There was a time when there weren’t any iPods or mobile phones, not even cassette players. So what did people do in those old times? They had turntables! In case you still happen to have a turntable device around, there is a relatively easy way to connect it to your laptop.
For those who don’t know what a turntable is, the Oxford Dictionary defines it as “a circular revolving plate supporting a record as it is played.” If you want to record from a turntable to a laptop, then there are some things which you should know beforehand. The intuition is fairly simple: You just need to connect the audio output connection from the turntable to the audio input connection on your laptop/PC.
The only caveat is that you might probably need to buy a preamplifier also known as a receiver for your setup. This is because the volume might not be sufficient for you. On the other hand, in case you already have a turntable which has a stereo stack, then, fortunately, you don’t need to spend extra on buying a preamplifier, since it already includes one.
Things Required
Before you go on to connect your turntable to a laptop, make sure you have the following things beforehand:
- A laptop/PC
- A Turntable
- A pre-amplifier (if needed)
- 2 RCA Cables – Make sure these are both two prong ones
The Process itself
- To one end of the Outputs port on your turntable connect one part of the RCA Cable. The other part should go into the Phono In ports of the pre-amplifier.
- Make sure that the red plugs go into the red ports and the white plugs to the white ports.
- For the second RCA cable, you just need to plug one of it into one of the other Outputs port on your amplifier. Just to remind again, make sure the color combination is followed correctly.
- For the other end, you need to plug the RCA cable into an RCA to mini plug adapter.
- Now all that remains is that you need to insert that mini-plug adaptor into the laptop’s/PC’s sound card Line In
Once you have followed all these steps correctly, you can now safely record from a turntable to your laptop.