Recording with USB turntables

Ensure the Audacity software is up to date
Make sure you have the current version of Audacity as the software provided on the device manufacturer's CD can be out-of-date. Note that neither the version number of the CD nor that of any guides produced by the manufacturers necessarily relates to the Audacity version number. To check your current version of Audacity, choose in the menu (or Audacity > About Audacity on OS X). Then go to the Audacity download site and, if needed, download the latest Audacity for your operating system.

Manufacturer's guides
The guides provided with the devices might be confusing, they are written by the device manufacturer rather than by Audacity. Sometimes the guides supplied with the devices are out-of-date or have errors. Here are some errors that you may come across:


 * Many manuals state that you should "select stereo mix for your input". This is not the case, rather you should be setting the USB device as your input.


 * Audacity Preferences are not under the File menu, as many manuals state, except in the legacy 1.0.0 version of Audacity which is only appropriate for Mac OS 9 and Windows 95. Preferences are under the Edit menu, or under the Audacity menu on OS X.


 * You do not need to select Monitor Input each time you launch Audacity, as some manuals urge you to. Monitoring the input is optional and allows you to hear the device through the computer speakers just like an ordinary turntable, or cassette deck, whenever it's playing, without having to record. If you want to select Monitor Input, you need to have the Meter Toolbar enabled (note: NOT the Mixer Toolbar that some guides state). Instructions on this are below.

Set up Audacity to record from the USB audio device
Connect the USB cable of the device to the computer. Connect to an empty USB port on the computer, not to a USB hub (a device that allows multiple USB devices to be connected to one of your computer's USB ports).

ToDo Bill 01May12: Audio MIDI Setup has changed starting with 10.6. I'd like to link to OSX and USB input devices once that page is transferred to the Wiki main name space. System settings needed for Windows Vista and later and Mac OS X  On Windows Vista/Windows 7/Windows 8:  By the system clock, right-click over the Speaker icon > Recording Devices then right-click over USB Audio Codec > "Properties".  On the Advanced tab, in the "Default Format" section, make sure the drop-down menu is set to "2 channel 16 bit 44100 Hz".  On Mac OS X:  From Apple Menu > System Preferences select "Sound" and click on the Input tab  Select "USB Audio CODEC" or similar as the input device and verify the meter shows input. If not, from the Finder, select Go > Utilities > and open Audio MIDI Setup. Click the Audio Devices tab, then select your USB device in the "Default Input" and "Properties for" drop-downs. Choose "44100.0 Hz" and "2ch-16bit".

Now launch Audacity. If Audacity was already running when you connected the cable, restart Audacity or choose Transport > Rescan Audio Devices.


 * Set the Audacity Project Rate in Selection Toolbar at the bottom left of the Audacity screen to 44100 Hz:
 * Selection toolbar narrow basic7 without format selection arrows.png


 * Use Device Toolbar to set the input (recording) and output (playback) devices and set the channels to "2 (Stereo) Input Channels":
 * Device Toolbar for USB recording.PNG

In the above example on Windows 7: Windows Vista and later call most USB external devices "microphones" but Windows XP and earlier do not. Some higher-end USB recording interfaces may appear as their explicit manufacturer's name.
 * the output is set to the named speakers of the built-in computer sound device,
 * the input is set to the USB device (usually called or including the phrase "USB Audio CODEC")
 * recording channels are set to stereo.


 * From the Transport Menu check "Software Playthrough" to be "on" to hear the turntable through the computer speakers. This setting can be toggled on/off easily from the Transport Menu but is saved in Recording Preferences. The Device Toolbar settings are saved in Devices Preferences.


 * Set your recording level:
 * Turn monitoring on by clicking once on the microphone icon in Meter Toolbar.
 * [[File:MeterInActionGood.png]]
 * In Mixer Toolbar, turn up the left-hand output volume slider (by the speaker icon).
 * [[File:MixerToolbarWithoutInputSelect.png]]
 * The right-hand input volume slider (by the microphone icon) can often be used to vary the loudness of the recording, but it may not function with all turntables. If it does not, try adjusting the input level on the turntable (often, there is a gain control under the chassis). Alternatively, you may be able to adjust the input level on Windows and Linux only, usually by looking for the speaker icon by the system clock. On Windows Vista and later, . Then right-click over USB Audio Codec, choose "Properties" and click the Levels tab.
 * Try to aim for a maximum peak of around –6 dB, which corresponds to around 0.5 on the waveform. You can always boost the level later with or   after you have completed editing.


 * Then, ignoring any instructions in the manufacturer's guide to select "stereo mix", simply press the red Record button [[image:Record.png|link=|image of red record button]] in Transport Toolbar to start recording from the turntable.

Recording, editing and exporting
Once your USB turntable or cassette deck is set up and working properly, go to the Basic Recording, Editing and Exporting section of our Tutorial - Copying tapes, LPs or MiniDiscs to CD for instructions on how to:
 * make and edit your recording
 * export it to an audio file
 * import it to iTunes or Windows Media Player
 * burn it to CD

Troubleshooting
The following potential problems during recording are discussed in detail in the Audacity Wiki - see: Troubleshooting
 * Turntable not recognised by operating system
 * No sound in other Windows programs after connecting the turntable
 * White Noise
 * No signal in one stereo channel
 * Recordings freeze up or have dropouts
 * Speed too fast or slow or erratic
 * Recordings too loud or soft

Links
|< Tutorial - Copying tapes, LPs or MiniDiscs to CD