USB Turntables - Comments Page 2

Just curious, have you tested any of the units which play/convert both vinyl and cassettes? I've seen them, but they look cheaply built. I've got a number of cassettes which I want to convert to digital but no longer have a cassette deck on which to play and hook up.

Also, I'm no expert in using Audacity, since my (VERY) old collection of vinyl albums will have scratches perhaps some warp from being stored so long, is it difficult to "clean up" the sound?

EDITOR'S NOTE: I have not tested any of the units that do both vunyl and cassette. But as far as software to clean up the sound, look into the offering from DAK.

Answer to Dave in Indy.
High-speed dubbing is/was never very successful, even in so-called high-speed dubbing cassette decks (now, thankfully, virtually obsolete). Quality usually took a dive because when the source is speeded up you are asking the play-back heads and electronics to handle higher frequencies that they weren't really designed for. For instance - you have an original recording which ranges (for the sake of argument) from 30 Hz to 17Khz.
If you double the speed, you are asking the kit to reproduce frequencies from 60Hz to 34Khz. Bass end is no problem, but just look at the top end. Way outside the range of most tape heads or even high quality record deck cartridges, which is why most high-speed cassette dubs sounded a bit wooly. Just a gimmick, really. I wish there WAS a way of getting vinyl to mp3 without having to play the stuff in real time! Very laborious!

Does any of the readers know of any current "box" that does it all. By that I mean a unit that contains transference and conversion hardware whereby you can use that one source to ultimately convert your vinyl to CD, and your cassette to CD, and your 8-Trac to CD, and your reel-to-reel tape deck tapes to CD... all under one roof, and maybe that completely bypasses your pc altogether?

Same principle would be a great feature for transferring all your old video units to DVD. To be able to have one little 'box' to attach your VHS', or your old 8 mm films, or Super 8 mm films, or 35 mm negatives, etc., to a DVD.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The ION LP2CD pictured in the article does exactly that!

Please help me,
I bought a USB Turntable Model ITUT-201 at JC Penney. I bought the unit last August but have never opened it until today (8/17/09). I opened the box and the software disc was not in the box. The JC Penney store does not have anymore of these units. Is there any way I can get the free software that will allow me to use this unit.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I would contact the manufacturer, maybe the software is on their website.

Mike, download the drivers and the manual here:

http://www.ithomeproducts.com/product/usb-turntable

Audacity, as stated above, is a free download. Good luck!