Recording using 'line-in' or USB - which is best?

Audacity 3 Help Forum Windows
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Current Windows OS: 8
Current Audacity version: 2.1.3

I’m asking for some general advice about the best way to record from Mini Discs, Cassettes and Vinyl records using Audacity.
I’ve purchased various ION USB cassette decks and turntables to transfer my cassette and record collections to my laptop in the last few years and they’ve suffered from appalling sound quality, so I gave up.

I’m now looking to get serious about finally digitising my entire record, cassette and mini disc collection. But my bad experience with cheap USB audio equipment in the past has put me off doing it via USB on a laptop.
I’m seriously considering buying a desktop PC, that has the necessary line in/out connections for me to plug in a high quality cassette deck, turntable, and my mini disc decks directly into the computer.
However, after reading the Audacity manual the last few days, it’s recommended an external USB soundcard here that can apparently do the same job as plugging audio equipment directly into the line-in jack of a PC.
The audio equipment I’m thinking of getting is:
Cassette deck
Turntable
I have a Sony MDS-JE480 Mini Disc deck.

If I have a turntable with a built-in phono-stage, does this mean I can connect it directly to the line-in of a PC without the need to put it through a pre-amp?
What is the difference between connecting audio equipment directly to the line-in of a PC or putting it through an external USB soundcard and recording in to Audacity via the USB input? Which is best and most reliable for sound quality, line-in or USB?
Do I need to buy an expensive desktop PC tower, with the line-in audio jack for best sound quality, or would a good laptop and USB soundcard be acceptable?
As I said at the start, my bad experiences with USB audio equipment in the past has put me off going down the USB route in favour of a desktop PC with line-in, but after reading the Audacity manual I’m mighty confused over the best option.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks :slight_smile:

2

I’ll have to come back later, but for now…

The line input on a desktop/tower is often plenty good enough. Most laptops don’t have line-in, and the mic input is worthless for “quality recording” (even with a microphone) because it’s the wrong interface for any good stage/studio microphone.

A more-expensive tower doesn’t necessarily have better audio. A good quality USB is your best bet.

If I have a turntable with a built-in phono-stage, does this mean I can connect it directly to the line-in of a PC without the need to put it through a pre-amp

Yes.

3

I’m not looking at a high end tower, most probably a Dell Inspiron. But again, you’ve confused me as you’ve said that the line input on a desktop tower is plenty good enough, but then you end by saying a good quality USB is my best bet. :confused:
So do you mean the audio equipment connected to this, which is then connected to a USB port?
So basically there isn’t much difference between using a tower line input or the USB option?
I’m still inclined to believe I’ll get better results for what I want to do buy getting a desktop tower PC over a laptop, is that generally true?

Sorry for all the Qs, but I’m about to invest a lot of money and time in this, so I want to get the best results I possibly can and make the right decisions before I buy any equipment.

4

But again, you’ve confused me as you’ve said that the line input on a desktop tower is plenty good enough, but then you end by saying a good quality USB is my best bet.

For analog sources (no built-in USB), either one can be good. Your odds of good sound are better with an external interface.

The only “spec” or characteristic to be concerned with is noise. Some built-in soundcards are noisy. If you’re not getting excessive noise, it’s fine. Typically, the noise from the soundcard will be much lower than the tape noise or record & preamp noise. If you’re not getting noise, I wouldn’t expect better performance from an external interface. But, I wouldn’t buy a tower just because you need a line-input.

Distortion and frequency response are almost always better than human hearing, unless you “overload” and [u]clip[/u] the ADC (analog-to-digital converter).

I don’t own the Behringer interface but it has a very-good reputation for an inexpensive interface.

Berhinger also makes the UFO202 which is very similar (at a similar price) but it has a built-in phono preamp that you can either use or bypass.

One thing the cheaper Behringer interfaces are missing is an analog recording-level control. Digital recording levels are not super-critical like analog tape, where you need to overcome tape noise. But also unlike analog tape, the DAC will hard-clip if you “try” to go over 0dB (=1.0 =100%). A recording level control can keep the levels below clipping in case you have a “hot” analog output, or an especially-loud record, etc.

[u]ART[/u] makes an interface with switchable phono/line inputs and a level control. You can find lots of higher-end [u]USB interfaces[/u] with switchable mic/line inputs. (Most have XLR or TRS connectors so you’d need adapter cables.)

Another option is a little [u]USB mixer[/u].

I’ve purchased various ION USB cassette decks and turntables to transfer my cassette and record collections to my laptop in the last few years and they’ve suffered from appalling sound quality, so I gave up

The ION stuff “looks” pretty cheap, but it’s the “analog side” I’d be concerned with. I assume the digital-side is fine… The ION probably sounds just as bad with the analog output connected to your stereo system…

The audio equipment I’m thinking of getting is:
Cassette deck
Turntable

The cassette deck “looks” pretty good. Cassette decks are getting rare and good USB cassette decks are super-rare.

The turntable seems to be on the inexpensive side but it does have a magnetic cartridge (a good thing). [u]Knowzy.com[/u] has lots of USB turntable reviews & recommendations (but that one is not reviewed). (The guy doesn’t like Audacity, but it’s nothing related to sound quality.)

Virtually all USB turntables have line-outputs because there is a preamp inside and it’s just a matter of “bringing-out” the connections. Some can switch between the signal direct from the cartridge or the preamp-out.

As a rule, the record or tape is the weak link. The Mini-Disc should be nearly CD quality, although they may have been produced from analog recordings and you might not get the same quality as a modern digital recording.

5

P.S.
Once you’re getting good recordings, try some [u]Noise Reduction[/u] on the tapes.

But, listen carefully because you can get artifacts (side effects) and sometimes the cure can be worse than the disease (especially if the noise is bad).

You can use Noise Reduction on the records, but just for the low-level hiss & hum. Don’t use it for vinyl “snap”, “crackle” and “pop”.

With most music you only hear the background noise during the fade-in and fade-out so you might want to apply the noise reduction only to those parts, especially if you are getting artifacts and you want to make a compromise.

For vinyl clicks & pops there are several things you can use (or try). There is [u]Click Removal[/u] (automatic) and [u]Repair[/u] (manual) or you can zoom-in and manually [u]re-draw[/u] the waveform.

For the manual methods it’s usually easier to “see” and “find” the click in the [u]Spectrogram View[/u]. Once you’re zoomed-in you switch back to the regular waveform view.

There is free specialized click & pop removal program called [u]Wave Corrector[/u].

I also have one called [u]Wave Repair[/u] ($30 USD). It does an audibly perfect job on most (but not all) clicks & pops and it only “touches” the audio where you identify a defect. But since it’s manual, it “takes forever” to de-click an album.