Cannot initiate Stereo 2 recording

[HowardC]

I understand that others have had this problem but I have not been able to see a solution on this board, yet. I have a iTTUSB turntable and am using the enclosed Audacity software (1.2.6). My system is XP. The USB Audio Codec is installed. In Preferences I have enabled 2(Stereo) channel recording but I am only able to record a mono file on the left channel. My Windows system will play stereo CDs and record two channels with Sound Recorder and a microphone but will not record in stereo for the turntable and Audacity. However, it will not record in stereo using Goldwave, either, so it may not be an Audacity problem. Do you have any hints as to whether my problem is with Audacity, the USB Audio Codec, the USB port, with Windows sound management or something else?

[kozikowski]

Something else.

This kind of oddity happens when the stylus (needle) and cartridge assembly are not providing the sound signals to the rest of the system.

If the cartridge came as a separate, carefully packed item that you plugged into the end of the tone arm, disconnect it and reconnect it several times--carefully.

While you have it off, inspect it under strong light and make sure that all four of the thin wires go into the back of the cartridge--if your turntable is designed like this.

http://www.stereophile.com/phonocartridges/1206rega/

This is a cutaway version of a very expensive cartridge, but you will see the similarities. There should always be four wires, Left signal and Left Ground, Right Signal and Right Ground.

A huge number of complaints like yours are resolved by doing this.

Koz

[HowardC]

Hi Koz:

Thanks for your quick reply. I had tried checking the cartridge and it seemed OK but your note made sense. Therefore, I decided to connect the turntable to the home stereo system using the RCA plugs and there was two channel output to the amplifier and speakers, so the cartridge, wiring and connections are OK. Although I have used three different USB cables to check the system, could the computer USB system or any Audacity software settings be at fault?

Howard

[steve]

I decided to connect the turntable to the home stereo system using the RCA plugs and there was two channel output to the amplifier and speakers, so the cartridge, wiring and connections are OK. Although I have used three different USB cables to check the system, could the computer USB system or any Audacity software settings be at fault?

Sounds like the cartridge is fine, but it could be a connection problem inside the turntable between the cartridge and the A/D converter. At some point, the analogue signal is split between the analogue path (to the RCA connectors) and the digital path (to the A/D converter / USB interface). Once the signal has gone through the A/D converter, it is a single stream of serial data, so loss of one channel would not be possible. The fact that both Audacity and Goldwave have the same issue suggests that it is not at the computer end, but probably that there is a bad connection inside the turntable where the signal goes into the A/D converter. That's my guess anyway.