Turntable Question

[almostskate100]

Hey there,

So I've gotten pretty comfortable sampling vinyl into my 404 / computer over the past few months, but the sound quality seems pretty terrible in a lot of cases. Right now I have a Numark TTUSB running through my sp-404 and finally into a Focusrite Saffire 2i2 interface. The sound is usually very 'tinny' or 'plastic,' and I'm wondering if there are some simple, low-cost improvements I could make to improve my system.

I've heard that the cartridge on your TT makes a huge difference, so maybe replacing the stock TTUSB needle with something different? Or is it a matter of the turntable itself? (I know the TTUSB is pretty shitty).

Thanks for any help in advance.

[skinny.b]

Are you going straight into the sp or through a mixer? The pre amp on a mixer should fatten up the sound, also you can mess with the filters and beef up the low/mid/high

[almostskate100]

Are you going straight into the sp or through a mixer? The pre amp on a mixer should fatten up the sound, also you can mess with the filters and beef up the low/mid/high

Nah, straight into the SP. The TTUSB has a built-in phono preamp, which probably means its pretty shitty. The external audio interface that I'm routing this all through supposedly has preamps as well...so I dont think it's an issue of gain - the volume is always fine. It just sounds really plastic-y and unbalanced.

[yo-yo crunch]

i had the ttusb into 404 too, it sounded fine! does it sound ok in the 404 before you send to the focusrite?