Recording with USB turntables
Several manufacturers of USB turntables now bundle Audacity with their product, notably Ion Audio, Numark, Kam and Lenco
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you have a current version of the Audacity software as the software provided on the turntable manufacturer's CDs can be out of date.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 that you have. You should always check the current version of Audacity you have by clicking in the program (or if you are on OS X). Then go to the Audacity download site and, if needed, grab the latest Audacity download for your operating system.
Ensure your manufacturer's guides are up to date
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 Sometimes the guides supplied with the turntables are out of date, or have errors.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 in the dropdown selector of Audacity's Mixer Toolbar. The dropdown selector is always grayed out when the turntable is correctly selected as Audacity's recording device.
- 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, except for users on OS X where they are under the menu.
- 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 current guides state). Instructions on this are below.
Set up Audacity to record from the turntable
After connecting the USB cable of the turntable to the computer, set up Audacity by going to the Devices tab of Preferences and:
- In the "Recording" section, select the USB device from the "Device" popup menu. Set the "Channels" popup menu to "2 (stereo)".
- In the "Playback" section, select your inbuilt sound or sound card by name from the "Device" popup menu. Do NOT choose "Microsoft SoundMapper" if you are on Windows.
Switch to the Recording tab of Preferences and:
- Check ""Software Playthrough" if you want to hear the turntable through the computer speakers.
Click the "OK" button to accept the settings you have made.
- 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) does not function with USB turntables, so it is not possible to vary the input level into Audacity. If you are on a Mac, you should also click on the Mac hard disk, then . Click on the tab, then on the left-hand side, select your USB device in the "Default Input" and "Properties for" dropdowns. If you are on OS X 10.1 or earlier, go to , click the button and select .
- Make sure that your Project Rate bottom left of the Audacity screen is set to 44100 Hz.
- 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.
Playing records through the computer or a phono amplifier
The turntables can be connected with the provided RCA output cables to an external stereo system or amplifier so you can play records with the turntable as you would with a conventional turntable, without having to record. You can connect the RCA cables to either the phono input of a home stereo, or to powered speakers, in which case you must choose phono on the "phono/line" switch on the turntable (next to the cables). You can also connect the cables to a CD/AUX/TAPE input on an amplifier, in which case you must set the switch to line.
But you cannot automatically play records through the computer speakers unless you are recording, because the turntable has been designed primarily as a recording turntable.
If you do want to play records through the computer speakers without recording, the simplest way is to use Audacity to do this (which means of course it must be running). Click on the downward pointing arrow in Audacity's right-hand (red) recording VU meter and select "Start monitoring".
Then (providing you've enabled "Software Playthrough" on the Recording tab of Preferences), you'll hear the turntable whenever it's playing without having to record. If the VU meters are not visible, click on .
Depending on your equipment, there are other ways you can get the turntable to always play through the computer speakers, without having to launch Audacity.
- Attach its RCA output cables to any CD or AUX input you may have on your computer, and set the turntable level switch to line.
- Attach its RCA output cables to the RCA inputs on the HiFi speakers that are included on some recent multimedia computers, and set the turntable level switch to phono.
- Attach its RCA outputs to a phono amplifier, set its level switch to phono, run a cable from the headphones out of the amplifier to line-in on your computer, then unmute line-in as a playback device in your system mixer (e.g. Sounds and Audio Devices on Windows XP or earlier).
Windows system sound requires reset
If you are on Windows, system sound won't be available while the turntable is plugged in at the USB connection. This occurs because due to a driver problem, the turntable switches the system's default sound playback device away from your sound device to the turntable (which of course is not meant to be a playback device for the computer). You will have sound in Audacity but not in other applications that simply use the current default device. System sound will be restored as soon as you unplug the turntable at its USB connection, but if you need system sound for other applications while the turntable is plugged in, do this:
- Vista or 7: right-click over the speaker icon in the and select for the inbuilt sound device (not for USB Audio Codec) as the default device. You can also access this menu from (if you're using "Classic View" there's a direct link to "Sound" in the Control Panel), then click on the tab.
- XP or earlier: click . Or you can right-click over the speaker icon in the . Then click on the , and in the panel, click on the downward pointing arrow in the dropdown box and select the inbuilt sound as the default device.
If you make this change just the once and then leave the turntable plugged into the USB port (but not of course plugged into the mains), it will not turn off system sound next time you start it up for another recording session.
Troubleshooting
Turntable not recognised by operating system
If the USB codec is not recognized in Audacity's list in the of , you cannot record from it. Make sure the turntable is plugged into the mains and switched on. If that does not help, close Audacity, switch off and unplug the turntable at the USB connection and at the mains. Plug it back into the USB port, and switch it on. Wait a couple of minutes then completely shut down the computer and restart. When the computer has finished rebooting, open Audacity and see if the USB device is now in the list. If the turntable is still not recognized, try using another USB cable, as sometimes a faulty cable can cause this problem. If problems persist, request support from the turntable manufacturer.
White Noise
Remove the cartridge/headshell from the tonearm and reseat it tightly and securely. A loose cartridge is a known source of white noise. A poorly fitting or defective USB cable might also cause this problem. Try a new USB cable and make sure both ends are tight.
No signal in one stereo channel
The most likely explanation is a loose cartridge/headshell. Remove the cartridge and headshell from the tonearm completely and reseat it tightly and securely. A loose or defective USB cable can also cause this problem. Try using another cable.
Recordings freeze up or have dropouts
Reports of recordings from USB turntables freezing or having dropouts are not that uncommon, and generally they are not caused by Audacity! It is sensible to check your Project Rate bottom left of the Audacity screen is set to either 44 100 or 48 000 Hz, as setting a very high rate might overload the USB bandwidth and cause transmission problems. Otherwise, the root of the problem most likely lies with the turntable. There are a number of known potential problems you should check:
- Check the USB cable for tightness at both ends and try using a different cable instead
- Always use a spare USB port, not a hub
- Limit USB bandwidth whilst recording by using other USB devices sparingly e.g. simply disconnecting from the internet may help if you use a USB modem for internet access.
- Check for any system warnings (e.g. in Device Manager in Windows) about the Universal Serial Bus Controllers.
- There have been isolated reports that recordings freeze up if they are attempted whilst the unit's RCA cables are connected to an external input such as a home stereo, although concurrent recording and playing through external equipment is implied as being possible.
Generally, if you find you can record into Audacity without interruption from another source such as a microphone plugged into your computer's microphone port, this implicates the turntable or USB cable. To check if other sources record satisfactorily, you need to change the on the of to your inbuilt sound. If recording from other sources works fine, or if you have concerns the turntable is not working properly, please request support from the turntable manufacturer.
If recordings from sources other than the turntable are also freezing or have dropouts, there could be problems with insufficient computer resources. Please see our Managing Computer Resources and Drivers page for tips on correcting this. If you're using "software playthrough", it's also possible that problems with your inbuilt sound device (used to play back your recording whilst you are making it) are disrupting the recording. Please look at our list of tips on Updating Sound Device Drivers for help.
Speed too fast or slow or erratic
Note that some models of USB turntable e.g. Numark have a variable pitch slider which allows the pitch to be increased or decreased by up to 10%. In the Numark model the pitch is unchanged when the slider is at central position. When the slider is moved away from the center and towards the tone arm the pitch is decreased (the platter is slowed down), and when the slider is moved away from the tone arm this increases the pitch (speeds up the platter.)
If the problem is one of fast speed, this can be due to a belt that is improperly installed. If the belt slips out of the groove when the turntable is rotating and is able to ride up or down on the spindle, the platter will spin too fast. You'll need to adjust the position of the belt on the inner ring of the platter. The inner ring of the platter is quite a bit wider than the belt itself. The belt should wrap around the middle part of the inner ring. If it is wrapped too high or too low around the inner ring, it could cause the other half of the belt to ride up or down on the spindle. Follow these steps to check the belt for proper alignment:
- Remove both the record and the slip mat from the turntable.
- Rotate the platter so that you can see the brass motor spindle through one of the holes in the platter (it should be located in the bottom-left corner of the turntable).
- Reposition the belt so that it is wrapped around the spindle's groove.
If adjusting the belt or any variable pitch slider does not help, please request support from the turntable manufacturer.
Recordings too loud
If the recordings are coming in at too high a level, so that they show clipping on the Template:External, look for any control on the turntable that allows you to reduce its output volume. For example Ion and Numark models have a "gain knob" underneath the chassis that controls the output level. Be warned however that many users report that this gain knob does not work.
Windows Vista
There are quite frequent reports on Vista of USB turntables only recording in mono even when Audacity is set to record in stereo: only one channel of the LP is transferred and if Audacity is set to record in stereo, this single channel is then duplicated in both channels of the Audacity waveform.
There are also some reports that the input from the turntable is not picked up under Vista when the "USB Audio Codec" is selected as "recording device" on the Audio I/O tab of Audacity Preferences, but is picked up when "Microsoft SoundMapper" is chosen as "recording device". If this affects you, you just need to ensure that "USB Audio Codec" is selected as the current device on the Recording tab of "Sound" in the Windows Control Panel. To access this tab, click (if you're using "Classic View" there's a direct link to "Sound" in the Control Panel), then click the Recording tab. Or you can right-click over the Speaker icon in the .
If you have further problems with your turntable under Vista, please request support from the turntable manufacturer.
If you experience difficulties playing back your recording in Audacity after you have made it, there could be problems with the drivers of your computer's sound device, which may not be fully up-to-date or compatible with Vista. Please click here for help on updating your computer's sound device drivers.
Windows 7 was released a few weeks prior to this revision (27 November 2009) of the Audacity manual. No user reports of success or failure are currently available.
Recording, editing and exporting
Once your USB turntable is set up and working properly, go to "Transferring tapes and records to computer or CD" (skip to the last section) for instructions on how to make and edit your recording, export it to an audio file, and then import it to iTunes/Windows Media Player and/or burn it to CD.
