Laserdisc PCM Capture Guide

[ilpubzo5ie]

The Domesday Duplicator has several advantages. You will get a superior video quality over almost all other setups in most of the cases and you will get perfect results on digital audio and you will get all audio tracks (Analog/AC3, PCM/DTS) at the same time. Last time I checked analog audio quality was not as good as it should be but there was a lot of work done on it since.

Besides the huge amount of pace you'll need, processing takes like forever. But quality wise it is the way to go.

[kiyoakiwah]

The Domesday Duplicator has several advantages. You will get a superior video quality over almost all other setups in most of the cases and you will get perfect results on digital audio and you will get all audio tracks (Analog/AC3, PCM/DTS) at the same time. Last time I checked analog audio quality was not as good as it should be but there was a lot of work done on it since.

Besides the huge amount of pace you'll need, processing takes like forever. But quality wise it is the way to go.

i'm pretty sure convential captures are still preffered for all analog/digital audio types except CX

[stwd4nder2]

i'm pretty sure convential captures are still preffered for all analog/digital audio types except CX

domesday has some nice features that make it better for analogue audio captures. A big one being able to combine multiple captures to reduce any dropouts.
For digital, assuming you're doing a bit-perfect capture, the end result should be the same.

[kiyoakiwah]

i'm pretty sure convential captures are still preffered for all analog/digital audio types except CX

domesday has some nice features that make it better for analogue audio captures. A big one being able to combine multiple captures to reduce any dropouts.
For digital, assuming you're doing a bit-perfect capture, the end result should be the same.

if you want to do multiple captures / have multiple discs sure, but a key word is "should".. digital DdD audio still has a problem with dropouts and whatnot that don't exist conventionally

[ilpubzo5ie]

i'm pretty sure convential captures are still preffered for all analog/digital audio types except CX

domesday has some nice features that make it better for analogue audio captures. A big one being able to combine multiple captures to reduce any dropouts.
For digital, assuming you're doing a bit-perfect capture, the end result should be the same.

if you want to do multiple captures / have multiple discs sure, but a key word is "should".. digital DdD audio still has a problem with dropouts and whatnot that don't exist conventionally

I haven't experienced that. Did you open an issue in GitHub and provide an example? Usually the devs are very interested in hearing those issues.

[david49120]

This guide is for doing bit perfect (identical to source) captures of the digital PCM track on Laserdiscs. In general you only need a few things, and the process is very simple. The thing that complicates it is that there is a whole slew of audio interfaces, sound cards, and recording software out there, each with their own quirks and processes. This guide is mainly based on the hardware and software I'm using, but it should still be handy for all since the basic concepts will be the same. So I just want to say up front that I don't think this is the way, just a way. If you use something different or have any suggestions please feel free to leave a reply.

1. Hardware setup



The hardware setup for the capture is pretty straightforward: your Laserdisc player outputs a digital signal via its optical output that is routed into your PC and captured via recording software. The thing that is not so straight forward is making sure nothing happens to the signal between the Laserdisc player and the file that ends up on your drive. There are 2 places where you will commonly get snagged when trying to achieve bit perfect capture: the audio interface and the recording software. Even if a cheap consumer soundcard has a digital input, it's unlikely to support a wide range of sample rates and will just re-sample everything to a certain rate (48 kHz for instance). Because of this, it's absolutely crucial you use a sound card that supports ASIO and can pass through 44.1kHz signals without altering them. In general, pro music recording gear is the best option for both analog and digital capture.

2. Audio Device Config

Once your hardware is all setup and connected, the first thing to do is open the control panel for your audio device and make sure everything is setup correctly for 16-bit digital capture at 44.1 kHz. For instance, on my ESI the input method needs toggled between Digital and Analog, and the Digital input can be toggled between several sampling rates for capture. It's possible your device may automatically capture at the right rate, but I would recommend always installing the driver software and double checking things



3.Recording Software
I tried a ton of different software I saw recommended online for capturing bit perfect, and had no luck with anything except for Cockos Reaper. While it's not free, it does have a full featured 60 day trial that should give you plenty of time to decide if its worth shelling out the 60 bones for. I also use it for syncing (a guide for another day), so for me it was more than worth the price tag. There are just a couple things to do in Reaper before you can begin recording:

- In Preferences, set the Audio System to ASIO:



- Back in the main window, confirm the sample rate on the top right is 44.1 (don't worry about the 24-bit, it won't affect 16-bit captures)
- Create a new track with stereo inputs as shown below. Note that even if the track on the LD is mono you still need to capture it as stereo.
- Arm the track for recording and you are ready to record.



- After recording your track, go to File->Render and copy the following settings:



4. So is it Bit Perfect?

Now that you have a recorded track, you're probably wondering if its really bit perfect or not. Unfortunately there's no easy way for us to compare what we recorded back to what's actually on the Laserdisc, but there is a method where you burn a test CD and play it back in your Laserdisc player. Please see my post on the Bit Perfect Testkit for instructions and more information.

Thanks Man ! I try before to rip my lds AC3 and it's working !