I recently started using a USB turntable and Audacity software to upload records (vinyl) to the computer.
I notice that while sound is generally good, I’m not getting proper stereo separation (the overall effect is is virtually monophonic). Audacity tells me I am recording in stereo; it just doesn’t sound like it.
The other problem is that with some records, a portion of the audio is not being picked up. For instance, a song will record with dominant drums and the vocal track is barely audible. On other records, this is not a problem.
Is there some a problem with settings that I haven’t figured out? Anyone else noticed this?
This part tells me that your cartridge is wired up out of phase. You have the positive and negative contacts reversed on the cartridge. Once you refit the connections, this problem will go away.
Normally, the four wires that come out of the tonearm are color-coded, and the pin contacts on the cartridge have a color code built into the shell so you can see which one goes where. The wire is soldered to a metal sheath that fits tightly onto the pin. It can be removed with a pair of needle-nosed pliers by clamping onto the sheath, very gently, and sliding the sheath off the pin. Use the least amount of force necessary to remove it. Be especially careful not to squeeze the sheath with the pliers so that it becomes flattened or crimped!
Give this a try, switching the positions of the red and blue wires, or the white and black wires and let us know when you get stereo.
I think I’ve found the problem - and it’s in the software.
According to the Audacity wiki site some copies of the software bundled with turntables are “out of date”. There’ve been a number of reports of Audacity not working with Windows Vista (which is what I have on my PC).
I tried the software I have on a Windows XP laptop, and it records in stereo off the turntable just fine.
Now to download the newest version of Audacity onto my PC and try again…