Should I apply RIAA curve to a vinyl rip from laptop?

[creaseycj]

I was able to plug my aux cable from my mic input on my laptop to my headphone input on my record player and recorded at loudest volume possible without clipping in Audacity. My question is should I apply an RIAA curve equalization to the recording? The audio sounds good in the highs, average in the mids and poor in the lows which is why I ask. Also, I have a pretty poor record player and the stylus/needle is of rather cheap quality as well so maybe that has something to do with it but I wouldn't image it would be that big of a difference. Should I also Normalize each channel separately or singly and apply a Dynamic Compression?

[Audioarchivist]

Originally Posted by creaseycj

I was able to plug my aux cable from my mic input on my laptop to my headphone input on my record player and recorded at loudest volume possible without clipping in Audacity. My question is should I apply an RIAA curve equalization to the recording? The audio sounds good in the highs, average in the mids and poor in the lows which is why I ask. Also, I have a pretty poor record player and the stylus/needle is of rather cheap quality as well so maybe that has something to do with it but I wouldn't image it would be that big of a difference. Should I also Normalize each channel separately or singly and apply a Dynamic Compression?

No offense meant, but, if I were you, I'd just press "delete" on that attempt and try again...
First off, a headphone out has a noisy headphone amplifier circuit. Awful for getting any kind of real clean signal...
Second, that headphone out (if the volume is under control!) is basically at a line level output. The microphone plug on your laptop is meant for a microphone level input, not a line in... Plus, almost all mic inputs are mono.
Third, the reason that a vinyl rip is enjoyed is usually the rich dynamics that vinyl has vs. their CD counterparts that have been dynamically compromised from aggressive "loudness wars" mega-compression. The best vinyl rips are pure and raw. Don't EQ and compress them!
I think your biggest problem is that you've got a "record player" and not a "turntable". I appreciate your eagerness to share, but, nobody will be happy with a sub-par transfer. I recommend some pawn-shop shopping to find a "real" classic oldschool turntable and a vintage amp to plug it into, and getting some sort of external USB soundcard with a real line input to capture sound with some kind of integrity. Making these changes will make a HUGE difference! A slab of vinyl should sound like good music, not the crap that you're describing that it sounds like! haha!
Good luck, and keep trying.

[creaseycj]

I've done the exact same method as above to rip my cassettes as well, should I also look for a different method to rip them as well?

[GRC]

What 'record player' is under discussion here?

[creaseycj]

I wont disclose what record player it is but the rips are in fact in stereo. I also checked out my sound card specs just now and it to receives a stereo signal so everything was recorded properly. I'm going to assume the the issue is the cartridge since it is a "cheap" record player which is why it's not getting much bass.

[Audioarchivist]

Stereo, mono, whatever. It's still a mic input not a line input. Unless you've got a hyper-souped-up laptop made for hardcore audiophiles, the built-in soundcard is cheap. Super cheap! Like, it probably cost the company pennies to make. It will not do a good job on any musical sounds. It's made for skype and applications like that, not for seriously recording anything. You kinda get the quality that you pay for. Plus, a built in soundcard (even one that does have a line input) will pick up a lot of interference from the electrical storm happening inside your CPU. You'll get a drastic jump in signal-to-noise ratio with a good AD/DA converter that's located outside of your computer and away from all that interference....

And, yes, while the cart on the crap turntable is also probably crappy, the lack of low end response is due to a lack of a suitable preamp for the turntable and all the other weak links in your audio chain.

I really recommend looking into getting a USB external audio card of quality. That will improve your experiences in both capturing audio from both the crappy turntable and your tapes. Yes, I think you should look for a different method to do tapes!

[GRC]

Originally Posted by creaseycj

I wont disclose what record player it is

Oh, well. Stick.

[Dan33185]

Originally Posted by creaseycj

I wont disclose what record player it is

Some kind of covert operation?

[mdshrk1]

Shame?