Customer Reviews

ADS Tech RDX-150-EF Instant Music

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

The directions on how to connect the box are simple and straightforward, and using it is easy. Within a couple of minutes I was able to connect it to the headphone outlet of an old boombox and copy a cassette to my hard drive, reduce the hiss and "rumble" from the recording and then record it to a cd. I tested it immediately after recording and it played fine on my pc, but the big test was if it would play on my car's cd player, which tends to be kind of finicky, and sometimes refuses to recognize cds that have been copied. It passed the test and played fine. The sound is as good as "commercial" cd's. And, if you didn't happen to like the order of the tracks as they originally appeared on the cassette or record, you can move them around, the same as if you were using any other music software on your computer.

I would strongly recommend this to everyone. However, I do have 2 pieces of advice once it's connected and you begin using it - 1)If you can't hear your cassette playing through the speakers of your pc, you might have a conflict with your existing music software, and have to temporarily remove it. 2)Go through all of your volume settings, and make sure your microphone is not muted, since that's what's used for input.

ADS is marketing this devise (Instant Music) as an inexpensive way to convert analog audio source (LPs, cassettes) to digital format (MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC). But what surprises me is this device also includes some high-end features, such as digital I/O interface (SPDIF or Toslink). SPDIF is a standard for transmitting high-quality digital audio withought going through analog conversion process. I have a quite few collections of field recordings on DAT tapes (recorded with the portable Sony DAT TCD-D8). I've tried to use Instant Music to transfer music from DAT to my iMac G4 using GarageBand (part of Apple's iLife suite). I followed the instructions (can be downloaded from ADS website) and successefully transmitted my music to the Mac and burned onto a CD using iTunes. For more advanced users, M-Audio's Transit may be a better choice as it can capture 24-bit/96kHz (as opposed to 16-bit/48kHz for Instant Music). Transit also allows AC-3 and DTS pass-through. But for me, Instant Music just suits my needs. The package includes USB cable, RCA cable, and a CD with Nero software for the PC (Nero Mix, Nero SoundTrax, and Nero Wave Editor2). Did I mention it also works with Mac (OS 10.X)? A bargain for anyone who wants to convert/transmit analog/digital music to the PC/Mac. Highly recommended.

Product works but only after a lot of trial and error. Some issues include:
* You can not plug a turntable directly into the unit. The VU meters will indicate a signal but you can not adjust the input or record volume and the recording will be inaudible. I had to run the turn table through an old receiver and use the tape out.
* The software included will prompt you that it will replace your old Nero 5 with the Nero 6 "Suite". What it doesn't tell you is that deletes all old Nero software and only installs the one program: Soundtrax. My Nero CD burning software was erased.
* The instructions are nearly worthless as is the tech support. I only got this to work after reading reviews on Amazon.com.. I would buy something else.

This product provides an interface between a stereo system (e.g., taking the output signal from the RCA connector of a tape deck, phonograph, receiver, etc.)and a computer (via the USB port) so that the audio signal from the stereo system can be converted into a wave file. The package comes with software to then convert the audio into MP3 and other formats and has editing software (for noise reduction and various effects). It was very easy to use and install and I have already created a bunch of files for my MP3 player from old LPs. There is very little in the way of documentation so it helps if you have some familiarity with (and patience at experimenting with) the software.

Nothing warns you that if you have a stand alone turn table that you will ALSO need a pre-amp. I tried my old receivers but they didn't have the needed RCA plugs, so I had to spend another $40 to buy a pre-amp.

After spending hours trying to get the ADS Tech Instant Music to work, I called the ADS Tech phone line, only to get an answering machine. Frustrated, I finally took the kit and my computer to my local computer shop, where I shelled out another $45 for the guy to tell me that the audio quality through the box provided with Instant Music allowed too much static and wasn't as good as plugging the LP/cassette audio into what I already had on my computer. To their credit, the ADS Tech people eventually called back a few days later, but I doubt whether they would have been of much assistance, as they immediately referred me to the FAQ on their website, which I had already seen.

After a lot of trial and error I got the system to work.The instructions assumed the user knew more than he did.

I had a problem getting started. It took several attempts to get it working. I didn't think that the instructions provided were helpful to me. I had to just try different things. I did get it running and dumped two 1800 Ft reels of reel to reel tape into the program. I had to break it down into about seven files to be sure the files would fit on a CD. The big problem that I see is not being able to break it down into individual songs. I have to play the CD all at once from beginning to end. It does a fine job at taking the music from the tape to a digital format and the CD sounds as good or better than the tape.

If your original LP's and Tapes are in good condition, this system works great. If you have to edit i.e., reduce the clicks and hiss, the software will do it but is very cumbersome to use. I still am unable to determine how to save the edited copy with the same file extension as the original.

You will discover after installing the software for this unit that you can save MP3 files only 30 times. After that you get a message saying that you need to purchase a Nero mp3PRO encoder plugin. If you go to Nero's site there is no sign of such software. But even if there was, what kind of company is this ADS to advertise a product that supposedly can digitize analog audio and save it in MP3 format, but only a limited number of times and not tell the customer before he buys. There was no mention of this limitation on the package. I called product support and they emailed me a document that supposedly would circumvent this problem. Unfortunately it did not work. I called back and they told me that the software that came with my unit (version 1.3) was defective, but they would not send me corrected software because I was unable to FAX to them a sales receipt proving that I legitimately purchased the product. What kind of company is this who treats their customers with such suspicion? And besides, I don't have a FAX machine. I am just a private individual, not a company. You'd think that just the fact that I am calling their product support number complaining about this problem would be proof enough that I own the product. Besides, they are the ones who should be treated with suspicion for marketing a product with defective software that expires after only 30 uses. Enraged, I threw the product in the garbage.