Just remember that any time you convert to digital, you will lose some of that beautiful analog sound, especially if you start compressing the result. Some people claim they can hear the difference between the original analog and even an uncompressed digital conversion.
Having said that, all you really need is the line input of your computer's sound card and some software. A good free program is
Audacity. You can convert your LPs to digital, do some processing, then pick how you'd like to save the result. Other commercial (i.e., you need to buy it) software is available with lots of bells and whistles, but Audacity will get you basic operation for free.
Connect the line output of your system to the line in jack of your computer. The cable will need a 1/8-inch stereo plug for the computer and probably RCA plugs at the other end.
Here's a suitable cable at Radio Shack. Audacity (or whatever you decide on) will take in the audio and convert it initially to an uncompressed WAV format. You can then tinker with cleaning up the sound if you want, adjust equalization, add effects, split an album side into separate tracks.
When you're done, you'll probably want to save the result as some compressed format. There are several, with FLAC or MP3 being commonly used. Rather than go into much detail here, I'll just suggest you use some Google-fu to find out more about them. Then you can make some CDs or load up an iPod, and take your old vinyl favorites on the road.
It's a little time-consuming since you need to play the LPs at regular speed to capture the audio. But if you didn't enjoy listening to them, you wouldn't be wanting to convert them, would you? I do this myself frequently, both with LPs as well as stuff I have on cassette. In fact, if your family has old audio recordings of family members, this is a great way to preserve them and put them in a form that can be easily sent along. All you need is something that can play the original source material.
Have fun! Thanks for using Fixya.
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