How to Record Vinyl into Audacity Using USB

Digitizing a vinyl collection preserves classic analog sound while making music accessible on modern digital devices. By connecting a USB-enabled turntable to a computer running the free audio editing software Audacity, you can capture full albums, clean up unwanted surface noise, split individual tracks, and export high-resolution audio files. This step-by-step guide covers everything required to set up your equipment, configure Audacity's audio settings, and complete your digital recordings.

1. Connect the Hardware

Connect your turntable to your computer using a standard USB cable before opening Audacity. Plug the turntable into a wall outlet for power, power it on, and place a record on the platter. Connecting the turntable before launching the software ensures Audacity detects the USB audio driver automatically.

2. Configure Audacity Audio Settings

Open Audacity and navigate to the Audio Setup toolbar located near the top of the interface:

• Host: Select MME or Windows WASAPI on Windows, or Core Audio on macOS.
• Recording Device: Choose your turntable from the dropdown menu, which usually appears as USB Audio CODEC, USB PnP Audio Device, or a similar generic name.
• Recording Channels: Set this to 2 (Stereo) Recording Channels.
• Playback Device: Select your computer's built-in speakers or connected headphones so you can monitor the sound.

To hear the record through your computer speakers while recording, open the top menu and go to Edit > Preferences (or Audacity > Preferences on Mac). Navigate to the Recording section and check the box labeled Software playthrough of input. Click OK.

3. Set Input Levels

Drop the needle onto the loudest track of the album. In Audacity, click the microphone meter labeled Click to Start Monitoring at the top of the screen.

Adjust the recording volume using the recording level slider (next to the microphone icon) or the gain knob on the turntable itself if available. Aim for peak levels between -6 dB and -3 dB. Avoid letting the audio meter hit 0 dB, as this causes digital clipping and distortion. Once the volume is set, reset the tonearm to the start of the record.

4. Record the Vinyl

1. Click the red Record button (or press R).
2. Lower the tonearm onto the lead-in groove of the record.
3. Allow the side of the record to play continuously. Audacity will draw the waveform as it records.
4. When the record side finishes, click the Stop button (or press spacebar).

5. Split and Label Tracks

Instead of saving the entire side as one large file, divide it into individual songs:

1. Zoom in using Ctrl + 1 (or Cmd + 1 on Mac) to locate the silent gaps between songs on the waveform.
2. Click and drag your cursor over the lead-in silence before the first song and press Delete to remove it.
3. Click your cursor at the exact start of a track, then press Ctrl + B (or Cmd + B on Mac) to create a track label below the waveform.
4. Type the name of the song into the label box.
5. Repeat this process at the beginning of each song across the entire recording.

6. Export the Audio

Once all tracks are labeled, go to File > Export Audio > Export Multiple.

• Set the destination folder where you want to save the music files.
• Choose your desired file format, such as WAV or FLAC for uncompressed, lossless quality, or MP3 for smaller file sizes.
• Under the Split Files Based On section, select Labels.
• Set Name Files to Using Label/Track Name.

Click Export. Audacity will prompt you to review the metadata tags (artist, album title, track numbers) for each song before rendering the individual digital audio files to your computer.