I thought my first attempt at doing this was an epic fail, so I want to pose some questions to anybody out there that is “in the know.”

My biggest enemy was “needle noise.” No matter what I tried, the VU meter still showed it. I know that it cannot be totally silent like a tape or CD, but I really thought that, especially with the expensive equipment I bought (and returned because of it), that it could somehow be defeated. Does anyone have any ideas? Software? Hardware? Equipment?

Also, I used a professional preamp mixer. I thought for sure that since it was “overqualified” for the job, the needle noise would be manageable. I was wrong. It only highlighted it even more because of the increased fidelity. So, does anyone recommend a particular preamp?

Lastly, here is a link to the system that I bought:

http://www.dak.com/reviews/2020story.cfm?Ref=MSN&PM=LPtCD&Srh=usb_turntable

And here is a link to a new cable by Alesis. I have NOT tried it, but thought it was of interest:

http://www.pssl.com/!XGpYL-n!XRycqSFWCgsVWQ!/Alesis-PhonoLink-Stereo-RCA-Phono-to-USB-Cable-s?AID=10404878&PID=2007032&SID=46002

So, I would really appreciate ANY positive input, recommendations, links, advice, pictures, etc. about this. I really want to give it a go again someday, and I have some great vinyl for it, but I want to be more educated for the next attempt.

Thanks for reading!