Recording with USB turntables

USB turntables are designed to transfer records to digital audio files or CDs by connecting to the computer's USB port, and are especially useful if your computer doesn't have the line-in port needed when digitizing LPs with a conventional turntable. USB turntables often include a line input for transferring from tape decks or similar sources as well. Audacity is suitable for recording from any make of USB turntable, using the instructions on this page.
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you have a current version of the Audacity software as the software provided on the turntable manufacturer's CDs can be out of date.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 Help > About in the program (or Audacity > About 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 Sometimes the guides supplied with the turntables are out of date, or have errors.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 stereo mix 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 File 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 Edit menu, except for users on OS X where they are under the Audacity menu.

• You do not need to select Monitor Input 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 Monitor Input, 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 Applications > Utilities > Audio-MIDI Setup. Click on the Audio Devices 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 Apple Menu > System Preferences > Sound, click the Input button and select USB Audio CODEC.
• 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.

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 System Tray > Playback Devices and select Speakers for the inbuilt sound device (not Speakers for USB Audio Codec) as the default device. You can also access this menu from Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound (if you're using "Classic View" there's a direct link to "Sound" in the Control Panel), then click on the Playback tab.

• XP or earlier: click Start > (Settings) > Control Panel > Sounds, Speech and Audio Devices > Sounds and Audio devices. Or you can right-click over the speaker icon in the System Tray > Adjust Audio Properties. Then click on the Audio tab, and in the Sound Playback 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 Recording Device list in the Devices section of Preferences, 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 Recording Device 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 Recording Device on the Devices section of Preferences 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:

1. Remove both the record and the slip mat from the turntable.
2. 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).
3. 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.

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.