Archiving 78s with Revelation

I am a new Graham Slee owner and forum member, so apologies if this topic has been covered before or if this post is in the wrong section.

I recently inherited a collection of around 800 78s that belonged to my great uncle and I am looking for some advice on archiving these into digital format on my Mac.

At the heart of my system lies the wonderful Graham Slee MM Revelation with a KAB broadcast standard SL1210 Mk5 as the source, powered through a Roksan Caspian M Series 1 integrated amplifier. I also have an Apple 2.6GHz Intel Core Duo Powerbook.

Would anyone be able to recommend a suitable audio interface and software to compliment this system?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

All the best, Gavin.

Thanks for your response – much appreciated.

My technical knowledge is rather limited, so I’ll try and answer your questions as best I can. If any of my answers aren’t clear or you need any further info – just let me know.

I guess primarily the audio interface is for stereo recording of the 78s. I don’t anticipate using it for anything else.

The software would be primarily for archiving/stereo recording of the 78s, but it would be great to be able to manipulate the audio once recorded. For example, reducing the surface noise, which I foresee as being one of the biggest issues. Are there plug-ins for Logic Pro that could address this?

Ultimately I would like to end up with a good quality digital file, so I would take your recommendation on things such as sample rate/quality. The 78s themselves are in superb condition and the Revelation is giving excellent reproduction, so what should I aim for here?

As far as budget goes I would be happy to spend around £1,000, although if you have a solution which you feel is particularly appropriate which is a bit more, then I could accommodate.

All the best, Gavin.

Gavin,

one of the beauties of the AT cartridge is that you connect the wiring exactly as for a stereo cartridge.  Keep it on its own headshell and swap it in as needed.

Do NOT use the Mono switch on the Revelation with this cartridge, treat it as a stereo signal and connect left and right as usual.

Both the interfaces I suggested offer standard RCA socket inputs.

The signal from the Revelation is "line level" and should NOT be connected to a "Phono" input (except in the sense that RCA plugs are sometimes called Phono plugs).

A "Phono" input on an amplifier/preamplifier/recording interface will be intended for direct connection of a turntable output and have an inbuilt RIAA equalisation and preamp section - the Revelation is already already doing all this (and better).

Either connect the Revelation directly to one of the line inputs on the interface or, if your amplifier has a "preamp out" then that can be connected to the interface while the Revelation would be connected to one of the standard line inputs of the amplifier.

This second method, while not my preference, due to increased active circuitry in the path, does allow adjustment of the input level with the preamp volume control.

No change of cabling is required to use the mono cartridge or to change back to a stereo one.

BTW, to get the best performance from this cartridge on the Technics arm, it may be necessary to add mass to the cartridge up to the maximum you can still balance with the counterweight and auxiliary weight.

Afterthought, do be aware that not all products suitable for cleaning LP records (vinyl) are suitable for 78s.  Some may cause damage, particularly if they contain any form of alcohol.