. It offers Touch Instruments, guitar amps and effects, eight-track recording and mixing, more than 250 loops to play with, and you can export an AAC file of your project through e-mail.… Read more

For those who have been longing for iLife-quality apps on the iPad, iMovie just might be the start of something special. The new iMovie app demoed at today's iPad 2 event looks like it will deliver something significantly more advanced than the disappointing iMovie app for the iPhone 4.

The app will support multitrack audio recording, same-timeline scrubbing and clipping, gesture support, and even a waveform editor for audio. A voice-over track can be added via the iPad's built-in microphone.

Instant video sharing support includes YouTube, FaceBook, Vimeo, CNN iReport, and iTunes. The app also supports AirPlay for … Read more

In an age of shrinking music sales and disappearing revenue, Atlantic Records is trying to put all of its resources to work.

Take Atlantic's Web site, AtlanticRecords.com, for example. Most label sites offer little more than a list of their acts and some promotional materials, but Atlantic is trying to give visitors a reason to stick around.

The label, part of Warner Music Group, dug into the vaults and began digitizing old photos, concert posters, and recorded interviews involving some of the iconic acts it has represented over 63 years. Managers unearthed signer Ray Charles' first contract (he … Read more

Keeping track of the time spent on different projects can be the bane of the freelancer's existence. HourGuard Time Sheet is a great option for writers, designers, attorneys, consultants, and other people who bill by the hour to both track their time and create invoices.

The program's interface is plain and intuitive. A few buttons across the top give you access to the program's major features. A pane on the left displays a list of tasks that you have created. To track your time, simply click the task you're about to start on and then click … Read more

The Eight Track Museum opens on Monday in the Deep Ellum arts district of Dallas. If you're under 40 you may have never seen or heard an 8-track audio tape. The 5.25x4x.8 inch plastic tape cartridge was big and bulky, but it became wildly popular in cars in the 1960s. An 8-track cartridge contains a continuous loop of quarter-inch tape. The ends of the tape are linked by a metal foil splice, and the tape is divided along its length into 8 channels, or tracks (hence the name).

Bucks Burnett, 52, is the force behind the creation … Read more

As we draw closer to the release of the iPad 2, the Apple rumor sites are heating up, with the usual speculation and research into hidden clues about what the new device will be like. Rumors about faster processor speed and front- and rear-facing cameras have been out there for a while, but an article over at AppleInsider breaks down what types of the iPad 2 Apple is banking on selling most.

The first iPad came in Wi-Fi-only and 3G/Wi-Fi varieties. But with the introduction of iOS devices to Verizon, Apple has needed to make some adjustments to the hardware to make sure it works on all carriers.

According to the article, Apple is expected to offer three variations of the iPad 2: a Wi-Fi only version, a GSM/UMTS version for AT&T, and a CDMA/EV-DO version for Verizon.

AppleInsider reports that Apple is producing more of the 3G-enabled models than the others and concludes that the company thinks most people will opt for the 3G version over just Wi-Fi.

It's tough to say what Apple is really planning, but if you were going to buy an iPad 2 at launch, which variation would you buy? Let me know in the comments.

This week's apps include an app that lets you bring two turntables anywhere and a platform game that's so difficult you can't stop playing.… Read more