Input is totally distorted

Hi I am trying to ge my vinyl collection a new life. A friend of me gave me a record player with USB output to start working on my collection. So far so good… but all I get is a totally distorted input signal. I have tried all combinations in audacity with mics and speakers but I cant get it to work… all I hear when recording or playing back recordings is a totally distorted noise which sounds like hardcore…

Is there something I am doing wrong or do I have to blame the recordplayer…

If somebody is recognizing this problem it would be of great help to hear how to solve it…
Thanks a lot in advance for your help…

Most of what I know about transcribing vinyl is contained in this Tutorial set in the Manual: http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/tutorial_copying_tapes_lps_or_minidiscs_to_cd.html

Especially this workflow one: http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/sample_workflow_for_lp_digitization.html

and as you are using a USB TT this one should be useful too: http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/recording_with_usb_turntables.html

WC

Check Windows Control Panel and make sure [u]Microphone Boost[/u] is NOT enabled. (Sometimes Windows thinks any USB audio device is a USB mic.)

Almost all USB turntables also have analog line outputs. Try plugging into your stereo (or your TV, etc.) to see if those outputs are also distorted.

If you have a desktop or tower computer, you can make an analog connection to line-in (blue) on your soundcard. (If you have a laptop with only mic-in you’d need an external USB interface with line-in.)

Thanks guys… A broken cable was the problem in the end :imp:

Doug, as I said before, I really think that is misinformation. USB playback devices like a USB cassette player or USB turntable will not normally have a boost control on the Recording side of Windows Sound, despite they are called a microphone.

Have you ever seen such a boost control?


Gale