| Numark TTUSB Turntable with USB |  | Brand: Numark
Category: Musical Instruments
Buy New: Too low to display
as of 7/30/2010 22:08 CDT details
New (33) Used (2) from $80.90
Seller: Electronics Expo
Rating:  149 reviews
Sales Rank: 377
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 12.1
Dimensions (in): 0 x 0 x 0
The TTUSB is a unique, plug and play, USB compatible turntable that makes digitizing your vinyl record collection to your PC or Mac a snap. Packaged with all the necessary cables to connect with a computer or stereo playback system, along with software to remove clicks, pops, and other undesirable characteristics of vinyl, the TTUSB is a comprehensive package that breathes new life into older recordings. As an added benefit, the TTUSB also includes a 1/8?inch stereo mini jack input connector to
MPN: TTUSB
Model: TTUSB
UPC: 410000152027
EAN: 0676762316118
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | USB computer connectivity for PC and MAC | | • | 33 1/3 and 45 RPM | | • | Pitch control +/- 8% | | • | Line level RCA outputs with built-in pre-amp | | • | Adjustable anti skating control |
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Product Description
The Numark TTUSB Turntable makes digitizing your vinyl record collection a breeze. The TTUSB features plug-and-play USB compatibility with both PC and Macintosh computers and an incredibly rugged housing. An easy-to-use professional model for just $20 more than its competitors! The high-speed conversion capability turns a large collection of vinyl into digital a snap. Packaged with all the necessary cables to connect with a computer or stereo playback system, along with software to remove clicks, pops, and other undesirable characteristics of vinyl, the TTUSB is a comprehensive package that breathes new life into older recordings. For the editing of your transferred files, the included Audacity software (PC and Mac compatible) provides a wealth of easy-to-use features. Export your analog music to popular digital formats such as WAV or MP3, and turn your old, forgotten records to the top of your digital music playlist. Numark TTUSB DJ Turntable Features Anti-skating control for increased stereo balance Support for both 33.33 and 45 RPM playback speeds ± 10% adjustable pitch control RCA line outputs Plug and Play USB compatibility with both PC and Mac Includes cables to connect with both a computer and stereo playback system Included EZ Converter software rips your vinyl collection directly to iTunes The TTUSB is an attractive turntable that compliments any home audio system. Packaged with all the necessary cables to interconnect the turntable with both a computer and a stereo playback system, Numark's TTUSB is at home in the living room as it is in one's personal music studio. It's the perfect solution for baby boomers who want to digitize their aging record collections. As an add
Amazon.com Product Description
The TTUSB is a unique, plug and play, USB compatible turntable that makes digitizing your vinyl record collection to your PC or Mac a snap. Packaged with all the necessary cables to connect with a computer or stereo playback system, along with software to remove clicks, pops, and other undesirable characteristics of vinyl, the TTUSB is a comprehensive package that breathes new life into older recordings.  A comprehensive package that breathes new life into older recordings. Click to enlarge. |  Digitize your vinyl record collection to your PC or Mac in a snap. |  The included EZ Converter software quickly rips your vinyl collection directly to iTunes. | USB Turntable
Numark is known for their turntables, and this one lives up to the company name. Features include an adjustable Anti-Skate control for increased stereo balancing, 33-1/3 and 45 RPM speed playback (with 78 rpm support via software), line level RCA outputs with built-in preamp, and an adjustable pitch control of plus or minus 10%. The USB output means a no-fuss, plug-and-play connection to your PC or Mac for easy archiving. Stereo Line Input
As an added benefit, the TTUSB also includes a 1/8-inch stereo mini jack input connector to facilitate the transfer of cassette tapes (or similar line level sources) to computer files-making this unit the perfect tool for archiving older recordings, regardless of their original format. EZ Vinyl Converter 2
The included EZ Converter software quickly rips your vinyl collection directly to iTunes. MixMeister's software lets you easily designate each track with the click of a button, and retrieves track names and other info using Gracenote technology. Once it's in iTunes (or the playback software of your choice), make playlists, burn CDs, or transfer to your iPod or other media player. Audacity
For the editing of your transferred files, the included Audacity software (PC and Mac compatible) provides a wealth of easy-to-use features. Remove clicks, pops, and other vinyl surface noise. Export your analog music to popular digital formats such as WAV or MP3, and turn your old, forgotten records to the top of your digital music playlist. What's in the Box
TTUSB Turntable (Includes Pre-Mounted Cartridge, Platter, Counterweight, 45RPM Adapter, Slipmat), USB Cable, Software CD, User's Manual
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 149
Works Well and Excellent Value July 14, 2010
Hank H.
I am fairly typical of someone who buys a USB turntable. I have about 350 albums that are too good to throw away but I don't play them anymore because playing LPs isn't very convenient compared to CDs. I am not all that well versed in acquiring and managing MP3s, and I'm not a techie audiophile either. So, for me, the Numark TTUSB turntable is perfect for my needs and requirements, especially at the Amazon price.
I unpacked the unit, followed the very clear instructions, and had my first MP3 recorded in about 30 minutes using the EZ Vinyl Converter program provided by Numark. EZ Vinyl reads the USB input and uploads the music into iTunes to produce the MP3 files. However, I had two problems with EZ Vinyl: 1) It's too simplistic, and 2) It often failed to upload any songs after the first one on an album side. It's too simplistic because you have no control over the results, such as correctly dividing an album side into separate tracks. So then I had resort to using Audacity, and, after learning it, I never looked back. It is fairly easy to use, and the Numark instructions to get you started are effective. Afterward I had much better control over the production, and I have yet to learn all of Audacity's features and functions.
After recording a few albums, I figured out that the pickup cartridge that comes with the unit is likely to be inferior. I remember from my stereo days of the 1970s that having a good quality cartridge is essential. The best speakers, receiver and turntable in the world won't result in good sound if you have junk for a cartridge. So I drove down to one of the last remaining stereo stores in my area and bought a $49 Ortofon OM 5E -- not expensive by any means -- but what a difference it made compared to the Numark stock cartridge. So spend the extra money a get decent cartridge.
So I went to town recording 3-5 albums per day and then figured out that the software tools I was using (Windows Media Player, Windows Explorer, and iTunes) were insufficient for managing all of these MP3 files I'm cranking out. I want to correctly set the ID3 tags (e.g., song title, album title, artist, genre, year, etc.) for all my MP3s but what I was using was cumbersome. So I found a very useful program called Mp3Tag. It's free software and it can be found at [...]. It lets you very easily set all of your ID3 tags for your MP3s, including attaching album covers to songs. I get the album covers from the web site [...]. In all, it wasn't that difficult to reach the point I'm at now, efficiently converting my LPs to MP3s.
As for the TTUSB unit itself, it seems to be of very good quality, but don't expect it match the quality and features of good turntables from your past. Compared to my 1979 Technics SL-3200, the TTUSB is missing a dust cover, cueing control, automatic return at the end of the record, and a timing strobe. The TTUSB is very basic, but if all you're doing is using it temporarily to convert your albums to MP3s, it's more than acceptable for that purpose. Though having cueing control would be nice.
So for the money I spent, and the results I'm getting, I'm quite happy with the Numark TTUSB.
Works for me June 7, 2010
Xman (NJ, USA)
I picked this up for only $60 from a Sam Ash sale. For that price, it is great. Build quality seems fine, although I certainly saw better back in the day. I couldn't hear any wow/flutter; the cartridge might be a little "bright" (tilted to high-end response) -- I guess you could substitute a different one if you're a purist.
The software that came with it (not "Audacity", but "MixMeister Vinyl Tape Converter") was pretty rudimentary. I tried VinylStudio instead, and got good results, including scratch/dust removal. I have some obscure jazz LP's that never made it to CD -- I was able to easily record them and produce both CD and MP3 renditions.
I guess you can get similar results with an analog turntable, using the right cable and preamp feeding straight into a standard sound card. But this is simpler, and I'm sure it sounds better than my old turntable in the basement would.
 not the best May 1, 2010
Kurt W. Zimmerer (Los Angeles, CA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am adding to the folks commenting on the HUM generated by this unit. Having many turntables since the 70's and not doing DJ gigs anymore I sold my 1200s a while back and decided to take advantage of the new units with phono preamps and USB outs - exciting....not so fast. Decided on this unit as it had pitch controll and was mid $ range, so picked this unit up last December when it was reduced to 150 bucks along with an excellent Grado labs DJ series cartridge and stylus, set the system up correctly and was immediately shocked at extreme buzz and hum. Tried tons of fixes in the last months, electicians to check my electical, adding an expensive power supply conditioner and every permutation of hookup of the unit but was still unlistenable. I was concerned the day I set it up that there was no grounding wire, which is universal for turntables, the plug had no grounding post - only polarized, which is NOT a substitute for an earth ground. Assumed that tech had come up with some way to ground out the unit in the preamp phase...sadly no.
So back to more trick-fixes, and did find something that calmed the buzz and some of the hum...turning every electrical thing off in the room. The television was the worst, even though on a seperate circuit AND located almost 10 feet from the turntable! BUT even with everything off there is still the hum, WHICH gets incrementally louder as the tonearm tracks closer to the center of the platter! This is all so strange to me and irritating, so the unit is playable only over speakers - if you have headphones on it sounds horrible. And to record such awful quality to digital format...forget it.
Actually got this unit from a dealer (turntable lab), and 3 times going to different staff there each person immediately told me that the problem is the ground. When I told them the unit has no ground they all looked confused and told me to contact Numark, 3 emails to their support have all gone ignored. Ready to take a hammer to this thing. So if you are looking to burn your vinyl to an ipod that will play on headphones - beware - nails on chalkboard. You may luck out and have a setup that allows you to minimize the hum, but I doubt it would ever disappear enough to sound even halfway decent.
 Nicely priced unit but folks need to know a few things April 7, 2010
David McGrann
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It amazes me that most all of the USB turntables lack a cue control. It must be a conspiracy to get you to buy more styluses than you should need. No dust cover, either, but rather than spend almost $30 for one, I use a bandana.
Although it's second nature to old folks like me, remember that this is a turntable. They can skip if you don't put it on a stable surface or if you stomp around too much. You also have to clean your records, and record cleaning supplies aren't so easy to find at your local Best Buy or whatever.
I found that the gain default at 0 isn't satisfactory for recording, and the gain needs to be adjusted upward. This needs to be done at the start of each session with the unit, since it defaults back once you disconnect the unit.
It's simple to use and gets the job done o.k. I have the remnants of what was a large and esoteric LP collection, and buying the unit is enabling me to digitize some stuff that is otherwise hard or impossible to find. It will be cost-effective for me, because I have enough stuff that I can't easily find on CD or on iTunes, so super duper fidelity is not as much an issue as just getting the tunes on a computer or CD.
I'd buy it again.
Basic but effective vinyl converter for a great price. March 21, 2010
GFC
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
If you already have a high fidelity turntable that you like, it is not necessary to purchase a USB turntable. There are RCA in>USB out converter boxes available for less than the price of USB turntables. You would also be able to use your high fidelity cartridge for better recording quality than you can get with the no-name cartridges that come with USB turntables.
This turntable was purchased for vinyl conversion, but is also a serviceable playback unit. It's quiet, free of audible wow/flutter, and tracks OK with a 1 to 1 1/2 gram cartridge. If I did a lot of vinyl playback I would probably hate it for its lack of a cueing lever or auto-return, and its completely inadequate tonearm rest. The clip should be on at all times when it is not in use. Its lightweight plastic construction also results in poor vibration isolation. But hey, 75 bucks.
The selection was based on three must-have features: An aluminum platter, a detachable headshell/interchangeable cartridge, and anti-skate control. Read the reviews of plastic platter turntables such as the Ion TTUSB Turntable with USB Record and you will find complaints of warped platters. The warpage may increase over time. Upgrading to a biradial stylus cartridge such as the AT250G Biradial Moving Magnet Cartridge; Universal Mount will bring the playback to mainstream high fidelity standards for acoustic sounds. One qualifier: The tonearm has a small counterweight, which limits the cartridges/headshells that may be compatible. The cartridge I use works OK with the included headshell, but the universal mount setup is heavy and it maxed out the ability of the small counterweight to balance the tonearm. Anti-skate is a necessity if you are in the realm of low tracking force high fidelity cartridges. The whole setup gives high quality playback at 1 to 1 1/2 grams depending on the condition of the record, which is better than you would get for more than twice the money a generation ago.
Setup for recording with Audacity is easy. Plug into your computer and the driver is loaded automatically. It's plug and play. Go into your control panel>Sound>Recording and select USB Audio Codec. Click on Properties, set levels (I find 30% good for most), go to the advanced tab and select 2 channel, 16 or 32 bit, 44100 Hz. You're good to go. I monitor recording through the sound system, so I can't speak to monitoring through the computer. You can also adjust recording levels from Audacity. Just be sure to have the level meter set to monitor input.
Audacity is far preferable to EZ Vinyl Converter. It stores in a lossless format (not MP3), has effective sonic cleaning tools, and you don't have to set track breaks while recording. The downsides to Audacity (1.2.6) are that its controls are clunky and somewhat illogical, onboard help documentation is sketchy, and it seems to become unstable with large project files. I experienced one crash after Audacity lost the ability to save, resulting in the loss of a large amount of work. Some users swear that Roxio or Soundsoap are better tools. I have no argument with them, but I'm willing to work with the limitations of Audacity. To avoid crashes and other headaches, keep each project to one recorded track a maximum of two album sides in length. If you wish to export MP3s you will need to download the LAME plugin. Under Edit>Preferences, set quality to 44100 Hz/32 bit float and you will have all the quality you will ever need. Be aware that to get 32 bit sampling you will need to have the device properties set to 32 bit also. Be aware that 32 bit Audacity project files are BIG files (over 1 gB per album side [CORRECTION: approximately 500 mB. Crashes left nearly 3 gB of orphan data in the file. The file was cleaned up after it was reopened with Audacity 1.3.11]), so plan you HDD space accordingly.
[The Audacity website] reports that "Several timing-dependent crashes and minor incorrect behaviours have been fixed" with Audacity 1.3.11 (beta). Go to that page and decide if the beta might work for you.
UPDATE: After working in 1.3.11, I thoroughly recommend disregarding 1.2.6 entirely and downloading 1.3.11. The improvements in the interface, additional features and label track functionality, and improved stability make it a no-brainer.
The online tutorials for Audacity have been updated since I started using Audacity and are much improved:
[Audacity wiki, tutorial, links not allowed]
Here's the procedure I found works for cleaning and preparing tracks for export.
First, wash your album with dish detergent. I have concluded that on my first projects I spent considerable effort cleaning up dirt noise.
If recording from a two channel mono source, break the stereo track into two tracks, listen to each track individually and decide which one is best. My experience has been that the right channel is generally better. Delete the inferior track, do all your processing, then copy the completed track to a new stereo channel as the last step before exporting. Why de-click two tracks when you can de-click one and get a better result?
A low pass filter is a good place to start with the sonic processing, depending on the quality of the source. Older recordings tend to roll off between 12 and 15kHz. Some 78s roll off below 10kHz. Anything above the original recorded spectrum is noise.
For click removal, maximum spike width doesn't cause any problems with the sensitivity set to about 2/3 of maximum (2/3 to the left). When using the higher sensitivity settings, check for distortion, and edit/undo then try again with a lower spike width if there is a problem. Brass sounds are especially susceptible. In my experience, the spike width slider should be to the left of the sensitivity slider if it is set to 3/4 or greater. Two or three passes with different spike/sensitivity combinations work best.
The next step is noise removal. Select a few seconds between programs and get the noise profile. Do not use the groove before the first program for a noise profile. It is generally the noisiest part and is not representative. An erratic noise profile will cause noise removal to do some really weird things, like putting a piano through a wa-wa pedal or maybe filling the drums with jello. Higher noise removal settings may distort or muffle the recording. Problems seem to appear with settings above 1/3 max. Higher quality recordings may experience loss with settings above 1/4 max. Noise removal may be best done in stages, with repeated passes at lowered settings. As always, the sound quality check is key. [UPDATE: These instructions are specific to 1.2.6. 1.3.11 provides additional controls that mitigate the muffling effect of noise removal.]
Now for the fun part, manual click removal. Set the track display to spectrum. Clicks will show up as vertical lines. Some may not be visible at the default scale you are using. A blue line may be more of a "thip" than a click. Use the cursor to set a selection area that you want to diagnose. Do a loop play. When a click goes off, zoom in until you have positively ID'd the source of the click. It may take a few passes to find the spike generating the click. Keep zooming until the spike is at least 4 or 5 inches wide, then switch the track display to wave form. Zoom in until you see each individual wave distinctly. Look for tiny spikes or sharp-ended drops on the sides of waves. Smaller clicks may require even more zoom to become distinct from the main waveforms. You may have to pan a little to find them. In my experience they tend to be near the right side of the spike. [UPDATE: The clicks seem closer to the centers of the spectrum spikes in 1.3.11] Yep, those dinky things. Amazing. If you are unsure where you are relative to the click, zoom in to where you can use the sample editor (pencil), pull up a one sample spike, and do a loop play with your reference click. Just be sure it is a loop playback or the waves will go zipping by and you will lose your place. Edit>undo sample edit> and repeat as necessary.
In most cases, clicks can be gotten rid of with the sample editor. If you need to remove a click using select/delete, you will still need to use the sample editor to join the waves, or you may leave clicks of your own. Zoom in to a level where you can work comfortably and smooth the line with a drawing motion. You may also expand the Y axis for better line quality (it DOES matter). Zoom partway out to check your artwork. Does it look like it belongs? What looks smooth at a workable scale may turn out to be a rough artifact that pops if you are not careful. You can also check your result by doing a loop playback. The ability to audition your work while keeping at the working scale is another advantage of the sample editor over edit/delete. For those "thips" that don't lend themselves to click removal techniques, you can use a local low pass filter with the top mashed way down. I find the loss of high end barely noticeable when it passes quickly, and certainly less noticeable than thips. It all sounds like a lot of steps, but I find it all falls into a rhythm quite quickly. The only times I use edit/delete for click removal are when the fundamental waveform is hosed.
UPDATE: Audacity 1.3.11 has a "lock playback loop" feature that allows you to edit within a playback loop without losing the loop. It also has a "repair" feature that allows you to automatically eliminate a click within a selection rather than hand-drawing with the sample editor. Both of these features simplify manual click removal immensely. The repair feature works best when the selection boundaries are in undamaged portions of the track. It apparently has an algorithm for constructing the correct waveform. Usually it works well. Sometimes it needs a little help.
Additional tips for click removal are provided in an Audacity tutorial:
[Audacity wiki:tutorials:click removal]
Spectrum analysis and EQ filtering seem like potential time savers.
Noise removal seems to take something out of the bottom end, so adding a bass boost is worthwhile to warm the sound up again. 200 Hz and +3 dB works for me. [UPDATE: The apparent loss of bass during noise removal is apparently due to the hard-coded hyper-aggressive smoothing and decay settings in 1.2.6. The result is suppression of signal that attenuates below a certain threshold. Again, use 1.3.11 to avoid the problem.]
Noise removal doesn't completely flatten everything between programs, so silencing is worthwhile.
Normalize the track and reconstruct any two channel mono track as the final step before splitting and exporting.
Instructions for splitting tracks using a label track and exporting files are found here:
[Audacity wiki:tutorials:splitting and exporting tracks]
It seems to work best to have the splits at the beginning of each program, instead of at the beginning of each silence. UPDATE: 1.3.11 provides additional options for track splits.
If you are exporting tracks for audio CDs, pay careful attention to the extra notes about burning to CDs.
One bug that appeared is that if a label is at the beginning of the track, the entire track is exported under the first label. Be sure to have some of the track in front of the first label. This may be a bug fixed with 1.3.11. Also, there is no control on how many tracks are included in the export. Use one track only per project for export multiple. [UPDATE: 1.3.11 does not export muted tracks.]
Additional tips for burning audio CDs are found here:
[Audacity wiki:tutorials:burning cds]
Showing reviews 1-5 of 149
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