Flatline When Trying to Record LP Via USB

Audacity Help Forum Windows
1

I have looked through this forum and found several users who have had a similar problem, but none of the suggestions have worked for me. I am new to using Audacity, so I’m sure I am just doing something wrong.

My PC recognizes the USB device as Line (USB AUDIO CODEC)
Audacity recognizes it as well
Host - MME
Playback = Speakers/Headphones (Realtek(R)
Recording Device = Line (USB AUDIO CODEC)
Recording Channels = 2 (Stereo)
Recording Volume = .54
Playback Volume = 1.00
Project Rate = 48000
Snap-to = Off (What is this?)
Sound settings in Windows shows the input as Line (USB AUDIO CODEC)
Line Properties = 2 channel, 16 bit, 48000 Hz

I’ve gone through the manual and I can’t find something I’m doing wrong, thought I must be.

2

See this page in the Audacity Manual: https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/recording_with_usb_turntables.html

It’s part of this set of useful tutorials: https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/tutorial_copying_tapes_lps_or_minidiscs_to_cd.html

and also see this FAQ: https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/faq_recording_troubleshooting.html#flatline

WC

3

I’ve been to all of those links at least twice each, and nothing I try when following the instructions gives a different result.

4

Maybe the turntable is defective…

Try [u]Listen To This Device[/u]. You should be able to hear the turntable through the computer speakers without running Audacity or any other application.

If that doesn’t work, try plugging then analog output (set to line) into your stereo, TV, or powered computer speakers, etc. If you aren’t getting an analog output, turntable is defective. (If you are getting an analog signal, the USB output could still be defective.)

5

I can hear the turntable output through my stereo, but after going through the steps above, I cannot hear it through my laptop speakers. Those speakers work, because I can play a you tube video and hear the sound just fine.

6

If you have a desktop/tower computer you can connect to the line-input on your soundcard. Or if it’s worth it to you, you can try an external USB interface with line inputs (such as the Behringer UCA2022). Don’t get a regular “USB Soundcard” because they are like laptops with only microphone-in and headphone-out. (But, you could get a super-cheap USB soundcard just to see if you can get any USB audio device to work for you.)

7

I have a laptop. Dell G7

8

There’s one more thing (that I can think of) to try… You can uninstall/re-install the driver. These things use the standard Microsoft-supplied plug-and-play drivers so it should re-install automatically and sometimes it will “clean itself up”.

  • Plug in the USB connection.
  • Right-click the Windows Start Icon and select Device Manager.
  • Go the bottom of the list and click the little arrow to the left of Universal Serial Bus Controllers to expand the list.
  • Find the USB audio device. If you’re not sure which one it is, un-plug it and it will disappear. Then, plug it back in and it will show-up again.
  • Right Click it and choose Uninstall Device.
  • Un-plug it and plug it in again and it should come-back.
  • Check to see if you can record from it now.


    If that doesn’t help, I think the turntable has a bad USB port.

But, you never know what the problem is until it’s fixed (and even then you don’t always know what the problem was).

It’s up to you where you go from there.

  • You can return/exchange the turntable (if that’s possible).

  • You can borrow another computer. You (probably) don’t have to install Audacity. If “Listen To This Device” doesn’t work, that pretty-much confirms a bad USB port on the turntable. If it works that proves the turntable is OK.

  • Or since you know the turntable’s analog outputs work, you can buy a [u]Behringer USB interface[/u] or an [u]ART USB interface[/u] or something similar. (I don’t own either one but I “like” the ART because it has an analog recording-volume control.)

Just understand it’s a gamble because we have not yet nailed-down the problem. And if it works you still have a (partially) defective USB turntable.