USB Turntable Setup

Setting up your USB turntable should be one of the simplest things you ever have to do if you’re computer savvy at all. Even if you’re not, it shouldn’t take a lot of work in setting one up. However, placement of a turntable, USB or not, is quite a different story.

The first thing to consider with a USB turntable is where to put it in reference to where your USB ports are. The cable on a USB turntable isn’t overly long, yet you still need to make sure you have enough space to set your turntable on a flat surface where you can still play it easily enough.

A flat surface is the key to USB turntables and their placement. Turntables have a needle on an arm that’s called a stylus. A stylus is actually a very tiny diamond of the end of a little piece of metal that’s attached to a wired arm. The arm will follow along the grooves of the record. If the turntable isn’t laying on a flat surface, the needle will have a tendency to jump, and that interrupts playback. Also, if it’s not on a flat surface and you happen to accidentally bump against it, the needle will jump.

The third thing that will need to be done is to load the software. You need to read the instructions before you attach the turntable via your USB cable, because for some turntables, you load the software first, whereas with others you can just attach the turntable and your computer will find it. After that, however, you’ll still need to load the software that will allow you to record songs from your turntable.

One final thing to mention; clean your records! If you’re like many people, your records may be old and dusty. Even with newer technology, a stylus is a delicate piece of equipment, so you’ll want to help your turntable last a long time by making sure your records won’t damage it.