USB Turntables

I was delighted when I first discovered the idea of USB Turntables! 

Nowadays most people are used to listening to their music in digital form. If like me you still have lots of vinyl records then you have probaby discovered that finding a reasonably priced turntable in order to play your vinyl records is becoming really hard.

Again if you are like me and have a large collection of vinyl which you still enjoy listening to them, you may well be trying to find a way to carry on playing them, or alternatively transferring your much loved music into another format.

A USB turntable could be exactly the answer you are looking for.

When I first started looking at USB Turntables I was surprised by the wide range of choices available. I was looking for one that was suitable for reasonably light home use which was reasonably priced.  However if you are looking for one that could be used in a professional environment there are plenty available but of course you are going to pay extra.

In general whichever one suits your needs (and budget) you will find that they offer the ability to convert your vinyl tracks to MP3 by sending a data stream back to a PC. The software you get then records your music on the PC as an MP3. You can get USB Turntables which record straight to CD and then there is a relatively simple process of ripping then to MP3.

Depending on how much you are prepared to pay there are some models which have a separate power supply plugged in. Others versions will be a bit more convenient and power the unit through the USB cable which also sends the audio file from the turntable to your computer.

If like me you can be a bit technically challenged at times then you might opt for a model that doesn't require you to install special drivers. That type of USB turntable reallt is just plug and play.

There are a variety of features available. Some turntables will only manage one speed, others will cope with three, including playing seventy eights. With the ability to play seven and twelve inch vinyl as well, there are models that will allow you to play any of the records that you own.

Whilst some models need a mains power source and others run on USB power, there are even battery powered models that are completely portable. They come with a headphone jack that allows them to be used the same as any other portable music player, with the USB connection only being needed in order to transfer the music onto your PC.

You will find that the cheaper models are fairly lightweight and probably won't come with a dust cover which would protect your records during playing. For slighlty more you will be able to get one with a dust cover together with noise reduction built in. You may well find that going for the slightly more expensive option will improve the sound of your music on record.

You will also find that the audio software with the more costly models will have more features which would mean that you would have more control over your music ripping.

If you are a bit of a nostalgic like me then you are going to find that a USB Turntable will give you the convenience of listening to your vinyl records on MP3 whilst still hearing the pop and crackle of vinyl.