ION Profile LP Vinyl-to-MP3 Turntable

For years I've watched the ION USB turntable but could not afford it at $250. Finally the Profile Pro ION Profile LP Vinyl-to-MP3 Turntable fit my budget at just $49.95. I figured it was so well priced that if I couldn't get it to work I wouldn't be out too much. Well, was I pessimistic for nothing! This USB turntable provides exceptional quality.ConnectingHardware connection is a snap. Attach the USB cable from the back of the turntable to an open USB port.The EZ software that comes with it I didn't use. Instead I use the free program Audiacity, which I downloaded from the Audacity web site. Audacity includes a users manual. If you plan to record to MP3 you also have to download a small MP3 converter called LAME. Learning Audacity took me a few hours. Use it to adjust the incoming volume (the ION puts out a whopping big sound). Use it to view the spectrum of the recorded sound. The ION computer cannot play the music while recordingto avoid feedback. You have to unplug the turntable to hear how the edits sound, then plug it in for the next record.Recording LPs with ION and AudacityRecord. The turntable starts automatically when the tone arm is over the edge of the LP. It stops when the tone arm rises and moves back to stowage position. Flip the record and Audacity automatically fits the second side to the first.Editing with AudacityThe best editing tools in Audacity: Click removal has been perfect with default settings; Remove Noise is an essential second step especially when recording from very old vinyl; Normalize will set the output volume to the ideal level. There are about 25 editing options.For LP recording there are two VERY handy capabilities: set track label at selection lets you put the name of the track at the start of each selection on the LP. Do this after all editing is done, especially deleting sections of dead space. Use it with Explort Multiple and Audacity will record each track as an MP3 file with a track number added and album information entered through the metadata dialog box.If you have 78s, order the optional 78 stylus since 78s have different groove depth and width. Amazing! The ION folks made each stylus in a different colored housing for easy identification. I've even brought my parents and in-laws 78s from the 1930's back to life and they sound excellent!ION Profile Pro and Audacity software -- a great combination to bring your records back to life! I love it. Converting old records -- 33, 45 and 78 -- is my new hobby. Now I'm listening to music I haven't heard in 50 years. I can't recommend this combination enough, but the key is the ION Profile Pro.

I don't usually go five stars, but this unit simply didn't have anything about it to detract more than half a star, so we round up to five.This unit was a great price (~$65) for what it is and how stylish it looks. Sure, it is all plastic, but it feels hefty and looks great. It has very large, stable, rubbery feet and a heavy turntable pad.Packaging was great, everything fragile was wrapped nicely, especially the needle area, and the shiny blackness was covered in a cloth-like sheath (cloth nice enough I used it to wipe the dust off the album I ripped).Operation: Just plug it in and run the USB cord (standard size and a cord is included) to your Mac or PC. I have a Mac, and while the provided software (on a CD-ROM) was rudimentary, it had me up and running literally within minutes. I opted to download the free Audacity, and it worked great to start recording. I will admit I was so out of practice with turntables that I was wondering where the "ON" button was, but all you need to do is lift the arm, move it over the album, and it spins up. Lower the arm and you've got sound. (When it is done, the auto shutoff appeared to work as you would expect).Signal appeared to be strong and clear, and I did not need to amplify the gain in Audacity to have resulting MP3s that sound like they are at the same level as various eMusic MP3 downloads of CD rips. It also wasn't overly amplified/distorted or compressed as far as I could tell, but I am not an expert in turntables enough to know how good the needle/head is. I ripped an album with no problem and it sounded good. The lid closes softly and snugly, so I assume that helps keep some noise off the needle, too.Other goodies. The RCA output is nice, though the cord is hard-attached to the back as opposed to being modular (jacks), but you can get adapters to make this pipe through a longer cord, a headphone jack, whatever. I didn't test that but assume it works. It's a nice add-on. An even nicer add on is the line IN. I didn't test that either, but theoretically that would let you pipe through ANY analog source and convert it to a USB audio signal. I realize most computers are already going to have an sound recording line in, but this USB input can be a secondary route to get pretty much any sound source you want sampled, all in one decent-looking package.One simply doesn't expect an electronics device (spanning decades from phonograph tech to USB signals) to come so cheaply or attractively. I sure don't, anyway.