Returning to Vinyl

If you delete  all of the current (newer) install, you should find the earlier site download won't require any Itunes malarkey. That is worth a try at the expense of 0.1.1 newer versions that don't work. :-) It was actually much easier than I thought it would be.

I'm also interested in running a voluntary digitisation service here, as older people here probably still have a lot of records, but no longer have the means to play them. No one sells turntables here anymore. But digital devices are common enough. And it will widen my own musical interests. I could do with something less current to listen to. ;-) i also want to digitise my old tapes before they succumb completely to the climate

I like a good concert video on Youtube myself. And there are plenty of them.

Senior Moment;

Thanks for the link. However, it only goes as far as 10.14 - I'm now on 10.15.1. Therefore, it will have the same issue.

Again, it's not the end of the world. I would prefer just listening to records without worrying about digital conversion. There is YouTube, after all. ;)

I think you should also delete  the version of the conversion software that came with the machine; before you install the downloaded version. I also made sure I removed any trace of Itunes before I ran the new set-up. And it's probably good to save the download for future re-installs.

Just to let you know that the latest version of EZ Vinyl/Tape Converter is available for download here, and works WITHOUT giving you the damned Itunes runaround. Funnily enough, the site still mentions Itunes, but I imagine that is because Apple is sensitive about widespread use of USB turntables to create shareable files instead of buying their product. But I don't really know anything about Itunes other than the fact that i had it on my PC for a while and they never sold me anything.

https://www.ionaudio.com/ez-converter

It comes as a ZIP file, but most modern PCs seem to have automated their extraction. There's also 'support' on that page Anyway, I got it to fully work, and it is really quite a lot less hassle than other programs. It produces WAV files of a reasonable size, but they work fine on most systems and can be converted to other formats with Audacity, i'm sure. Remember to plug the USB lead in and turn everything on before you run EZ. The USB cable seems to create a very stable connection. In fact, if you want to play the converted file on your PC, the first thing you need to do is remove the USB plug at the PC end; otherwise it won't play. But the software seems to be fairly forgiving of doing things in the wrong order. Have the record titles and track titles available so you can fill in the file details quickly.

I also tried out the tape deck plug in. I don't actually have a functioning tape machine right now, but I do have some functioning 'good' tapes. But you can really plug in any audio machine that has jack sockets or phono to jack leads. But you need to set the BOOST knob to get a good signal that is just clipping marginally into the red before you do the actual recording. It really is quite a good incentive to buy some used & cheap charity shop media, and with the portable machine I've got you can even test records and tapes at the point of sale. Very good thing to do if you but records on market stalls!

 ION also sell a basic pocket-sized cassette player to plug into your turntable & PC for conversion, but just dig out an old Walkman and clean the heads with some isopropanyl alcohol and a cotton bud.

I ended up wiring the phono sockets to a jack plug into an Ubuntu platform laptop, and then ran Audacity.. Audacity also make software for the Ubuntu platform.The result was fine, but there are a lot of settings to re-remember.

I also tried reloading EZ Vinyl & Tape Converter on my Windows 11 tablet/laptop combo. I couldn't get it to load without Itunes; which of course doesn't work any longer. Both Numark and ION use EZ andhave download links on their sites.

Later on, I went to the ION site and downloaded their most recent version of EZ. The download made no obvious attempt to download Itunes at the same time; although the site still mentions itunes, somewhat confusingly. And one thing I can tell you from previous experience is that I have previously used EZ without Itunes being on the same machine. I think I managed to do that on the ION Max. (Perhaps because I also downloaded a more recent version of EZ.)

Anyway, it is a bit late to fiddle with turntables at this time of night, so i will try plugging the USB lead into the tablet and running it tomorrow. and will then let you know how i got on.

I can't help thinking this whole problem has occurred because the Apple people panicked at the prospect of many many USB turntable users making loads of digital music files to share. But ION, Amazon & Curry PC should really be a lot more honest with USB turntable buyers about this issue. But anyway, the positive side of it is that it encourages free Audacity downloads - a software that i really like. In fairness though, when i've used EZ conversion software before it has actually done a very good and fairly effortless job of converting from Vinyl. So I want to get it to work again, if I can.

I know that model. I bought one for someone in the UK (I'm an expat) Eventually, I got to use it for the first time myself, while on a trip home. Actually, the USB system is very similar to my Numark, but it has the stylus dropper and autostop and two built in speakers. And it looks good, too! My Numark only has one speaker, as it is what they call an indexing machine. That means you can put batteries in it and carry it with you to a place that sells new or used vinyl where you can use it to check the disk quality.. However, you can also run it on mains and connect it to your own hi-fi system by phonos or thru the two different-sized headphone jacks.

Anyway, I really liked the ION, and so plugged a tablet into it with the USB lead to check the conversion process. I seem to remember running into the Itunes problem myself at some point (I can't remember if it was on the Numark, the ION or both.) But I eventually figured that I could still use the USB lead with Audacity. But I also got the Numark and ION software (same software company) to work as well. You might want to check again. If I remember rightly you can delete the crippled Itunes, and then run the software set-up again for just the conversion software alone. The conversion software is rather easier to use than Audacity, but Audacity has loads of other editting and mixing tricks built into it.

Anyway, I'm now off to check the Numark, to remind properly myself how the digitisation system works. Having initially digitised every vinyl i could lay my hands on (with great success), I haven't actually used the USB lead for a while. But I had it running yesterday with an FM transmitter attached to it, so i could use an wireless FM headset with it, or with a mobile phone or an FM radio as a pillow speaker There are actually all sorts of ways you can wire these things up experimentally

One comment I have is that if you wire it up to a hi-fi system, you might find it works best if you have a built-in graphic equaliser. My sound system isn't really quite good enough for a turntable; although the lack of soft furnishing in the room probably also contributes to a rather tinny sound. An EQ would probably help to eliminate certain tinny frequencies.

I got a spare stylus for mine thru' Amazon US. The local retailer didn't have any in stock, but a third party company on Amazon called something like The Needle Store sells a whole load of  genuine needles at sensible prices, with very fast delivery.

By the way, to answer your question, my record player is an ION Max LP Beltdrive Turntable.

Thanks, guys! However, my number one priority was to listen to Vinyl records once again.

There is an old Vinyl collection - belonging to mum and dad - plus some 7' singles I bought as a child in 1992. They're in our attic, stored in a purple-and-black schoolbag. I tried going up the attic an hour ago, but the steps began to wobble, and I felt uncomfortable. I'll ask my aunt-through-marriage to search for them.

I have a Mac, and iTunes is obsolete as they have shoehorned streaming.

I use Steinberg Clean to rip vinyl into digital format.    It's got lots of features to clean up dodgy records into something worth listening to.

What brand? They usually have their own software in addition to the now defunct Itunes. You could also go to the brand site and see if they have any up-to-date software downloads that don't require Itunes. You could also use Audacity, but you might have to use a jack-to jack lead, or some other lead depending on what special plugs your PC has. Audacity looks complex and arguably IS complex, but once you've used it you probably won't want to use anything else. But it might take you a while to get used to the software.

https://www.audacityteam.org/

I have a Numark turntable with a USB connection lead. It's a machine often used by DJs. You can even get a version with a jog lever for scratching, Not my scene, however. ;-)

https://www.numark.com/product_category/turntables