Simple Turntable with Built-In Phono to Imac: How?

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Hello Everyone. Sorry for the basic question, but I appreciate your help immensely:



I have an old all-in-one iMac, the one with the spherical base. I am also considering purchasing an AudioTechnica turntable, meant for home-listening. It has a built-in phono pre-amp (" Not only can you plug this directly into your stereo or receiver (any input will do), you can also plug it directly into your computer for easy vinyl recording.") Will I be able to plug in this turntable to my current computer or are there any special wires I need to get? Or would I be better off buying a new stereo system to plug it into? Finally, should I get a better set of speakers for my iMac if I can in fact link the turntable to this computer (I currently have the purely functional round plastic sphere ones)? Thank you for your advice!!!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    YOu need something like the iMic from Griffin.



    http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/imic/



    This is a new model so chek that it will work with your set up.



    Also, an audio app for the purpose would help: Spin Doctor that comes with Roxio Toast.



    Unless you have Garageband, which can do the trick if you try.
  • Reply 2 of 12
    Sorry I just woke up and am really groggy; I'll post more cherently later.



    Created lots of homemade CDs for my students using same computer as you, so you can do lots of stuff.
  • Reply 3 of 12
    [QUOTE=tigertiger;1019578]Hello Everyone. Sorry for the basic question, but I appreciate your help immensely:



    I have an old all-in-one iMac, the one with the spherical base. I am also considering purchasing an AudioTechnica turntable, meant for home-listening. It has a built-in phono pre-amp (" Not only can you plug this directly into your stereo or receiver (any input will do), you can also plug it directly into your computer for easy vinyl recording.") Will I be able to plug in this turntable to my current computer or are there any special wires I need to get? Or would I be better off buying a new stereo system to plug it into? Finally, should I get a better set of speakers for my iMac if I can in fact link the turntable to this computer (I currently have the purely functional round plastic sphere ones)? Thank you for your advice!!![/QUOT
    E]



    I'd have to agree with Bergmeister on that unit, although there a million of them out there available, but 90% are for PC, so it would be best to get that Mac one. You can buy one for $29 off the shelf at places like CompUSA but like I wrote, most are just for PC. They all come with a lil program so you can record your vinyl onto your hdd. My friend has one for her Compaq notebook and it works great. That phono built-in preamp is a good idea because she has to plug the turntable into her receiver and back out to the analog-digital interface to the computer.



    However if you have the means, you should get the system I have. Its 2 Denon S3500

    digital turntables, a Numark/Kaos Pad effects mixer and a built-in interface that can feed to a Mac or PC or analog power amp. It kicks ass and does pretty much under the sun including scratching, sampling, looping, reverse, etc.



    http://img55.imageshack.us/img55/6017/numark7ns.jpg
  • Reply 4 of 12
    regreg Posts: 832member
    We used iMic on our old bondi blue imac and it worked. For playing thru it, you will get some delays or skipping because of the USB interface. Also what is your mac running. Final vinyl which comes with the imic requires 10.3.9.
  • Reply 5 of 12
    Thank you fatcat, Reg, and bergermeister, all, very much. You've all been so enormously helpful. I've been saved the humiliation of asking a teenager at the record store who'd make me feel like a total chump.



    As to what system to get...my system has MacOSX, or maybe 10.1 (same thing?) It looks like I might have to do some upgrading, or find an audio application that works with it. If IMic needs 10.3.9, are there easy ways to upgrade to it? Or do I need to purchase 10.3.9? Also this "Final Vinyl" business.....What would you guys suggest to do re: skipping and delays? That would be really unfortunate...my records deserve to never be interrupted...



    The 2 Denon S3500 digital turntables sounds unbelievable. I had Richie Hawtin/Pioneer dreams, once, and high-scale turntables have the undeniable allure of methamphetamines...If only the dough flowed that way though. One Day.



    Also, I got an e-mail from a turntablist who noted that I hook up the record player directly to the computer "with the included RCA to miniplug adaptor cable." Can any of you decipher that? Are RCA and Miniplug cable two different things? I appreciate your help.
  • Reply 6 of 12
    Also! Is there a version of iMic that doesn't need to use "final vinyl"? Can I use the iMic device and get something that works, say, with OSX...Are there programs that I can just play the darn records with, aside from recording them (which I don't care to do, really)?
  • Reply 7 of 12
    For example, does "Garageband" work with 10.1? Sorry for the multiple inane posts. I appreciate it, again.
  • Reply 8 of 12
    You don't have to use Fnal Vinyl; the Mac will recognize the iMic as san audio source for any application.
  • Reply 9 of 12
    This might be interesting as well: http://www.ion-audio.com/ittusb.php



    A turntable you can connect directly to any computer with USB...
  • Reply 10 of 12
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by gwoodpecker View Post


    This might be interesting as well: http://www.ion-audio.com/ittusb.php



    A turntable you can connect directly to any computer with USB...







    I think he already bought a new TT that has an internal phono to line output

    but that unit looks sweet.







    The 2 Denon S3500 digital turntables sounds unbelievable. I had Richie Hawtin/Pioneer dreams, once, and high-scale turntables have the undeniable allure of methamphetamines...If only the dough flowed that way though. One Day.



    Tiger, yes its a nice system, I use it for doing a few dj gigs. Re: the dough, yah I make a lot of money, but someday you will too, but remember where you came from. I come from the ghetto where there are no Apple Stores, where Steve Jobs wouldnt even think about stopping to use the restroom.
  • Reply 11 of 12
    feynmanfeynman Posts: 1,087member
    The above is all a little complicated.



    I actually hooked my record player to my computer last night with much each.



    I use the Numark PT01 Portable DJ Turntable for this purpose specifically.



    Go down to RadioShack and get a male to male headphone extender cable that has a 1/4" size jack on one end a 1/8" jack on the other end. Hook up the 1/8" jack to the record player and the other side up to your iMac's audio-in jack.



    Then use a program like Amadeus II to record the audio in to the computer.



    That's it! You're done!
  • Reply 12 of 12
    Thank you all for your help!! I'm going to piece this all together and have the system of my dreams. 8) Oh, and I'm a girl, fatcatdj! Haha...Thanks for the life advice... I'll never forget where I came from, though. D.C. has given me enough material to never forget.



    I'll let you know my progress...again I can't thank you enough for parsing this nonsense. I'm getting back in the game.
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