Ripping Vinyl, what do I need for a great sounding rip?

Good way to get yer feet wet, and you may be pleasantly surprised. One thing to watch for ... if you don't get sound on playback, make sure the lil "monitor" switch is ON ...

 

Is this unit usb powered or have its own power supply?

 

USB powered.

 

[My preference would be to find one that has RCA inputs and a USB output. That way I can use the Phono stages built into my pre-amp and keep both turntables tied into the pre. That way I can use its tape monitor from either TT as an output to the ADC, just like recording to a tape deck.]

You can use your tape out or per-amp out with the ART unit. Just change the input on the ART from phono to line. You can also monitor input and output with it through your software you use. It has USB to computer. And it is USB powered or you can use external power.

I just hook my turntable into it to bypass all other components. But I have quite a few turntables. So I dedicated a turntable to it.

And it does sound good, as good as the phono in my preamp.

 

Thanks for the recommendation. I've been buying a bit of stuff from parts express so I'll take a look at the ART.

 

With the Behringer you can connect it to your PC (via USB) and a tape loop (via line in/out) on your stereo. From then on treat the Behringer/PC duo as if it was a tape deck. That's what I've been doing with my UCA222 for the last three years.

 

So to update, I ordered and received the UCA222 from Amazon. Ended up with some issues with it, which I may be partially to blame. I could not get it to record in stereo and couldn't find any stereo options (some were there but everything stereo related seemed to be greyed out). Member 48v mentioned the stereo option was in preferences. It was in an obvious place but don't remember if stereo was greyed out on that list too or not. And it seemed to have a faulty USB plug or cord which is hardwired to the unit. Some of the USB ports on my PC it wouldn't work, and the ones that did, any movement of the usb wire could cause the led to go off and the unit stop working (win 10 said it was malfunctioning). So it is on its way back to Amazon and they have already sent out its replacement..

 

IME when USB ports or SATA ports start acting funny it's usually a motherboard problem. One of my desktop PC's started reporting a relatively new Blu-ray drive as non functional. Changing the motherboard made the offending drive work properly.

What happened, is the motherboard died and when it was replaced the non functional drive which for some reason I left in and connected to the new MB started working.

 

It could be that, in which a PC drop kick will be in order, but since everything else, including my USB external DAC is functioning, my hope is on a faulty Behringer.. stay tuned..

 

I seem to remember having a similar problem - wasn't the UCA202, but WindoHs! Solution was to go into the Device Manager and delete it, reboot, and then plug it in again. Something went wonky in the original installation I expect - no problem since.

It shows up as a generic "USB audio device" in the manager ... I'd still do that while you're waiting for the new one to show up.

 

That was the first mistake I made right out of the gate, loaded the drivers from Behringer. Would not work nor would the LED light (but that could have been due to a suspect USB plug). Anyway after a trip to "programs and features" and uninstall it seemed to work again.
I keep expecting MS to get this whole driver thing ironed out for those like me who really probably shouldn't have "administrator" privileges but are by default because the dog isn't smart enough...

 

Huh ... wasn't aware there WERE any drivers for the UCA series ADCs ... mine just loaded up with the generic USB audio driver built into W8 (and XP for that matter).

PS ... just checked with the dog, and he doesn't remember any either. <G>

As mentioned earlier, only problem I had here was monitoring the rips while in process. Flipped the lil switch on the box and all was well.

 

Well when I was setting up the 222 I went to the instruction booklet which mentioned a CD in the box loaded with Audacity and "drivers". There was no such CD but a trip to Behringer's web site had all the downloads for the 222 just waiting including a file for the Audacity and a bunch of effects software I wasn't interested in. The drivers download installed easily in my win 10 machine, but the Behringer was dead at that point (could have been the faulty plug). I got to reading FAQ's on this driver (which seemed a bit generic and not part of Behringer itself) said the ONLY reason I should be loading this driver is if all else fails and my "device" wont work! At that point I had visions of performing the PC equivalent of an exorcism (reformat) but the drivers came right off and things lit up and started working (in mono on just the left channel). It said somewhere that for win 10 drivers would be necessary, but for anyone following these weaving footsteps of mine, don't do it unless you have to!

 

So I received the replacement UCA222 and everything worked great right out of the box. The one I sent back definitely had a USB plug issue that this one doesn't have. Managed to get the first vinyl rip accomplished from start to finish and am very pleased with the results! Had a bit of a time with Audacity and how to split up an LP side into individual tracks but eventually figured it out. Then had issues with bringing it into JRiver as a converted lossless (.ape) file. The first time I tried this it would start playing the song about 10 seconds from the end so each track except one were about 10 seconds in length. I am not totally sure what that was about, but after re ripping to the WAV files it came out fine as lossless. Also used the trial version of ClickRepair which was as simple to use as it was effective. That is must have software and I intend to buy it when the trial is over..

As for the sound, I chose an lp that was sealed when I got it a few weeks ago from 1978. Dire Straits. It sounds better than most of my CD's that I have ripped (but not all). I would say it is about on par with another Dire Straits that I have on CD (Brothers In Arms). No pops or crackle present at all with this new digital rip and very pleasing to listen to! I have the artwork downloaded, and all the track info is present and these tracks now come up in playlists.

One thing I am still not sure about is the recording level. Seems no matter where the sliders are placed, the output level peaks at around -10db and JRiver confirms this as well. Most of the music that has been ripped from CD ranges from around -5db to -1db. -10db is a bit low, but I can't tell any difference with it from the other music. Audacity help files seems to indicate to shoot for -6db. I have JRiver set to adjust its output to equalize all the music which keeps me from chasing the volume to keep the volume the same from track to track, particularly when playing random selections which is mostly the only way I do it.

The Behringer UCA222 is a real bargain and works very well! Audacity is a bit confusing at first but seems to do fine as well. ClickRepair makes most of the arguments against vinyl go away and I am starting to suspect that a lot of vinyl is simply better sounding than the CD equivalent. Could it be that the SQ isn't so much a superior digital v analog (or visa versa) thing as it is just in the recording itself. I have noticed no difference between what I digitally recorded from the analog except for the absence of crackle..

 

Alobar: Well, problem with many of those newfangled digital devices () is that quite a few, including many soundcards and external sound interfaces, but for another example also some of those neat, little digital field recorders don't sport a proper level/gain control on the input anymore, but just digital attenuation after the ADC (section) - so if the input signal level doesn't happen to fit well to the supported input level range, such devices don't provide proper means to adjust the signal to scale, and one would need other means instead (e.g. sources with adjustable output - or adjustable or fixed attenuators or some kind of mixer in between...).

This is why I usually suggest those, who want a more universally compatible USB sound interface for recording, to spend a little more for a better euipped model like for example the Focusrite Scarlet 2i2 or similar prosumer models from other manufacturers (maybe even the priceworthy Behringer UMC202HD, but I'm not sure, whether that features ASIO support...).

And generally speaking, don't be surprised to have a pretty hard time, when you start with recording on Windows computers, because that can really be a rather complex matter. In fact complex enough, that I also regularly suggest to consider a convenient alternative in form of a dedicated digital recorder like for example unfortunately already discontinued Sony PCM-M10 or the Roland R-05.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

Good to see it worked out for ya ...

I've embarked on a winter project on my own here ... Several hundred old 78rpm shellac that I'll be ripping to FLAC. Still using the UCA202 with Audacity, and still tweaking the process a bit, but so far, so good.

Here's a thread I got going on the subject that maybe can give you an idea or two ...

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/usb-78rpm-ripping-on-a-budget.739858/

 

I use a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 to rip vinyl using Garage Band. The results are great. An added bonus is using the Scarlett as the output device. I was going from the headphone jack to my preamp. This sounded good, but when I switched my output from the Power Book to the Scarlett I was floored by the sound. In addition to having great preamps, the Scarlett has a terrific digital decoder and output section. The music just sounds more "alive". Greater bass, dynamic range, you name it. Just better. This little box is magic.

 

The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 looks interesting but where is the Analog input? The pictures on Amazon don't show any RCA inputs. How do you connect this device into your system? Looking a little harder it appear that this unit is mainly for pro muscisians. The inputs are special plugs for mics or guitars.

 

It is designed for musicians. That's why I got one. But it works great at ripping vinyl. Just use cables with RCA jacks on one end and 1/4" phone jacks on the other. Inputs on the front, outputs on the back. Trust me it works great.

 

BH: That's just a question of using appropriate adaptors or preferably adaptor cables. The Scarlet 2i2 features two combo input plugs for XLR and TSR/TS, expecting mics to come in via XLR and line or instrument level signals to come in via TSR/TS. And the pair of output plugs on the back also is TSR/TS. So for connecting this USB sound interface to the unbalanced tape-loop of the pre-amp/integrated amp/receiver of a hifi system, over here I'd simply buy a two pairs of these: http://katalog.cordial.eu/katalog3,61,226,kk39.html.

Unless that would be intended to become a rather long cable run or I'd already foresee ground hum problems, of course - in which case transformer-coupling preferably near the unbalanced end would seem advisable for higher immunity and less trouble.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini


(edit: typo extermination)