Spin It Again

Spin It Again is a dedicated vinyl and tape conversion software utility that revolutionises recording any cassette or LP (33, 45, or 78 rpm) to CD or MP3.
Its difference from the many other utilities for doing this is apparent immediately on installation. Simplicity and ease of use are its forte, yet it does not sacrifice much in providing that. In fact it undoubtedly encourages more users who do not want to be burdened by the undeniable complexities of other popular programs. The software is not limited to recording only from LP or cassette but will accept Microphone, MIDI, Wave, Auxiliary or whatever you'd like. The source for each of these is selected in the Recording Level Adjustment Wizard.

In the process of recording it can remove a variety of noises and imperfections that creep into well used tape and vinyl media. Click, pops, tape hum, needle noise and much more can be removed by simply selecting from a preset menu.

Output files can be in the form of MP3, Ogg, Wave or Wma, suitable for either portable MP3 players or CD. And recordings can be automatically split into their original tracks.

In setting up the program after installation, there is a hookup wizard that plainly walks through the connection procedure with an excellent tutorial video. It is accompanied with a voice for those needing extra encouragement. Really, nobody should get it wrong.

The same screen and every screen thereafter gives access to the variable settings for the program and an extensive help file, and the ever helpful voice tutor.

The next step is to make a recording, and I have chosen to record a vinyl LP, which immediately leads me to set the recording level.
Again there is a wizard that measures volume over a 30-second interval and sets the recommended recording level. I find this tends to err on the side of safety so as never to cause clipping at peak volume, but generally speaking, the level wizard gives excellent results without clipping. Anyway, the recording is automatically normalized afterwards to adjust for this.
Perhaps a little paranoid, I then manually increase this level to my satisfaction while replaying the same section and watching for the clipping. Past experience has taught me that maximum acceptable recording level is invaluable in the final analysis.

This is the recording and edit screen.
The top waveform is the entire recording and the lower waveform is a zoomed view of portion of that. The zoom factor can be quite powerful and is useful in noise reduction and adjusting the start and end of each track.
I have two tracks - 37 minutes and 11 minutes - shown in different colours. A track is determined by its volume, length, and separation from other tracks, and these values can be set individually.
The default values correctly defined my two tracks within the recorded data. Any track can be merged with that on its right with the Merge button, or all tracks can be merged into one using the Clear All button.
The Analyze button will create new tracks based on altered values. Any erroneous tracks created, or extra silence at the beginning or end, can be edited by dragging the track markers. That almost unavoidable click of the needle meeting the vinyl for the first track can also be eliminated this way.
The software will automatically pause when it senses the end of the record so that the record can be flipped over for side two.
Unlike more complex audio editing programs this does not show both channels of stereo, but I don't think that is demanded by a vast majority of potential users.

The Clearing & Effects Preset list is a gift to users.

If a noise reduction effect is loaded, Spin It Again will automatically find a clean noise print between songs which it analyses and uses to remove noise from the entire recording.
Memories of past experience with other software made me almost ecstatic to find out that all effects in Spin It Again are non-destructive effects applied in real-time to the entire recording, and do not change the original recording at all.
When a noise reduction is selected Noise buttons will appear in the zoomed waveform, with 'Next Noise' and 'Show Noise' controls beneath the waveform.
Clicking 'Show Noise' will zoom in on the analyzed spot. The 'Next Noise' button will automatically find the next good noise print and select it.
The noise content can be tested by right clicking on the Noise button and selecting Play Noise Print.
If the noise print is music and not actual noise, it will deteriorate the recording. You might need to try a different Preset.
You can freely switch between presets, then select No Effects, and your audio will play back in its original form completely unchanged.

Following the Next>> button takes us down through naming your recording with Album, Artist and Genre, and then to the productive stage. This is where you will go to determine what format you want; WAV, MP3, OGG or WMA, and where you want it saved.

Or alternatively you can burn your CD directly from here. No external CD burning application is necessary, as Spin it Again uses the Goldenhawk technology burning engine to burn CDs or Audio CDs. I initially had problems here because my burner was not recognized and I had to use the alternative IMAPI ( Image Mastering Applications Programming Interface) engine provided by WindowsXP. This is set in Start> All Programs> Acoustica Spin It Again>Burning Engine> Use-IMAPI (XP Only).
Incompatibility with Goldenhawk is not a problem at all for Win98 users, because we can save the audio files for burning with any CD burning software that we have - from Nero to the freeware CDBurnerXP Pro.

In evaluating this program I have recorded from both classical and popular LPs, burned CDs that are superior to those made earlier on other software, made several MP3 files for my MP3 player, and re-edited original WAV files from my archive of past recordings.

In summary, it is a program that anyone should be able to use effectively straight out of the box. It is just so easy I regret it has taken so long for me to find it.

P.S. Since publication, Acoustica Software have extended a 20% discount to PCUG members buying this software online. Use PCUG as the Coupon Code in the transaction page, a copy of which you can view here.

Enjoy your computing.

Terry Bibo

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