Lotsa noise, unpredictable spot, USB turntable

[John Sarsgard]

Thanks for helping out a complete newbie. Starting to play various 33 1/3s to record via USB turntable. Seems to go fine for a while, then gets really noisy...like music plus white noise, almost, but not at the same spot each time on same LP. Any clues? Many thanks. John

[kozikowski]

We are this close to throwing in the towel on Audacity 1.2.x ever working reliably with USB devices. You join a lot of people having instability problems.

I would download Audacity 1.3.x and use that. You can have both versions on your machine at the same time, although I would only use one at a time.

Version 1.4.x is on the horizon.

Koz

[John Sarsgard]

Thanks for the quick reply. Downloaded 1.3.3, but still happens, maybe a little less frequently. Just recorded one whole side of an album without problem, then tried it again to see if it was repeatable. Wasn't. The noise started up again, and continues. Any other thoughts?

[kozikowski]

<<<Any other thoughts?>>>

Yes. Go analog. If your turntable has a Line-Out, connect that to the Line-In of your Mac and do it that way. Vastly more reliable and the quality change, if any, is inaudible.

You'll need an RCA stereo to 1/8" (3.5mm) cable for this. See: Radio Shack.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102974&cp=&sr=1&origkw=rca+stereo+to+1%2F8%22&kw=rca+stereo+to+1%2F8&parentPage=search

Koz

[zenben]

Is the problem only on longer tracks? I've been getting noise about 5 to 6 minutes into longer tracks. It's a fuzzy static sound. Can't figure out how to get rid of it. Dies at the end, so can't use noise removal. Could it be too much data? Thoughts anyone?

BTW, since I have Leopard OS on a new Mac, can't use Audacity 1.3 due to the incompatibility problems. Have Ion turntable to USB.

[John Sarsgard]

I have the same turntable. Don't have Leopard yet, but same issue with 1.3.3. And the 1.3.3 code crashes when I hit pause. Using the other outpt....the RCA plugs....I am now exploring. I can't imagine how anyone could be using USB output with a ion turntable.

[kozikowski]

Somebody with an ION turntable (or any other applicable turntable) needs to tell me two things:

What are the words around the little switch on the bottom of the turntable (Line/Cartridge? Line/RIAA? Photo/Line?) and is there an audio cable permanently connected to the turntable and are the RCA connectors male? The other option is just having two female RCA connectors somewhere on the turntable body.

<<<I can't imagine how anyone could be using USB output with a ion turntable.>>>

You can't imagine how 10% of all throw-away turntables could fail? That's an outside number. It's probably more like 5%, but since the turntable comes with Audacity, guess who gets all the complaints? This same kind of thing happens in a video forum I visit. We have to be very careful not to extrapolate massive failure from the thirty or forty people who show up. In that case, it's .03% of the people using the software.

You were going to throw it away after your last vinyl record, right?

I do believe they cut a few too many corners on the electronics of this thing, tho. Too many people with the exact same problem--and on different platforms. Count your blessings, the people on laptop PCs have no recourse at all other than to get their money back.

Koz

[waxcylinder]

Somebody with an ION turntable (or any other applicable turntable) needs to tell me two things:

What are the words around the little switch on the bottom of the turntable (Line/Cartridge? Line/RIAA? Photo/Line?) and is there an audio cable permanently connected to the turntable and are the RCA connectors male? The other option is just having two female RCA connectors somewhere on the turntable body.

Koz

Koz, on the IONs there is indeed and audio cable permanently connected in addition to the USB cable - the audio cable terminates in two male RCA plugs. The text on the switch says "Phono/line" - and it is used so that you can plug into a phono input on an amp (when no RIAA is applied by the ION) - or into a line in or aux/tape socket on an amp (in which cas RIAA equalisation is applied by the ION (and I think the signal geta little amplification too).

WC

[kozikowski]

Excellent. That changes the Radio Shack shopping list slightly.

Formula for Analog recording from the ION Turntable

You need this (or non Radio Shack equivalent):

Stereo RCA to 1/8" (3.5mm) audio cable. Part # 42-2550 US$7
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102974&cp=&sr=1&origkw=rca+stereo+cable+to+1%2F8%22&kw=rca+stereo+cable+to+1%2F8&parentPage=search
About a meter (3') long. Buy longer as needed.

RCA "barrel" (female to female coupler). Part # 274-1553 US$4
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102696&cp

Shut down the Mac. Disconnect the USB and leave it off. Start the Mac.

Switch the turntable to LINE. Connect the two turntable RCA cables to the two new couplers and then to the new stereo audio cable and then to the Mac Line-In (tight circle with two black arrows point in). Keep the colors lined up--black to black, white-or-red to white-or-red.

Switch the Mac Preferences to record from the Line-In. The lights on the Mac Preferences panel should flash if you play a record.

Launch Audacity and click once inside the red record meters. They should flash with the record performance.

You have to set audio levels with this technique. The sound level should never go all the way up. Audio peaks should occur around -3 to -6.


NOTES:

Radio Shack now sells much more expensive Brand Name versions of these things. Flee, flee.

If there is no audio--bouncing lights--at all on any of those tests, disconnect the Mac from the little couplers and touch one of the RCA center pins. If you get bouncing lights on one channel, the turntable could be dead.

One of the favorite failure modes is to lose one audio channel. If you touch both of the RCAs (see above) alternately and you get buzz sounds on both channels at the Mac, the turntable is very probably broken.

Koz

[zenben]

Have any idea why the static only kicks in on longer tracks? Most tunes do fine. Would seem to suggest Ion functioning fine.

Dumb question 2 perhaps, I wrote the other day about how the noise is all limited to higher frequencies. Is there a way in Audacity to modulate only certain portions of the frequency range.