ADS Instant Music

By Michael S. Marsh

So you're a vinyl snob. You're the purist music collector for whom the thought of an ever-growing stack of hot wax inspires a warm glowing feeling deep within the soul. But there's one problem: while vinyl records may be great for reproducing rich tones, they aren't much for longevity, wearing out as they are played.

ADS Technologies created Instant Music to let you continue your obsession with wax while giving you more viable digital copies of the original to play every day. Finding a long-lost 45 or LP at a garage sale and spinning it on a turntable is a coup in itself, and the warm, crackling sound of a needle hitting the grooves is charming indeed. But why not store the same music on a CD or computer to listen to over and over without deterioration and, while you're at it, play it in formats more portable than your old turntable, which, for all your trying, you can't jog or drive with?

Instant Music captures music from analog audio sources—turntables, cassette players or radios—and converts it into digital formats (MP3, WAV, WMA and AAC). The technology is so easy to use, it shouldn't compromise your standing as a die-hard vinyl Luddite. Plug Instant Music into your computer's USB port (it's both Windows- and Mac-compatible), connect it to your stereo's inputs and outputs, and you're ready to go. Once the files have been converted, you can burn them to a CD or archive them to your computer for placing on digital media devices like MP3 players, making your records portable and much more user-friendly.

Instant Music also comes with software to help you arrange your downloads. NeroMIX, Nero SoundTrax and Nero Wave Editor allow you to arrange your music into playlists, customize the sound through the equalizer or added effects, and clean the sound of clicks and hisses. You can also use Verbatim Digital Vinyl CD-Rs to help retain the feel of an old 45. The retro-look discs are grooved like wax albums and a label maker is available.

The ADS Instant Music retails for $49. A pack of 50 Digital Vinyl CD-Rs is $48 and the label maker is $16.90.

Visit www.adstech.com and www.verbatim.com.

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