Customer Reviews

Audio-Technica AT-LP2DA LP-to-Digital Recording System

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

I was concerned about whether I would be able to get the software to work after reading other reviews. Nonetheless, I ordered the system because it offers great capability at a super price.

Even though I am intimidated when I have to put things together, I was delighted to find the turntable comes in outstanding packaging and the directions for the minor assembly are good. I had it put together and connected to my computer within about an hour.

The real test was the use of the software. Unlike others, I found I could work my way through the software and had my first electronic recording from an LP within an hour. With another hour's work, I figured out how to record an album side and separate tracks after the recording was completed (simply click under the Wave image and it adds tracks). Once I had the tracks separated, I found I could rename and save the tracks in the format I desired (wma or mp3). This is done through the Save option and selecting "save as multiple audio files".

The software could be better documented but I find it is very powerful and reasonably easy to use if you are willing to work through trial and error.

I'm very happy with my purchase and recommend this product and software.

I purchased the AT turntable hoping that it would help me convert some of my (for many years) unlistened to LPs to CDs. It did all that and more! The set up was simple, I opened the box, read the basic instructions, connected my audio cable to my computer, and within 30 minutes I had 30 year old LPs playing through my computer!

The process I used to capture and convert to CD was:
1. Start the Pyro Software on my computer
2. Put LP on turntable and start playing.
3. Adjust volume on Pyro input to make sure that it stays within the OK range. Type in a name for the audio file.
4. Restart the LP
5. Click 'Start Recording' on the Pyro software
6. After 20-25 minutes, turn over LP
7. After the LP has finished playing click 'Stop Recording'
8. This saves the audio into a file that you can play and using the 'Split' and 'Remove' buttons you can, within 5 minutes break down the LP into individual tracks.
9. Put a blank CD in your computer and click the 'Burn CD' button; accept the defualt options window that pops up.
10. This is the really clever piece! Eject the CD and re-insert it. My computer opens iTunes when a music CD is inserted and asks if you want to import the songs, but better yet it knows the CD and all the track names (how it does this is beyond me, but it works 90% of the time - what a time saver!)
11. iTunes imports the CD with all its track names!
12. Repeat steps 1-11 for each LP!

Excellent product!

My CD collection is extensive...but so is my collection of LPs and 45s. I wondered if it was possible convert these so I could play them on my iPod. One day my wife told me she saw the AT-LP2DA system on Amazon and asked me if I was interested. After looking at the description -- and the price -- I decided it was worth a try. Now that I've been playing with it for a while, I can say, without hesitation, that it's exactly what I was hoping for!

I'm able to feed 45s, individual tracks from LPs or entire LP sides into my PC, spend a minimal amount of time with the included Pyro software cleaning up the sound, removing clicks and changing EQ, and then I can feed the songs into my iTunes software to my iPod. It's great, and easy-to-use. The only downside is that it happens in real time, so you have to play the entire song to transfer it. And it can't fix a recording that skips! But, other than that, it's simple, fun and the result is pretty amazing. I've cleaned up some really scratchy-sounding 45s and made them sound almost pristine. I've added some depth to tinny-sounding recordings, and have even become adventurous enough to create some of my own edits (finally a version of Chicago's "Make Me Smile" that isn't as butchered as the 45, and includes the guitar solo that I like so much!).

I'm extremely satisfied with the quality of this unit, and the great price. Of course, it's turned me into a vinyl junkie all over again, as I spend an average of two hours a night playing with my vinyl. But it's great to hear some of those songs again, especially once they're converted to digital format. It's a great investment if you've got precious vinyl and an iPod!

Unfortunately, this product is nothing more than Audio Techica's way of getting rid of a very cheap turntable by packaging it with hard-to-use software and an inexpensive RCA add-on cable and calling the whole mess an "LP-to-Digital Recording System". Ha!

Unlike other turntables which are USB-ready this one is not and requires plugging into a sound card...which may or may not work.

I was looking forward to enjoying this product but, within minutes of setting it up and tinkering with it, it was evident that this was going to be returned.

The turntable is made of very cheap lightweight plastic. The ONLY positive I'll give it is that it has one heck of a sturdy dust cover.

Avoid this.

My Audio-Technica AT-LP2DA turntable arrived DOA, so I was not able to hear the sound quality reproduction. What I DID see frightened me; the turntable had no tracking mass adjustment, no anti-skating adjustment, and no strobe for speed adjustment. It was belt drive. In summary, if one had a few dozen LPs to digitize, it might do. Otherwise, upgrade to the Audio-Technica AT-PL120S; for twice the money, you get three times the turntable, and will NOT be sorry.
I found the Cakewalk Pyro 5 software to be non-intuitive, but VERY powerful.

The turntable is a good value for the price. It is well designed, easy to put together and works like a charm. All included accessories are correct for most computers and are easily used.

However, I can't say the same for the Pyro 5 software. The best thing to do is to keep the Pyro disc in the packaging, download Audacity, a free software, and use it for transferring and saving your lp audio in digital form. Audacity is easy to work with because it is very intuitive and does a great job. Pyro 5 is much more difficult to use and, for some unknown reason, does not allow the use of another software to burn your cd or dvd disks. Therefore, you can't use a software that you are already familiar with, but have to learn how Pyro 5 burn works. Just a waste of time for most users.

The following is my review for the same product that also comes with a USB connection (same turntable though)...

I've never even owned any LPs before, but I recently got a real craving for some mixes that only appeared on DJ-only LPs. So I purchased a few, along with this turntable so I can rip them into MP3s.

Everything arrived on the same day, so I was like a kid in a candy store. All I can say is HOORAY!

There are two versions of this Audio-Technica turntable... one has USB capabilities, and the other (which is a bit less expensive) does not. However, even with the USB output, there are also good old RCA outputs on this turntable. The turntable also comes with two RCA to stereo 3.5mm mini-plug adapters: one male adapter (for connecting to stereos, powered speakers, or a mixer with 3.5mm mini jack inputs), and one female adapter (for connecting to amplified speakers or other devices with a mini-plug). Basically, you can connect this turntable to almost anything without having to go out and purchase additional cables or adapters.

The unit has three buttons on the front: start, stop, and up/down. I'm sure you can guess what each of these does. This is an automatic turntable, so the arm is controlled by the buttons (no need to manually lift and place the needle back down).

The turntable also has a pre-amp switch, for either "line" or "phono" output. This way, you can connect it to most devices, whether they have an amplifier or not.

The setup of the turntable itself is pretty easy. Follow the instructions to easily place the platter onto the turntable and pull the drive belt onto the motor spindle (illustrations are included).

I elected to connect the RCA cables to one of the adapters, and connected that to the "line-in" mini-jack input on my digital sound card. Technically, I didn't need to purchase this more-expensive USB version of the turntable since I am not using the USB output, but that's beside the point :)

There are two CDs included in the package: one for Cakewalk Pyro 2004/2005 (commercial software), and one for Audacity (open source software). Cakewalk Pyro is NOT compatible with Windows Vista, so I installed Audacity (check their website for newer versions if desired).

After installing Audacity, I selected my input source ("line-in"), put the first LP on, and heard exactly what I was hoping to hear... high quality music and sound. So I restarted the LP, hit the record button in Audacity, and waiting for the song to finish. Then I hit the "stop" button in Audacity to stop recording, quickly and easily trimmed a bit of the dead space before and after the song, and exported it to a high-quality, high bit-rate MP3.

For the money, I couldn't have asked for anything better. Everything sounds crystal clear, and couldn't be easier. I highly recommend this product. If you have a line-in jack on your sound card (which most do), and would like to use that, save yourself a few bucks and go with the model that doesn't have the USB output. I'm not sure if the other model comes with a CD for Audacity (maybe only Pyro), but Audacity is an open-source free download on the web anyway. Either way, you won't be disappointed.

Happy ripping! :)

Great product for the low price.
Lack of documentation for Pyro but it is self explanatory.
Hardware is wellmade and easy to configure.
Beware of "Windows Sound Setup" and set the Recording Device Input to proper sound levels.
Pyro software is fun to use.
Records LP's easily since it operates like a regular phonograph.

Well worth every cent.

After looking at other reviews, I took a chance and bought the product. I am a 60 year old female who isn't real techno-savvy, but the turntable hooked up right away (use the *blue* input- why they don't use the color code in documentation, I don't know.) Great sound through the speakers. The issues came with the software, as it did with most reviewers. After 2 days of fooling around with it, here is what I did to get it working: In the "Make Audio CDs" mode, go to "Tips" in the top gray square and click "Open Windows Mixer" whereupon you click "Properties," mark "Recording" and as many of the devices as you wish. Ok it and a view of several slides pops up. "Select" only one, like "Line In"- in my case "Stereo Mix" and you are set. How to pick just one? Play a record while in "Make Audio CDs " mode and when you hit the right one, you will see a sound graphic come to life in the "Check Volume" bar. Now you are ready to record. There are other issues like making tracks, but all the other freeware I looked at had the same issues. So this seems to be a great deal on a turntable with trickly software, but I'm glad I got it.

I bought the turntable because it said that it included everything you needed to hook up to your computer. That was not quite accurate since it only has RCA connectors, and will not hook up to a notebook computer through the USB connector. The product seems like a good idea, and it was a good price, but not what I needed.