Get Out That Vinyl and Let It Spin

Remember in college when you would have BYOB parties. Well, now that you are all grown up, try a BYOR ('Bring Your Old Records') party...Not bring your iTunes, MP3s, or even CDs, but dust off and bring those old LPs. With a good mix of friends, this promises to be a blast.  But once those records make their big party come-back, then what do you do with them? 

I have a friend who took his vast collection and converted it all to digital format. Sounds like a great idea. But from his description, it was quite a task. It involved a special turntable, a computer, specific software and a whole lot of time. Although he proclaims that it was all well worth it, for me, the time, effort, and technical expertise involved remains rather daunting.

Then the other day I ran across this gadget which is right up my alley...much like the turntable my friend used a few years ago, it plugs into your computer and lets you transfer albums to MP3 format. But this turntable has an added feature...it also has an iPod dock! So, if desired, you can cut out the middleman (the computer)...Seems so much simpler...no hassling with software, firewalls, processor speed, memory capability, etc. Just vinyl to iPod.

Now I haven't tried this out, so I can't speak to the true ease of use or to the music quality (obviously a lot would depend on the shape of your albums). But, with this technological advance, I just might be inspired to drag those LPs up from the basement and...ROCK ON!

If this looks like something you might be into, the ultimate gadget store, Hammacher Schlemmer, has one. But, if you want to comparison shop, a simple Google search for keywords 'turntable' and 'iPod' will lead you to various makes and models.

Warning...you might need to give your kids a history lesson when they see your collection for the first time.

Update on Thursday, December 11, 2008 at 4:35PM by MidLifeMom

I just found this little gadget. It is advertised to convert any type of video or audio to formats compatible with your iPod and computer. You plug it directly into your audio or video player and then to your iPod or any USB supported flash or hard drive. It does the conversion and upload for you. Again, no software to mess with. One reviewer described it as great for the truly 'lazy'. I guess I fit into that category because this is quite appealing to me. So along with the old records, get out your cassette tapes, and home movies on VHS!

This really seems like it has the potential to resurrect a lot of precious memories that were locked away on some ancient format.  I think the coolest thing is that it plugs into a USB-compatible portable hard drive (which are really cheap now).  Not only would you have a 'functional' version to enjoy now, but you could keep an extra copy on an online backup service or burn onto DVD and hide away in the safety deposit box - an easy step to protecting your memories - you know, just in case the house burned down.  Check out Hammacher Schlemmer.