Software Setup for Digitizing Vinyl
Last Updated: 03/18/2025
Software Selection
Once the equipment is connected, the next steps are to decide what software to use on the PC to capture the record's audio and configure the software. Some of the programs that I considered are listed below. Many of these packages have free trials, and a couple are free. ​
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I did not thoroughly review any of these programs. However, since Audacity has many online tutorials, appears on several "best of" lists, and is free, it was the first choice. Although Audacity is often considered less "user-friendly," I found that the abundance of online resources and the program's documentation help to alleviate this complexity.
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Audacity Installation
Audacity can be downloaded from https://www.audacityteam.org/download/. After downloading, run the installer and follow the dialog box prompts.
At the time of this write-up, Audacity was available in Version 3.7.x. The screenshots were taken from this version. Audacity is continually refined and changed, so earlier or later versions may change the user interface. However, the concepts and basic look and feel typically were or will be very similar.
Figure 1. Audacity Installation Wizard
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The FFMPEG utility is also recommended but not supplied within the Audacity installation, so it must be downloaded and installed separately. FFmpeg allows Audacity to import and export a broader range of audio formats, including M4A (AAC), AC3, and WMA. FFmpeg is not a separate app but a codec converter that works in conjunction with Audacity. The instructions linked to the Audacity download page appear to install a version of FFMPEG specific to Audacity. (Note: I could export MP3s without installing FFMPEG, so it may not be needed depending on the desired export formats. Audacity reportedly supports WAV and FLAC directly, but I have not confirmed this.)
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Installation instructions for FFMPEG can be found at https://support.audacityteam.org/basics/installing-ffmpeg. The instructions are as follows.
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Download the installer from https://lame.buanzo.org/ffmpeg.php. For modern Windows, select the "Download for 64-bit Windows" link. This will download a file called "FFmpeg_5.0.0_for_Audacity_on_Windows_x86_64" (or similar).
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​Click "Next" through the installer dialog box prompts to complete the Windows installation, Figure 2.
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During the process of configuring Audacity, I checked that Audacity can see FFMPEG, which is described below.
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Figure 2. FFMPEG Installation Wizard License Agreement
Audacity Setup
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To configure Audacity:
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First, open the program, then under the Edit menu, open the Preferences dialog box.
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In the Preferences dialog box, select Audio Settings. This section has a few settings to check.
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Under the Interface subsection, leave the default setting, which is MME.​
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Under the Playback subsection, one selects the desired playback device, which, in my case, is my receiver. If there are multiple possible playback devices, select the Microsoft Sound Mapper and select the playback device based on the Windows setting; see Figure 3.
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The correct input device must be selected in the Recording subsection. Using the ART Phono Plus connected to a USB port requires selecting the Line (USB Audio CODEC). Since I am capturing stereo vinyl records, the Channels must be set to 2 (Stereo). See Figure 4.
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The Quality subsection settings are where the sampling rate and format are selected; given that this application is to record vinyl, choosing a sampling rate of 44100 (CD Quality) or 48000 is sufficient. Higher rates (in my opinion) don't offer any noticeable improvement. The sample format should be set to 32-bit float. This results in a sample format with way more resolution and dynamic range than needed.
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Figure 3. Configure Playback Device
Figure 4. Configure the Recording Device, Sample Rate, and Sample Size
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Next, if FFMPEG was installed, select the Libraries section of the Preferences dialog box. There is a button called Locate, which, when clicked, will automatically find FFMPEG (assuming the Audacity FFMPEG directions and link were used) and display the version information.
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Optionally, the Default open, save, import, and export directories can be set under the Directories section of the Preferences. If projects are stored in a consistent directory structure, this can make it a bit easier to load and save them.
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Figure 5. Connect to FFMPEG
Figure 6. Optionally Set Default Directories
​​​After Audacity has been configured, the next steps are to test that it is correctly receiving the input signal from the turntable/preamp/ADC and properly set the input levels.