USB Recording

This is a very basic guide to recording with USB devices. More detailed information can be found at Recording with USB turntables.

• Connect the USB cable of the turntable to the computer, then launch Audacity. If Audacity was already running when you connected the cable, restart Audacity or choose Transport > Rescan Audio Devices.

• Use the Device Toolbar to set the input (recording) and output (playback) devices and set the channels to "2(stereo) Input Channels":

In this example on Windows 7, the output is set to the named speakers of the built-in computer sound device, the input is set to the USB turntable (usually called or including the phrase "USB Audio CODEC") and recording channels are set to stereo. Windows Vista/7 calls 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.

• 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.

• Then, ignoring any instructions in the manufacturer's guide to select "stereo mix", simply press the red Record button in Audacity to start recording from the turntable.

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