Sound Quality of USB Turntables?

Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
edited June 2007 in Strut Central
I'm wondering if it'd be worth picking one up for the shop, to use for instant raer transfer...Is it going to make my files sound like mashed potatoes?

  Comments


  • FlomotionFlomotion 2,390 Posts
    Not that great on the sound quality but they're really easy to use since it is essentially just a very cheap deck. For making sound clips for auctions I'd imagine it'd be pretty handy though...

  • Garcia_VegaGarcia_Vega 2,428 Posts
    I have a friend who has one and he says the sound quality isn't bad, just the software really sucks. He's on a Mac and says there are a lot of bugs.

  • kalakala 3,358 Posts
    my homey has one and it seems fine
    but imho
    it is a symbol of modernity and laziness

  • HAZHAZ 3,376 Posts
    Hi,

    I use one of these for now:

    http://www.music123.com/Phonic-Digitrack-i242802.music

    Got it for 20 bucks. Just plug into your amp & record into your computer. Very handy.

    peace

    h

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Well.... the thing is, I'm not trying to do soundclips. I would like to record full albums, to enjoy. This is something I could do as I'm listening to them at my shop.

    If I were to start recording full albums using one of these things, would you guys want to listen to them? I guess that is my standard here. If I were to start posting these on my website, would the sound quality be a turn-off?

    Thanks.

  • kalakala 3,358 Posts
    yeah dude
    sound quality is as good as whatever sample rate your software/computer utilizes
    and the stylus you use

    no difference except for the wiring and the slight delay between the spin and the output

  • FlomotionFlomotion 2,390 Posts
    Well.... the thing is, I'm not trying to do soundclips. I would like to record full albums, to enjoy. This is something I could do as I'm listening to them at my shop.

    If I were to start recording full albums using one of these things, would you guys want to listen to them? I guess that is my standard here. If I were to start posting these on my website, would the sound quality be a turn-off?

    Thanks.


    I was given one at Christmas and it was really easy to use (I'm on a PC) but it had a pretty crappy arm/cartridge stylus which couldn't be tweaked and so I ditched it. I guess they're fine but for those records that you know won't see again in a hurry it's nice to have a good quality rip...

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    I think the money would be better spent on a small a/d converter for my shop computer... thanks all for the input

  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    Well.... the thing is, I'm not trying to do soundclips. I would like to record full albums, to enjoy. This is something I could do as I'm listening to them at my shop.

    If I were to start recording full albums using one of these things, would you guys want to listen to them? I guess that is my standard here. If I were to start posting these on my website, would the sound quality be a turn-off?

    Thanks.

    Ive thought about this...some dipshit broke our listening station turntable at the shop and I thought about these USB turntables as a solution to having folks bringing up the more expensive records and wall pieces and wanting to hear them...to have a little library of CDRs of the records to hand people and have them listen to them on headphones in the shop would be a lot easier as to not risk turnables/raers from getting fucked up

  • the3rdstreamthe3rdstream 1,980 Posts
    Hi,

    I use one of these for now:

    http://www.music123.com/Phonic-Digitrack-i242802.music

    Got it for 20 bucks. Just plug into your amp & record into your computer. Very handy.

    peace

    h

    where did u get it for 20 bucks? all i see is 60+

  • HAZHAZ 3,376 Posts
    Hi,

    I use one of these for now:

    http://www.music123.com/Phonic-Digitrack-i242802.music

    Got it for 20 bucks. Just plug into your amp & record into your computer. Very handy.

    peace

    h

    where did u get it for 20 bucks? all i see is 60+

    I got it locally here in Montreal. I noticed the 60.00 price & was surprised. I also noticed that the style/color of the gizmo is slightly different now, so maybe they've updated the price to go with the newer models.

  • planlessplanless 819 Posts
    since a month, i thought about the use of the usb function too.
    this one caught my attention:

    sure i??ll replace the needle, but what makes me dizzy is the weight of the
    turntable: only 10 pounds. shit full of plastic?

    if anyone has this thingie or know an online review (with the pros and cons) or know somone who has it. say something!

  • eliseelise 3,252 Posts
    so the cheaper ones sound better? I dont know.

    Wouldn't it be best to just stick to sound forge , to just make the sound quality better?

    I found this one here:


    USB recordable turntable

    item#EL1846
    Transform your vinyl collection into
    digital delights with a cool turntable
    from Ion Audio! Convert any record
    to a CD or an MP3 file with included
    software. Mac & PC compatible and
    includes line output to hook up with
    home stereo or aux input. Converts
    tapes and 8-tracks too! 21???x17???x 9???
    Pitch level is included in software!![/b]

    for $150, on sale.

    ???

    I think if you have over 200 crates it would be a pain in the ass to record all of them through sound forge tho'.



  • BeatChemistBeatChemist 1,465 Posts
    Hi,

    I use one of these for now:

    http://www.music123.com/Phonic-Digitrack-i242802.music

    Got it for 20 bucks. Just plug into your amp & record into your computer. Very handy.

    peace

    h

    From the product description:
    Digitrack is an inexpensive way to get high-quality digital audio recordings in an extremely portable computer interface. The Digitrack accepts digital input through S/PDIF, or analog input through stereo RCA jacks. Plug the USB cable into your computer and you instantly get high-quality digital audio without the sound degradation resulting from digital-to-analog conversion.[/b] Digital and analog outputs deliver great sound and give you a variety of options of where you route the audio.

    It looks like a nice little input solution... but I love how they claim that there's no quality loss due to DA conversion, when their product is basically a DA converter. Lol.

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Yeah... I guess I am really trying to distinguish what's marketing hype and what's the most cost-effective solution for recording high-quality rips.

  • HAZHAZ 3,376 Posts
    Yeah... I guess I am really trying to distinguish what's marketing hype and what's the most cost-effective solution for recording high-quality rips.

    Yo,

    I guess it boils down to how much you want to spend on equipment. I'm just getting tech savvy with the vinyl transfer stuff, so I liked the phonic for the fact that it was extremely cheap & allowed me to get my feet wet. To me, the next step up is the M-audio equipment which is like almost 200 bucks. That's what I'll prolly get soon, now that I'm getting familiar with recording software & this digitizing thing.

    h

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Yeah I was looking at the Edirol firewire unit which is $400. Then, down a couple steps are the M-Audio units. $400 is more than I'd like to spend, although $200 or so would be chill

  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    I use the M-Audio unit at the house, and it works really well.
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