Audio Technica AT-LP2DUSB LP-to-Digital Recording System with USB

Everthing old is new again! Still love your old vinyl records? This turntable lets you enjoy them while transferring the recordings directly to your computer. Audio-Technica brings its legendary quality and audio fidelity to the digital realm with the creation of the new LP-to-Digital Recording System. In the box, you'll find everything you need to transfer your classic LPs to digital files: Audio-Technica's AT-PL50 stereo turntable, complete with built-in switchable phono preamp that allows direct USB connection to your computer; Cakewalk PYRO software; an Integral Dual Magnet phono cartridge; and an adapter cable. The system is perfect for creating CDs and MP3 player files that get your old tunes off the shelf and into your portable player. Stereo Cartridge with removable stylus Cakewalk PYRO Software lets you - Create MP3, WAV, and WMA files; Remove clicks, pops, and crackles from noisy LPs with DeClicker; Clean hiss, hum, and other annoyances from LPs with DeNoiser; Design full-color CD-Labels and jewel case inserts

Audio Technica AT-LP2DUSB LP-to-Digital Recording System with USB

My computer recognized the turntable and connected without any problems. Of the two available software packages provided with the turntable, I find the Audacity easier and more intuitive to use. Contrary to the information in other reviews, I am able to listen to the record as it is being recorded. This makes it easy to pause and resume the recording when changing sides. I am extremely happy with the turntable. The instructions on configuring the software are fairly clear for someone who is familiar with a PC and the Windows OS (I have XP home), but they could be confusing for someone who is just a casual user.

The turntable worked great with my WindowsXP computer. The software enclosed was very user friendly, giving step-by-step instructions that were easy to follow. I preferred using the enclosed audioPyroLE program for burning records to CDs rather than the Audacity program. It was more clear on directions. However, PyroLE only let me save in a WAV format rather than an MP3 format, using more drive space. I haven't tried the Audacity program saving to MP3s yet. I also did not like the length of the built-in phono plugs because they're too short to use with my old stereo system, so I need extensions.
All in all I am pleased with the turntable and sound quality.

Instructions poorly written for anyone without an engineers degreee. Booth as to set up & use of softwear.
My unit was defective inasmuch as the tone arm would not track across the records.
Returned for refund

I am very pleased with this turnable, it was very easy to set up and the software for the mac (audacity, free on sourceforge.net) works great. The stylus is a pretty good one and the sound quality is pretty damn good. Converting vinyl to digital is pretty straight-forward.

This is what I remember LP turntables to be like. I'm not an audiophile who needs to adjust the "skating" mechanism just-so... I want to push a button and have the record start playing. This turntable is simple and straight forward. One button to start a record, another to stop it, and a third to lift the arm for a pause. You can set the speed to 33 1/3 or 45, and there's a center insert for the 45's (so, why did they make the hole larger, anyhow??).

The nicest feature- the turntable platter is cast aluminum, not self-warping plastic! There's also a nice heavy-duty platter mat. Many other turntables (ie: ION), come with plastic platters and felt mats- not a good solution.

Now, on the software front... I own a Mac, and you know Mac's are known for their abilities for artsy things like sound, video, and graphics, right? Well, the shareware "audacity" software that comes with this and many other turntables leaves much to be desired. It's definitely not plug-and-play the way us Mac people are used to. And, the software whigs out now and a again- generating an annoying static noise. I'm looking for better software. In the mean time, if you have a Mac with any of these turntables, I recommend you go to Audacity's site and download the very latest version of the software, even if it's still in Beta (which it is upon writing this review). At least in the current release, there are major improvements. I also recommend that you install the "FFMPEG" library... like I said, the software is not a friendly as I'm used to... so you can export your music to iTunes in an AAC format for improvements over MP3.

Remember, the software has nothing to do with the hardware in this case, but it sure would be nice if Audio Technica came up with a nice simple and stable software solution. I'll share any future software discoveries with you. In the mean time, this is a workable solution, and a very nice turntable, which has opened up a whole new world of nostalgia for my iTunes library. Now I'm looking to get a record cleaning kit to improve the sound a little more.