Recording with USB turntables
- Peter 30Dec12: Not directly no. The Recording with USB turntables page in the manual does not mention this, but does provide a link to the Wiki from the "Troubleshooting" section at the bottom of the page which goes to: http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/USB_turntables#Recordings_too_loud_or_soft . The note div there contains the advice re using RCA outputs. But I suspect that this is a bit tortuous and hidden for most readers.
ToDo-2 I will find some time to put the RCA advice directly on this page as it does arise such a lot.
Audacity is often included with USB turntables and is suitable for recording from any USB turntable model, using the instructions on this page.
USB turntables connect to the computer's USB port and are used to transfer records to digital audio files (from which audio CDs can be burnt). This is very useful if your computer doesn't have the necessary line-in port for digitizing LPs with a conventional turntable. USB turntables often include a line input to which standard tape decks or similar sources can be connected for transfer to the computer.
Please see the Audacity Wiki page on USB Turntables for a fuller discussion of the operation of these devices.
Ensure the Audacity software is up to date
Make sure you have a current version of the Audacity software as the software provided on the turntable manufacturer's CD can be out-of-date. Note that neither the version number of the CD nor that of any guides produced by the manufacturers relates to the version of Audacity. To check your current version of Audacity, click in the program (or on OS X). Then go to the Audacity download site and, if needed, grab the latest Audacity download for your operating system.
Manufacturer's guides
There can be confusion about the guides provided with the turntables, which are written by the turntable manufacturer rather than by Audacity. Sometimes the guides supplied with the turntables are out-of-date, or have errors. These are the main errors that you may come across:
- You don't need to select a stereo mix input anywhere.
- Audacity Preferences are not under the menu except in the legacy 1.0.0 version of Audacity which is only appropriate for Mac users on OS 9. Preferences are under the menu, or under the menu on OS X.
- You do not need to select each time you launch Audacity. Monitoring the input is optional and allows you to hear the turntable through the computer speakers just like an ordinary turntable whenever it's playing, without having to record. If you want to select , you need to have the Meter Toolbar enabled (note: NOT the Mixer Toolbar that some guides state). Instructions on this are below.
Set up Audacity to record from the turntable
Connect the USB cable of the turntable to the computer, then launch Audacity. If Audacity was already running when you connected the cable, restart Audacity or choose .
- Set the Audacity Project Rate in the Selection Toolbar at the bottom left of the Audacity screen to 44100 Hz
.
- Use Device Toolbar to set the input (recording) and output (playback) devices and set the channels to "2(stereo) Input Channels":
- In this example on Windows 7, the output is set to the named speakers of the built-in computer sound device, the input is set to the USB turntable (usually called or including the phrase "USB Audio CODEC") and recording channels are set to stereo. Windows Vista/7 calls most USB external devices "microphones", but Windows XP and earlier do not. Some higher-end USB recording interfaces may appear as their explicit manufacturer's name.
ToDo Bill 01May12: Audio MIDI Setup has changed starting with 10.6. I'd like to link to OSX and USB input devices once that page is transferred to the Wiki main name space.
- On Windows Vista/7:
- By the system clock, right-click over the then right-click over
- On the "Advanced" tab, in the "Default Format" section, make sure the drop-down menu is set to "2 channel 16 bit 44100 Hz".
- On Mac OS X:
- From select "Sound" and click on the "Input" tab
- Select "USB Audio CODEC" or similar as the input device and verify the meter shows input. If not, from the Finder, select , and open Audio MIDI Setup click the Audio Devices tab, then select your USB device in the "Default Input" and "Properties for" drop-downs. Choose "44100.0 Hz" and "2ch-16bit".
- From the Transport Menu check "Software Playthrough" to be "on" to hear the turntable through the computer speakers; this setting can be toggled on/off easily from the Transport Menu.
These settings will be stored in your Audacity Preferences under the Devices and Recording sections and so will be remembered when you next re-launch Audacity. The settings can also be changed there at any time.
- Go to the Mixer Toolbar and turn up the left-hand output volume slider (by the speaker symbol). The right-hand input volume slider (by the microphone symbol) can often be used to vary the loudness of the recording, but it may not function with all turntables. If it does not, try adjusting the input level on the turntable (often a gain control is under the chassis) or in the operating system mixer (right-click over the speaker icon by the system clock).
- If the turntable has RCA leads for connecting to speakers, plug the leads into an RCA stereo > 1/8 inch TRS adaptor (obtainable from any electrical retailer), then connect the adaptor to line-in of the computer and set Audacity to record from line-in. The input of the line-in can then be controlled using the Audacity input slider.
- If the cartridge is replaceable, take it to a hifi shop and see if you can get a lower output cartridge. If the cartridge is ceramic (cheap USB turntables often use these) it will have a high output. Replacing this with a magnetic cartridge will give lower output and better quality.
- Then, ignoring any instructions in the manufacturer's guide to select "stereo mix", simply press the red Record button in Audacity to start recording from the turntable.
Recording, editing and exporting
Once your USB turntable or cassette deck is set up and working properly, go to the Basic Recording, Editing and Exporting section of our Tutorial - Copying tapes, LPs or MiniDiscs to CD for instructions on how to:
- make and edit your recording
- export it to an audio file
- import it to iTunes or Windows Media Player
- burn it to CD
Troubleshooting
The following potential problems during recording are discussed in detail in the Audacity Wiki - see: Troubleshooting
- Turntable not recognised by operating system
- No sound in other Windows programs after connecting the turntable
- White Noise
- No signal in one stereo channel
- Recordings freeze up or have dropouts
- Speed too fast or slow or erratic
- Recordings too loud or soft
If we do this I would probably consider creating a separate USB Troubleshooting page to link to from here - mainly to avoid making this current page too long, leading to TLDR.
- Gale 27Nov11: Probably not vital as there isn't much 1.2-specific info in those Wiki links, and the 1.2 info will (sometime) be removed from the Wiki after 2.0. In any case as the Vista/7 "mono recording" issue is so common, I removed the link and built it in here as something that is required.
