I have a sprout with rega rp1 performance pack setup. I would like to rip vinyl. Do I need extra hardware to do this?
Any suggestions on how I should set up this for the best results?
Welcome to the forum!
Yes, you would need extra hardware. Sprout has a built-n digital analog converter but it does not have a built-in analog to digital converter. You could do it using a PC (they all have built-in DACs and ADCs, so you would plug the audio out from the Sprout into the microphone jack on the PC or Mac) and software like Audacity (which is free), Vinyl Studio (recommended), etc., but a better approach if you can afford it would be the PS Audio Nuwave Phono Converter (NPC), which is a very good phono stage (which you don’t absolutely need as Sprout has one built-in) and an excellent ADC. There are other ADCs out there as well (Benchmark, TASCAM, etc.). You can do some experimenting with your computer and Audacity for the price of a cable and see how you like the quality. When I’ve tried that approach I was pretty disappointed, which is one reason I have an NPC.
I would like to try an easy solution(not exspensive) first. My pc doesn’t have microphone jack. Can I use a adapter that will connect audio out from the Sprout to usb on the pc?
Someone probably makes one (there are USB microphones) but I do not know specifically.
This is what I use: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006SF68P2?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage
It works great and is very quiet, and I think I paid even less than this. I have a VPI Scout Jr. and a Nagaoka MP-300 cartridge, and I can make needledrops in 32 bits that are virtually indistinguishable from the original LP. So no worries on the quality of this USB dongle.
The one thing to note is that depending on your computer and the software you use, you may not be able to control the input level at the software level. However, since the Sprout’s output is controlled with the volume control, you’ll be able to set levels, so there is no clipping.
Sorry but how do you get stereo analog input to this device if you don’t have a mic jack on your computer, as is the case for the original poster? This device only has a mono mic jack so presumably he would need another device to get the analog in. Or am I missing something? It may well do a better job than the PC in converting analog to digital once the analog gets into the computer.
I know it doesn’t say so, but it records in stereo. You’ll notice some of the reviews say that.