Distortion with a usb turntable HELP!!

[theidle]

I just bought at Numark Usb turntable with audacity installation disk. After setting my preferences for normal play back through computer speakers, i started noticing after about 10 min into a record play I would get an awful distortion. After messing around with the cables I turned the monitor on and off on the audacity software and it restores to no distortion. Does anyone know how to fix my problem without having to be at my computer every 10 to reset the monitor on and off button

[art13]

Had the same problem. Turned out to be crud/dust buildup on the stylus. Clean your records thoroughly (I use 90% isopropyl alcohol and a cosmetic brush on the stylus). Amazing the distortion just one microscopic hair will cause.

[waxcylinder]

Could possibly be a bad USB connection - try a different USB socket on your computer - and don't plug into an external USB hub.

You can test by plugging the RCA leads that are attched to the Numark into your hi-fi or mini-system - if that sounds fuzzy then its not the USB - if it sounds fuzzzy - then either it's the USB - or the onboard ADC (Analogue to Digital Converters) may be broken.

WC

[cccorlew]

I too have this problem, even when I don't use Audacity.
All is well for a few minutes, then distortion creeps in. Lots of it, making just plain noise. I don't know if it's hardware or software.
Unplugging the USB ad starting over solves the problem for a while.

Mac OS 10.4.11 on an 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 2 GB RAM.

I'd love to figure this out.

[RDB]

I have been having the same problem with random distortion. Bought the Numark USB turntable about a month ago. Have made a couple of successful recordings of songs from LPs but often I get partway into a selection and it starts to distort. The distortion may last the duration of the song or may simply go away after several seconds. It doesn't seem that this would be the result to the input level being too high, since the playback sounds fine (sometimes for a minute or more), then distorts, then may or may not clean itself up. It also seems unlikely that the needle would be dirty since the cartridge/needle is brand new and when I monitor the recording through a stereo amplifier (via the Numark RCA cable) everything sounds fine (even though the digital copy is has distortion). I've had the input levels down to next to nothing and will still get distortion during a selection. Also, the distortion occurs almost randomly; sometimes I can get through a 3-4 minute song, other times the distortion creeps in within 15 seconds. It may not even occur at the same time/place in a repeated attempts to record the same selection.

Finally, the distortion sounds more like a reverberating feedback - not the type of distortion one would normally associate with an overdriven preamp or busted speaker. So I'm led to suspect that this is happening somewhere in the digital part of the signal processing rather than from the needle (analog) to digital conversion.

Any ideas?

[waxcylinder]

RDB,

you can try forgetting about the USB connection and plug the RCA leads to your computer's soundcard via the Line-in. You will need a cable to go RCA to mini-jack.

WC

[sundance66]

Doesn't that DEFEAT the use of a USB turntable?

I have an old Dual 1249 with RCA inputs. I am trying to record and get click and pop removal as well as conversion to MP3s.
If all I need is an RCA to mino plag converter, why buy a new turntable?

I looked at an ION USB turntable that came packaged with Audacity, but if the USB is so troublsome, it seems to defeat the whole operation.

I was told to use a separate program from Austrailia, called "click fix" rather than Audacity for pop and click removal.

Anyone heard of it?

[kozikowski]

<<<If all I need is an RCA to mino plag converter, why buy a new turntable?>>>

USB turntables have a Phono Preamplifier built in, so yes, that's all you need. If you try to bring up your original turntable for recording into your Mac, you should be putting a phono preamp between the two.

Phono Preamplifier
Two very nice phono preamps in actual use.
Honorable mention to the Hafler HD-101 preamp, no longer made.

http://www.phonopreamps.com/tc750lcpp.html
http://www.artproaudio.com/products.asp ... =13&id=109


You just paid for a turntable what I recently paid for just a cartridge and stylus. So you bought a throw-away turntable and the trick is to throw it away after you're finished. Sometimes that doesn't work out so good.

We strongly recommend using your original turntable or the analog connections on the USB turntable. Once the USB service fails, it's gone. It can be argued that the turntable has already failed since it's a terrible turntable in addition to being bad at managing USB.

Koz

[waxcylinder]

I was told to use a separate program from Austrailia, called "click fix" rather than Audacity for pop and click removal. Anyone heard of it?

You are doubtless thinking of ClickRepair - am a user and avid fan of this s/w- see this thread that I started last year: http://audacityteam.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=1994

Also I agree with everything tha Koz said above. I too started out with a USB deck, the ION iTTUSB. Actually the electronics worked fine on it for me - but I eventually junked it as it gave me far too much wow&flutter (probably due to it's extremely lightweight plastic platter). Instead I resurrected my old Technics TT out of the attic, gave it a home service and treated it to a new cartridge - originally plugged through ny wife's old Technics preamp, but when that died I bought the ART device tha Koz references. This latter setup produces excellent results - far superior to the ION.

WC

[sundance66]

Hey, Thanks for the input, I thought the ION turntable seemed too cheap at $99 + audacity software.

My current plan had been to copy my LPs to CD's using a Dual turntable, An Onkyo receiver and a Philips CD copier/recorder.

I would then take the "pop and click" CDs and input them to Audacity and then ClickFiX before making them MP3s and copying to fresh storage CDs.

I had not thouhgt of direct input as I have a basic (built in) sound card on my PC with no special functions. Not sure if it will suffice.

Also, how does one Monitor the recording process when recording directly to PC?

I downloaded Audacity and several of it's companion software apps, but NOW find I have to register one to get ANY to work (no free trial). I am hesitant to spend $60 for only 2-3 dozen records to convert, though I could get more later from Ebay. (not everything made it to CDs)

Lastly; is there a downloadable manual and subforum for NEW users of Audacity? I went with it as I heard it was one of the best programs for recording and MP3 conversion, but I am NEW to MP3s and can use all the help I can get, once I get them into the PC!! I can't even seem to download them from so called "free sites" like Last FM.

In other words, I am a good PC user, but a complete novice at MP3s. Advice and assistance are appreciated.