Final Vinyl User Manual ™
Table of Contents: Getting Started iMic Setup Final Vinyl Setup Final Vinyl Controls Recording from a Turntable Recording and Monitoring Audio Playing Back Audio More About EQ Settings AU Effects Other Action Menu Items Using Auto Mark: Configuration Using Auto Mark: Saving Individual Tracks Importing/Exporting Files Troubleshooting
Getting Started Hello, and welcome to Final Vinyl, stereo recording and editing software from Griffin. Final Vinyl was originally created for use with Griffin iMic, to make it easier to digitize your record collection. But iMic and Final Vinyl have many more uses, besides.
iMic Setup Plug your audio device into iMic’s In jack, and plug iMic into an unused USB port on your computer. iMic has a selector switch on the side; for most turntables, this switch should be set to MIC level. If your device has its own preamp, switch to Line. To make sure you are getting signal into your computer: 1. Open System Preferences and click on the Sound icon. 2. You will see three tabs: Sound Effects, Output, and Input. Select Input, and make sure that “iMic USB audio system” is highlighted.
Final Vinyl Setup 1. Now we’re ready to install and launch Final Vinyl. To ensure you get the latest version for your operating system, please download the software from our website: http://www.griffintechnology.com/support/products/imic 2. Open Final Vinyl from your Applications folder. With Final Vinyl open, go to Final Vinyl > Preferences, and select “General.” Under Device, select “iMic USB Audio System.” Close the Preferences window.
1. Zoom Slider: Allows you to zoom in and out of the recorded waveform, to view it in more or less detail for editing and placing marks. Final Vinyl Controls 2. Playthrough/Monitor Button: Allows you to hear the audio that is coming into Final Vinyl, whether or not you are actually recording it. 3. Action Menu: Tools for editing your recording: equalizers, effects, and Auto Mark function. 7. Editing Controls: The editing commands you use most.
Recording from a Turntable To make the audio sound normal, many turntables need a special filter setting, known as the “RIAA Curve.” Your old home stereo’s turntable input had a special equalization circuit built into it (remember when stereos had “Phono” inputs?). Final Vinyl recreates this equalization curve using digital signal processing. 1. To add this turntable filter, select “Effects” from the Action Menu. A new window will pop open, labeled “Effect View.” 2.
Recording and Monitoring Audio You’re ready to start recording with Final Vinyl. You may use any audio device you choose; here, we use a turntable as an example. 1. Press the Record button; Final Vinyl will start recording. If you wish to monitor the incoming audio, click the “Playthrough/ Monitor” button. The Playthrough button works whether you are recording or not. 2. Start your turntable and place the needle on the record.
Playing Back Audio You will know when Final Vinyl is ready to play back your recording when the waveform is visible in the window. 1. To play the recording, press the Play button (or press the space bar on your keyboard). You can use the Zoom slider to view the waveform in greater detail. When you are zoomed in, you can use the horizontal scroll bar at the bottom of the waveform display to move forward (right) and backward (left) through the recording. 2.
More About EQ Settings The sliders in the EQ window let you set the bass, treble, and mid-range to control the way your music sounds. The Gain slider at the far right of the EQ window will increase or decrease the overall volume within a range of +/- 20dB. Once you have the EQ settings the way you want them, press the “Apply” button, and Final Vinyl applies the settings to the recorded audio.
Adding and Removing Effects Final Vinyl allows you to add multiple effects to your recording. 1. Click the ”+” button and choose the effect you wish to add. You can add as many as you want, going back and forth among them and changing settings to get the best possible sound. 2. If you want to remove a specific effect, just click on that effect to highlight it in the list, then click the ”-” button right beside the ”+” button. 3.
AU Effects In the provided Effects list, you will see many names preceded by “AU.” Audio Units (AU) are a set of Apple-designed plug-ins provided by Core Audio in Mac OS X. AU are used by Macintosh applications such as GarageBand, SoundTrack Pro, Logic Express, Logic Pro, Final Cut Pro, and most 3rd party audio software developed for Mac OS X.
Other Action Menu Items 1. Auto Mark: This is a function that places marks in silent areas of your recording, such as the spaces between songs. This provides an easy, automatic way to separate your recording into multiple tracks. 2. Clear All Marks: As the name implies, this action item removes Marks you may have placed in your waveform. 3. Insert Silence: This function allows you to insert a pre-determined length of silence anywhere in the recording.
Using Auto Mark: Configuration If you have recorded an entire album as one waveform, you may want to save the tracks as separate files. Position the time tracking cursor where you want a split to occur, and press the “Insert Marker” button. Final Vinyl can automate this process for you. Choose “Auto Mark” from the Action menu. Final Vinyl will then search your recording for silent areas, and automatically place marks.
Using Auto Mark: Saving Individual Tracks So, you’ve recorded one side of an album and want to save just one song (or region). If you have set marks to split up your recording, you can save a single marked area (instead of the entire recording) by selecting “Save Track (...) As…” in the File drop-down menu at the top of your screen. The number of the region where your cursor is positioned will be the one showing in the “Save As” menu.
Importing/Exporting Files Final Vinyl can read and write many of the most popular file formats. 1. Importing: If you have a file that does not show up as one that Final Vinyl can “open,” directly, you will likely be able to “import” it, instead. Select “Import” from the File Menu, and choose the file you want to import. Final Vinyl will import any audio file supported by your currently-installed version of QuickTime. 2.
Troubleshooting Need help? We are constantly working to improve our products. You can find the latest FAQs and software downloads on our website: http://www.griffintechnology.com/support/products/imic/ At Griffin, we back all of our products with the best technical support in the business. In the unlikely event that you will need further assistance, call 800-208-5996, and you will be greeted by live human beings who are familiar with Griffin products.
