What are USB Turntables?

If you’re under the age of 25, you probably don’t remember a time when records were king and digital music was only a future fantasy. For over 60 years, the turntable was the standard for playing songs that you wanted to hear in your house, when you tired of radio stations mixing songs you didn’t want to hear with those you wanted to hear.

When the digital age came and CDs were the standard, turntables started to fade away and people put away their records. However, as time has gone on and many have realized that their favorite records from the past aren’t going to be recreated digitally, many have found a way of capturing some of those songs from the past and turning them into digital files so that they can once again listen to their favorite music.

USB turntables have entered the realm of digital products. Basically, they’re the same as regular turntables used to be, only they come with a USB attachment that can be plugged into the computer. They can play both LPs and 45’s; to those who don’t know what that means, it’s either 12 inch platters with multiple songs on each side, or 7” discs that only play one song on each side. Some turntables can only be played through the computer, while others will have outlets for speakers to be attached to them.

But the best thing about USB turntables is the opportunity to record your favorite songs from your records, either individually or as a whole album, and add them to your collection. This means that album cuts, songs that weren’t hits but that people still liked, can now be captured. And the software that comes with many turntables allows for some of the pops and scratches to be eliminated from the recording, which will give you a truer sound.

This is a win-win for any audiophile who enjoyed the sound and the songs from records, and yet still wants to add them to a digital collection. Adding a turntable with a USB cable is essential for anyone who has a significant record collection.