Jetrell Fo said:

I have an external sound card and a tube pre-amp. 

I adjust the pre-amp for gain and then I use louder tracks on the vinyl to adjust the sound card while keeping an eye in adobe audition.  Once I get the louder tracks recording levels adjusted I usually am able to find my safety zone.  I never let anything go in the red but that is preference.  I believe once or twice here and there isn't an issue as you can compensate for that later but I prefer to try and limit any digital/software processing by adjusting the hardware so it can do what it is made to do.......

 

So you are using a computer...sorry, I didn't get that before. :-)

What did you mean by:

"Be careful, it's always a possibility that your receiver may be re-sampling your audio signal."

JediTray said:
I think I'm going to save up and buy the DAK kit again.  I'm also thinking that, although it might be redundant, that I would try an RCA to USB converter.  My thinking is that, if my sound card was part of the problem, then the sound could be converted to digital via USB, rather than the 3/5mm input on the sound card.  The only restriction I see so far is that the one I linked to is 16 bit only.

Was the majority of the surface noise you heard in the recordings, or did you also hear it when you were listening to your LPs, prior to recording?

If so, could it have been that the cartridge you were using just wasn't up to snuff? Sometimes the simplest solution is the correct one. Since the cartridge is the only thing that comes in contact with the LP other than the rubber mat, you might just want to go for a different brand of cartridge than the one you used before, or splurge and get one of a higher quality. I don't think the quality of the cartridge can be over stated. Your records are in good condition, they're clean, so I can't think of anything else in the analog realm that would account for the surface noise.

I'm sorry, I am a Luddite when it comes to music+computers. I don't even own an MP3 player. ;-)

JediTray said:
What he means by resampling your audio signal, IIRC, is the fact that some amplifiers, especially digital ones, could be actually copying and breaking down analog signals before they make it to the speakers or other outputs/inputs for recording.

That finally occurred to me- I forgot that there are digital receivers in the world now. Mine is a very analog 13-year-old 2-channel receiver that I specifically bought because it had a good phono stage, so no worries there. ;-)

JediTray said:
You know, the more I think about it, the more I think that I was being too harsh and expecting way too much from an old (but loved) format. As I said before, it wasn't necessarily audible, but it showed on my level meters on the computer. I just think the meters in the software are set for pure digital sources, so the "noise" seems to be more pronounced. I am going to get the kit again, do a few things differently, and get the job done the way I want to do it. I honestly think the next time I get into it, the results will be worth it.

We all have been spoiled by the cleanliness of digital sound- even us 70's kids. Impossible to avoid, I guess.

Still, the results are definitely worth it. I really enjoy the CD recordings I've made of my old LPs and 45s, and there's stuff I just listen to a whole lot more now because it's just so much more convenient to have things in an accessible digital format.

JediTray said:

Looks like most of the external USB sound cards only have a 3/5mm input, and are 16 bit. 

6.3mm jacks are basically the music industry standard, so many of the more expensive soundcards will favor these connectors, cause they're mostly used by musicians...
But you can indeed get soundcards (USB also, or firewire) with any resolution, it's just a matter of money..

So I'd just be spinning my wheels that way too.  Instead of turntable-mixer-internal sound card, it would be turntable-mixer-external sound card-computer.

The sound is digitized in the soundcard, so any external soundcard->computer connection is purely digital. The idea with an external soundcard (or one with a breakout box) is simply to eliminate any noise/interference that might come from the computer itself. But to be honest I don't know if this is really a problem or is more academic? Has anyone measured this supposed interference on their soundcard? In any case most semi-pro soundcards are internal with external breakout box.

I don't know your budget, but here is one USB and one PCI soundcard that are (relatively) cheap and should be able to do what you want: M-Audio Delta Audiophile 2496 & Roland UA-1G.

 

Darth Editous said:

This is probably unlikely to be a concern with your setup, but I've seen real life cases where noise was reduced by recording on a laptop running on battery power, rather than plugged in to the mains.

DE

But that would probably 'just' be a lack of grounding, and not interference from other components.

JediTray said:

I will also be getting a direct drive turntable next time.

Good move. I love mine. :-) I'll never understand the uber-audiophiles' penchant for belt-driven tables.

JediTray said:
Really?  I've always heard that direct drive was preferred.  Even when I worked in a music store back in the day, DJ's and enthusiasts alike preferred it.

DJs.....definitely. People who read "The Absolute Sound"......probably not. Those $8,000+ turntables for which you have to buy a separate arm, are usually belt-driven. Their theory is that in direct-drives, the motor is too close to the LP as it is directly attached to the spindle and can adversely affect the sound.

The other school of thought (to which I subscribe) is that any motor rumble of a decent direct-drive is preferable to the speed inconsistency of a belt-drive.

JediTray said:

I would rather have more stable pitch as well.

Then a direct drive is the way to go. Most of them have a pitch adjustment control as well, which, unless you're a DJ, doesn't have much use (although I have found it useful for bootleg LPs that were mastered at the wrong speed).