Here's a few systems to give you an idea how to put all this info together. Tweak the recommendations to your heart's content!
Buy a turntable with a built-in preamp and USB connector. Something like the Ion ITTUSB comes with audio software for both Mac and PC, so you simply plug in and start recording. It is compatible with any software that supports USB audio input sound cards. Also has line-level output so you can plug into your home stereo. Costs $140 USD at zzsounds.com
Grab yourself a used turntable and cheap preamp on ebay.
Buy a new Audio Technica cartridge.
Add a Griffin Technologies iMic and grounding cable to connect the preamp to the iMic.
| Used turntable: | $25 (average price) |
| Audio Technica cartridge: | $22 |
| Preamp: | $22 |
| iMic: | $40 |
| Cable: | $13 |
| Total: | $122 |
Griffin Technology has an excellent write-up on recording using an iMic and Soundstudio, a program found on most Windows PCs.
Audio-Technica PL120 Turntable comes with cartridge and preamp, so it's good to go out of the box.
Edirol UA-1EX USB interface. Good price for an interface made by a great company.
| PL120 turntable: | $300 |
| Preamp: | $0 |
| Edirol UA-1EX: | $80 |
| Total: | $380 |
Here's my system, I've tried quite a few options, so it's been streamlined over time. The Numark TT200 turntable runs into a small mixer with built-in phono preamp, is then routed to an M-Audio USB recording interface.
I like the Numark turntable because it's solid as a rock, has great controls and is direct-drive, so there's no rubber bands driving the platter. I've made two major improvements in sound quality, the first was to add the 'S' tone-arm rather than a straight arm. This significantly reduces skips.
Second was to upgrade to a better phono cartridge like the Sure M97xE. I looked at others, but found this to be a well-rounded stylus for what I wanted to do. The difference in sound quality and stability are huge.
The signal goes out to my mixer, a Soundcraft Compact 4. I love this little puppy. It has a built-in RIAA preamp and dual headphone amps. I use it for other projects, so it's not something you need if you are exclusively ripping vinyl. If you work as a solo musician or mobile DJ, this is a very nice mixer.
The mixer routes the signal to my M-Audio USB recorder. I'll record and edit using SoundStudio. Save to mp3 format, and Bob's your uncle!