I saw a new USB Turntable today manufactured by ION. I understand it works by spinning the record very fast to the PC direct. The PC then determines at what speed the record should be played (33 or 78 etc.)and saves the data at the correct speed. I also understand it is compatible with all keyboards and videos which means both CDs and DVDs can then be burned from the PC in the normal way and I quote:-

"ION has created the world’s first USB turntable that lets you convert your old vinyl and cassettes to CD or MP3.
This innovative product works straight from the box, without the need for special drivers, adapters or software.
The turntable comes with Audacity, a recording application that works with both PCs and Macs. There is also a trial version of Bias Soundsoap 2 to clean and restore vinyl recordings.

Once connected, the turntable transfers both 33rpm albums and 45rpm singles to digital formats in minutes. There is also a line level output for connecting to any home stereo with CD or auxiliary (AUX) inputs. To convert your old cassettes, simply plug a tape deck into an auxiliary port.

The Ion Audio USB turntable is compatible with any software that supports USB audio input sound cards, and will work on PCs running Windows 98, 2000, or XP and Macs running OS 9 or greater. The product comes with a cartridge and stylus, 45 adapter, and USB cable.

Features:
Ion ITT Audio USB Turntable
Convert Vinyl & Tapes to CD or MP3.
Audacity Software Included.
Plug & Play USB Interface.
Connection Cables Supplied.
Exports into WAV or MP3 Formats.
Includes Software to Restore Vinyl.
No Special Software Required.
Anti-Skating Control for Stereo Balance.
Includes Full Instruction Manual."

Is anyone using this if so, I would be very interested in their comments.

Audrey

Hi Audrey
They have been making USB turntables for some time (Very popular on the QVC shopping channel) and this new version looks interesting, and should do the job fine.
However if you already have a turntable I would suggest purchasing a program like Magix Audio Cleaning Lab (Do a Google for others) which while only transferring in real time, has many more mastering facilities (And Wizards for novice uses) and options, but costs only a fraction of the price of the turntable.
You can also download the free Audacity mastering software providing your turntable is connected through an amp to boost the signal and apply EQ (With dedicated programs you can plug the turntable direct into the microphone socket)
The choice as they say is yours
Hope this helps

Bill

WOWEEEE I don't like the idea of spinning my precious LPs "very fast" !!
I think you might have been misinformed Audrey. There are switches on the turntable to select 33 or 45 RPM and the only 'unusual' speed setting is if you wish to play a 78RPM disk. You play this type of disk at one of the lower speeds and then use software to correct the speed back to normal. So your LPs and EPs will be transferred at their normal speed.......
You can view a brief user manual here: http://www.ion-audio.com/manuals/iTTUSB_Quickstart_multilingual_6.pdf

I've been converting my Vinyl to CD for some time now, using a standard turntable (Technics SL1700) connected to a 'Hi-Fi' amplifier and taking the 'Record' outputs from the Amplifier to the Line Inputs of my PC Soundcard (SoundBlaster Audigy). The software I use is Goldwave, which allows a great degree of 'tweaking' if required and I have also tried Audacity (Free!) which works very well.
Recently, I also tried connecting the Amplifier Recorder Outputs to the Line Inputs of my KN7000 and used the KN7000 as an Analog to Digital converter, connected via USB to a PC. That also gave excellent results.



------------------
Willum

After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is Music.
Aldous Huxley

Hi Bill,

Thanks for your reply. I already have a stand-alone Sony CD Recorder Player/Mini Disk Recorder Player/Cassette Recorder Player all running through an amp and controlled by a Data Box. I kinda liked the idea of using this through the PC as it seemed very 'user friendly'. You certainly dont need to buy anything else as it comes with Audacity and other tools for ease of use but like you say, it does seem a bit of an unnecessary expense to change when I already have a perfectly good working system. The two facilities that interested me most was the direct USB connection to the PC for Audio/Photo and CDs/DVDs and the fact, I could possible clear some of the 'clutter' from my small music room. However, I think you are right, I have misunderstood the spinning of the records. I think I read somewhere that there are dedicated buttons for varying vinyl speeds on most audio systems particularly the 78s. You would think I'd have remembered that wouldn't you? Another 'Senior Moment' I'm afraid .....

I've just had a thought, maybe my son will be interested. He used to be a DJ and is now copying his vinyls to CD but it's going to be a long job as he has literally hundreds of records.

The demonstration I had, (in PCWorld) certainly looked quicker than the way he's doing it but at the moment he is on holiday so I cannot chat to him about it right now but I will as soon as I can

Thanks again Bill.

Audrey


[This message has been edited by Audrey Turner (edited 06-16-2007).]

[This message has been edited by Audrey Turner (edited 06-16-2007).]

[This message has been edited by Audrey Turner (edited 06-16-2007).]