how to convert wav files to half speed

"don ward" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:dward7-778CF6.23312919062008@earthlink.vsrv-sjc.supernews.net...
>I have some 16 2/3 rpm discs to convert to cd. My turntable slowest is
> speed is 33 1/3.
> Can i play the disc at esentially double speed and record as wav file
> an step it down half speed on play back by reducing the sample rate?
> If so what sample rates do i use and playback and how do i make it
> happen
> thanks for any help
> dnw

Yes. Record at 88.2K samples. But instructing the DAW program to downsample
to 44.1 will not make the file play at 1/2 the speed. There are two possible
solutions:

1. Trick the DAW program into saving the 88.2K file with a 44.1 file tag.
2. Just save the file without tricks, and use an external wav tag editing
program to set the tag to 44.1.

I'm sorry that, having not needed this, I don't have more specific steps.
Perhaps someone else can add.

Bob Morein
(310) 237-6511

I'd imagine the EQ might be a bit messed up doing it this way? Then again it
might be the only way, are 16 2/3 turntables really that scarce?

don ward wrote:
> I have some 16 2/3 rpm discs to convert to cd. My turntable slowest is
> speed is 33 1/3.
> Can i play the disc at esentially double speed and record as wav file
> an step it down half speed on play back by reducing the sample rate?
> If so what sample rates do i use and playback and how do i make it
> happen
> thanks for any help
> dnw
Use Audacity to record at the highest sample rate & resolution you can
get with the equipment you've got, ideally 88.2KHz, 24bit, then use the
"Change Tempo" plugin to halve the speed of the file, maintaining the
pitch. Save the result as a 44.1KHz, 16 bit wave file.

There are 2 gotchas, though. First, you may have trouble getting your
cartridge to track the higher frequencies on the LP, which may possibly
damage the LP. Second, you'll need to fiddle with the equalisation to
get it sounding right, as you're applying RIAA equalisation to a signal
an octave higher than it should be.

If you google for 16 rpm turntable, there are a few available for about
GBP 300, & you could always sell it on after you've done the project.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:45:48 +0100, John Williamson
<[email protected]> wrote:

>> I have some 16 2/3 rpm discs to convert to cd. My turntable slowest is
>> speed is 33 1/3.
>> Can i play the disc at esentially double speed and record as wav file
>> an step it down half speed on play back by reducing the sample rate?
>> If so what sample rates do i use and playback and how do i make it
>> happen
>> thanks for any help
>> dnw
>Use Audacity to record at the highest sample rate & resolution you can
>get with the equipment you've got, ideally 88.2KHz, 24bit,

Why the high sample rate? Your playback system isn't magically going
to increase its bandwidth just because you're playing a disk at double
speed.

>then use the
>"Change Tempo" plugin to halve the speed of the file, maintaining the
>pitch. Save the result as a 44.1KHz, 16 bit wave file.

Want to think through that again? :-)

Laurence Payne wrote:
> On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:45:48 +0100, John Williamson
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>> I have some 16 2/3 rpm discs to convert to cd. My turntable slowest is
>>> speed is 33 1/3.
>>> Can i play the disc at esentially double speed and record as wav file
>>> an step it down half speed on play back by reducing the sample rate?
>>> If so what sample rates do i use and playback and how do i make it
>>> happen
>>> thanks for any help
>>> dnw
>> Use Audacity to record at the highest sample rate & resolution you can
>> get with the equipment you've got, ideally 88.2KHz, 24bit,
>
> Why the high sample rate? Your playback system isn't magically going
> to increase its bandwidth just because you're playing a disk at double
> speed.
>
Slightly better quality & frequency response after downsampling.
Marginal, I know, but with disc space being so cheap....
I work on the basis that I can always lose data afterwards if I want to,
but I can never regain what's not there to start with.

>> then use the
>> "Change Tempo" plugin to halve the speed of the file, maintaining the
>> pitch. Save the result as a 44.1KHz, 16 bit wave file.
>
> Want to think through that again? :-)

<Slaps forehead>
D'oh!

It's been a short night, I was working until 3. Change pitch *and* speed....

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

"Laurence Payne" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:a22n54504vkk4efhn7tqotl75mcr4pe4vm@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:45:48 +0100, John Williamson
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>> I have some 16 2/3 rpm discs to convert to cd. My turntable slowest is
>>> speed is 33 1/3.
>>> Can i play the disc at esentially double speed and record as wav file
>>> an step it down half speed on play back by reducing the sample rate?
>>> If so what sample rates do i use and playback and how do i make it
>>> happen
>>> thanks for any help
>>> dnw
>>Use Audacity to record at the highest sample rate & resolution you can
>>get with the equipment you've got, ideally 88.2KHz, 24bit,
>
> Why the high sample rate? Your playback system isn't magically going
> to increase its bandwidth just because you're playing a disk at double
> speed.
>
>>then use the
>>"Change Tempo" plugin to halve the speed of the file, maintaining the
>>pitch. Save the result as a 44.1KHz, 16 bit wave file.
>
> Want to think through that again? :-)

My personal choice would be to record in 24 and dither down to 16. I know
some people are sure it doesn't matter, but I'm not convinced. Perhaps you
might say that the disk is bound to have bad audio qualities. But still...

Bob Morein
(310) 237-6611

On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:45:48 +0100, John Williamson wrote:

> don ward wrote:
>> I have some 16 2/3 rpm discs to convert to cd. My turntable slowest is
>> speed is 33 1/3.
>> Can i play the disc at esentially double speed and record as wav file
>> an step it down half speed on play back by reducing the sample rate?
>> If so what sample rates do i use and playback and how do i make it
>> happen
>> thanks for any help
>> dnw
> Use Audacity to record at the highest sample rate & resolution you can
> get with the equipment you've got, ideally 88.2KHz, 24bit, then use the
> "Change Tempo" plugin to halve the speed of the file, maintaining the
> pitch. Save the result as a 44.1KHz, 16 bit wave file.

Why maintain pitch? You want to have everybody sound like the Chipmunks
singing slow?

>
> There are 2 gotchas, though. First, you may have trouble getting your
> cartridge to track the higher frequencies on the LP, which may possibly
> damage the LP. Second, you'll need to fiddle with the equalisation to
> get it sounding right, as you're applying RIAA equalisation to a signal
> an octave higher than it should be.
>
> If you google for 16 rpm turntable, there are a few available for about
> GBP 300, & you could always sell it on after you've done the project.

Mike Dobony wrote:
> Why maintain pitch? You want to have everybody sound like the Chipmunks
> singing slow?
>
<Makes note to self>
Never post after less than 3 hours sleep.

On the other hand, it *could* be the Next Big Thing in the charts. ;-)

"John Williamson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:6c3q6nF3e9dm9U1@mid.individual.net...
> On the other hand, it *could* be the Next Big Thing in the charts. ;-)

Stranger things have happened :-)

On Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:31:30 -0700, don ward <[email protected]>
wrote:

>I have some 16 2/3 rpm discs to convert to cd. My turntable slowest is
>speed is 33 1/3.
>Can i play the disc at esentially double speed and record as wav file
>an step it down half speed on play back by reducing the sample rate?
>If so what sample rates do i use and playback and how do i make it
>happen


What wave editor program do you have available? You need the function
labelled either "Pitch Shift" or "Time Stretch" - two ways of looking
at the same thing. But you want pitch AND speed to go down by a
factor of two. Look for the option that preserves pitch (while time
stretching) or that preserves length (while pitch shifting) and turn
it off.

The eq will be all wrong. Maybe not too much of an issue as 16rpm
disks were generally used for speech recordings. But see if you can
improve the result with your editor's eq.