Numark TTUSB + Audacity + MacBook Pro laptop OS X 5.5

[nuke]

Just a quick update. I have been trying various Intel and Universal betas. I am presently trying 1.3.2b. There is no issue with "noise" via USB connection.

[nuke]

Final update. I was able to record OK with version 1.3.2beta Intel. Except when I stopped the recording at the end, it crashed. I couldn't fix the files.

So today I tested 1.3.6, 1.3.5, 1.3.3 and each of these started to buzz after a period of recording. NB these are all Universal.

I have had success, no buzzing and good recording using the Intel only version. But v1.3.2 has some other issues.

I realize this is supposed to be a Leopard related post. Sorry but the problem is similar on Tiger.

I'm running 10.4.11 on an Intel MacBook Pro and using an Ion TTUSB10.

For the time being I'll do all long recording on 1.2.5 Intel.

[kozikowski]

The problem is not that the turntables are broken. If only. It's that they're unstable.

Unstable digital systems are a very strange animal. Everyone assumes that digital systems either work or they don't. That's not true. You can get a USB bitstream with just the right amount of errors so the computer can only reconstruct the music between 10am and 1:30 pm, the humidity is lower than 53% and your middle initial is "E." If you change anything in the environment, the system will change--sometimes getting better and sometimes getting worse.

You can tell when you have an unstable system because they generate Wives Tales and Stories. You can cure any USB turntable problem by selecting from the pages of postings from people who finally got them to work a little bit. Each solution only works for one turntable and only once. "Change the USB cable to a shorter one." "Change the USB cable to a longer one." "Install a Powered USB hub." "Keep changing Audacity versions until it starts working."

We had problems like this over on the Final Cut video forum. FireWire External Hard drives are unstable with Final Cut. Something between 10% and 20% of people who use them create disaster after disaster, and everybody else thinks they're crazy. They're not crazy. The humidity went up.

Koz

[nuke]

Thanks Koz.

I hear you on the variations necessary to get something working.

Just to complete the input ... and to add weight to your last comment ....

I started ripping another LP using Aud 1.2.5 Intel since my afternoon of testing showed this to be the best for me. Low and behold after 3/4 of the first side working perfectly, the buzzing started. So now I'm the liar. Not sure what to try next.

[kozikowski]

Can you take it back? Once these turntables go in the toilet, it's all over. Nobody on the forum has ever gotten one to recover once it fails.

If you have albums typically you also have or had a real turntable around somewhere. Those are relatively simple to get running. That's what I did for my sister. The standing joke is you take the old Empire turntable out of the garage and put the USB turntable in the garage.

Koz

[nuke]

I don't think I can take the turntable back since I bought it in the summer. Costco takes electronic stuff back for 90 days. This is quite a bit over that now. It is my fault for not trying it sooner.

If this is a turntable issue, shouldn't the manufacturer fix?

Just for giggles, I think I will try the "EZ Audio Converter" software that came with the turntable and see if that starts buzzing too.

You recommend to switch to my regular turntable. I guess the reason I bought the TTUSB was so that I had USB Turntable->Mac->Audacity (digital) instead of turntable->receiver->patch cable->Mac audio input->Audacity (analogue). There is also the issue of getting enough signal through to the audio input from the Mac. Do you think this can work better? (I realize that my turntable is much better quality than the TTUSB but I figured I'd loose too much in all the connections and conversions of analogue to digital.)

Thanks

[waxcylinder]

You recommend to switch to my regular turntable. I guess the reason I bought the TTUSB was so that I had USB Turntable->Mac->Audacity (digital) instead of turntable->receiver->patch cable->Mac audio input->Audacity (analogue). There is also the issue of getting enough signal through to the audio input from the Mac. Do you think this can work better? (I realize that my turntable is much better quality than the TTUSB but I figured I'd loose too much in all the connections and conversions of analogue to digital.)

Stands an excellent chance of working better than the Numark. Even with the Numark you have: connections, internal wiring, an ADC soundcard and some circuitry to deliver the USB services, USB cable, USB plug - any of these could be the cause of the problem.

I don't think I can take the turntable back since I bought it in the summer. Costco takes electronic stuff back for 90 days. This is quite a bit over that now. It is my fault for not trying it sooner.

If this is a turntable issue, shouldn't the manufacturer fix?

I don't know how US purchase contract law works, but in the UK goods that are sold have to be what is called "fit for purpose" - so in theory we can get our money back if they are not doing the intended job (can still be a bit of a struggle with some suppliers ...). And in the UK our contract is with the retail supplier not directly with the manufacturer. So I would still try to get Costco to take it back and get your money back.

However if they will not do that, then it is certainly worth tackling the manufacturers. I had an ION iTTUSB (made by Numark) a while ago and they were extremely hepful in offfering to fix the problem.

WC

[mundeli]

Well, with a bit more, careful, cruising I did find a solution/cause to the static, on a different subject of this forum.

The short of it is: USB has issues. While I thought it was the result of visiting web sites, or starting some app, I now think that it was my mouse and/or keyboard activity that kicked off the static. The solution was to skip the USB input, and use the line option on my Stanton turntable. A number of albums later and I have experienced no static issues. It was a post by kozikowski (http://audacityteam.org/forum/viewtopic ... 259&p=8840 ) that set me on the path to redemption. . .


For other newbies, I've posted my step by step process of going from lp to digital. I figured I'd forget it otherwise. . .
http://audacityteam.org/forum/viewtopic ... eli#p28648