Recording Studio Equipment

This USB phone preamp has resurrected my long-dormant project to transfer old records and reel-to-reel tapes to MP3 files. My previous method was to connect my turntable to the phono inputs of an old stereo receiver; and connect the line-out jacks of the receiver to my computer’s sound card via RCA cables and RCA to mini-phone plug adapters. This involved draping cables all over my office, and produced questionable quality. With the ART preamp, I can either connect the low level output of my turntable or the line output of my reel-to-reel recorder to the preamp, and then plug directly into my computer (laptop) USB input. Much simpler!

I use Spin It Again software to capture the audio to WAV format, as well as doing automatic track detection and conversion to MP3s. The track detection usually requires a little help, but it works on 75% to 90% of the tracks. In between, I use the long-out-of-production Cool Edit 2000 (which runs fine on Windows 7 even though it was produced in the Windows 98 era) or various audio clean-up functions.

I did run into one problem with the ART preamp when I recently upgraded from Windows XP to Windows 7. Even with the gain trim on the ART preamp turned all the way down, I was still in full clipping on my reel-to-reel line outputs with almost any music level. At first I though the ART preamp had failed; but I finally figured out that I had to go into the Audio settings in the Windows 7 Control panel and turn the input level down from 100 to around 5 to 7. Why the gain is so much higher in Win7 than it was in WinXP isn’t clear, but I think it might be a clue that Win7 insists on calling this a microphone input.

The ART preamp has a low cut filter, which eliminates one step of audio processing, because for some reason my turntable introduces some low frequency artifacts. It can be powered from the USB connection, which eliminates one wall wart. All in all, it has far exceeded my admittedly somewhat modest expectations.

I purchased and received the ARTcssories USB Phono Plus in the past 2 weeks and used it today. It was easy to set up and I will not go into detail about specs as others have covered it well. I will instead use simple and plain lingo on my experience in using this product.

I unpacked the unit, plugged in my Technics SL-1200M3D RCA plugs and the ground wire (yes, there is a place on this unit for a ground wire) to the back of the unit. I then plugged in an extra set of RCA wires to my mixer so I could hear LP’s as I played them. I flicked the switch on the front so I could hear what was playing and then connected the USB plug to a USB port on my desktop. I downloaded Audacity from the internet for the newest version and opened it. This unit is powered by USB which is nice and does also have AC Adapter bundled. My computer recognized the unit and my computer automatically switched my audio to ‘USB Audio Codec’ and I was set to go.

I put on an album and started to record the song in the middle in order to get sound level correct in the Audacity program. This Phono Plus also has a volume/gain knob so you can adjust volume input to your computer program that you choose to use. I set my input level very low on the Audacity software program so I can use the phono Plus’s volume knob. Once I got the volume level I wanted, I erased what was recorded in Audacity and reset the stylus to beginning of track and hit record in Audacity again to record the song. (The Audacity program is one of many that you can use, but since I have Nero for editing my WAV files, I use Audacity only for just going from vinyl to digital. Audacity will also allow you to edit what you recorded).

I exported my newly recorded song to a file on one of my hard drives as a WAV file. I then edit in Nero and cut out the silence and maybe adjust volume levels more. I leave in the abnormalities from my albums like small clicks or pops that happen here and there as my albums are in good condition and I enjoy the natural sound and do not want to edit this out. I then encode the WAV files to MP3-320 and MP3 Pro so I can play them on different portable devices. I save the WAV files too for making cd’s.

I am very happy with this unit and works as intended. Hell, I may even take out my 8-track player and record 8-tracks with this thing and record the tapes as they are but have them on cd. This unit will allow you to hook up about anything with RCA plugs. I also have an ION USB turntable that actually works very well, but it feels like a toy compared to my Technics. By the way, this Phono Plus unit does not feel cheap and seems quite solid. It is made with aluminum and rubburized sides, not plastic.

After about 2-3 regular uses the wheels started to squeak, and about 2 weeks later the left wheel stopped responding and the music playing stops and skips during use. i wish i would have just bought a better made brand over this piece of junk.

When I received the package it was all perfect sealed and all of that. First thing I did I installed the Mixvibes software it came with which was on a CD. Next I hooked up the Discover DJ controller to my computer’s usb, the wheels and other buttons works fine except the Scratch Button. The scratch button did not led up as it was suppose to, it did not function at all. So I’m returning it and getting a refund to get a better midi controller. Should you get Discover DJ? If you’re just going to scratch and mix and thats all you’re going to do with your music with a basic software then Yes. But, if you’re going to use it to practice and get to learn even more about DJing to get a little experience then maybe not, why? Because the Mixvibes software is basic and has no effects or sampling functions, just drag and play and mix of your choice. If Discover DJ was compatible with Virtual DJ that would BE GREAT, but currently no. Virtual DJ has many functions and is very easy and organized than Mixvibes. Virtual DJ allows you to activate effects like Flanger, Echo, etc.. And samplers like sirens and more. If the Mixvibes software it came with had these basic functions then this product would be worth all the trouble. Discover DJ has the kind of vinyl feeling on the wheels, the crossfader is smooth and so as the treble and bass and other volume leveling and other buttons as well, but the scratch button of my product did not work or function for me so I was disappointed. If you are thinking about a product that works with Virtual DJ, I believe the ION Audio icue is compatible with Virtual DJ, and other midi controllers like Hercules or Pioneer controllers. It’s your choice to buy this product, so don’t expect to get effects and samplers from this product’s software and its compatibility with other softwares.

I’ve been a DJ for 20 years for clubs, studio, radio. I have used every medium possible and had played around with laptop DJing in the mid/late 90’s but gave that format up for gigs because technology wasn’t up to par in my opinion unless you wanted to be a jukebox DJ which I am not. Very interactive with the music.

Finally technology is decent enough so a person can manipulate music on the fly without a lagging as bad (thank bill gates)

Anyway, the company whom sent this did so in a timely manner and I give 5 stars for what they said they would do and what they did. All good there.

The product seems to work though the jog wheel (to mix or scratch) lags a bit. Meaning when you manipulate the wheel, it takes a bit for the software/computer to react. With Vurtual DJ, when you scratch with the mouse, its instant. The Herc jog wheel doesnt seem to sync with VDJ in that respect and it may be due to the USB drawing power AND syncing with VDJ through one USB cable.

I am only using this on a netbook with 2 GB RAM (Asus Eee) so to use this with a bigger box may have better results. I haven’t used this unit ALOT either so I havent assigned any buttons or sunk into this much due to lack of time. The buttons that are usable out of box without having to assign anything seem to work well.

I dont know if this helps your decision in purchasing this unit. It seems pretty solid and I would say the ONLY drawback is the lag in the jog wheel when back cueing/scratching. The company whom sent it did great.

Much love

Johnny Manson
DJ High-Q

As the title of my review says, I’m going to break this down into two parts:

The Interface
Let me preface by saying I’m an amateur DJ who upgraded to this interface from the M-Audio X-Session Pro, which was a pretty big step. The Hercules RMX is a truly sexy piece of hardware. The metal casing looks ultra professional and it’s nice and heavy (unlike the other one I had, which is made of plastic and feels like a toy). All of the controls feel like quality, from the smooth action of the faders to the satisfying click of the buttons to the easy action of the jog wheels. Many of the buttons are even illuminated with blue LEDs to help you see what’s going on. My favorite part is the pitch/tempo faders, which have a tactile click at 0% – brilliant. It even comes with a decent Hercules-branded carrying case. For the price point, it’s worth every cent – but if you have the means, the M-Audio Xponent has a LOT more controls on the interface (more on that product in a minute).

The Software
Truly the worst installation experience I’ve ever had. Just awful. I’m using a 2.2GHz MacBook Pro (about four years old) with 4GB of RAM and OSX 10.6.3. From the very beginning I could tell that the installation software was written for PCs and ported (BADLY) to the Mac. The drivers gave me all kinds of problems until I got the new ones off the Hercules website then removed and re-installed VirtualDJ. Then, on top of that, the VirtualDJ LE software that comes bundled with this product is AWFUL. Maybe I was spoiled by the Torq LE that came with my X-Session, but VDJ LE does so close to nothing as to make it practically worthless. And when I maximized the window, it was pixelated, ugly, and illegible. Definitely not the kind of thing I’d be proud to show people at an event. I never had any of these issues with Torq – it’s clean, beautiful, and clearly been tested in the Mac OS environment. So here you are with an absolutely rockin’ piece of hardware but no way to really enjoy it! I was livid. In the end, I had to upgrade to VirtualDJ Pro ($150, discounted from $300 by having bought this product) and was pretty happy with the result after I went and changed about half of the MIDI maps and messed with the audio settings until the headphones actually worked. HOWEVER, for the same amount of cash I could have gotten the M-Audio Xponent which comes with the full version of Torq – which to me seems like a better value, especially if you don’t have a preference about what software you use.

Personally I prefer VirtualDJ over Torq, so this worked out okay for me, but I’m not ashamed to admit I sent an RMA request for this product three hours after opening it. Three and a half hours after that, I was finally up and running. If I could do it all over I would probably go with the Xponent.

Extremely happy with this item. It is like a 3 color strobe light that can move all over. Each beam of light it very sharp. Used with a fog machine, Wow. The sensitivity is not user adjustable, but this light seems to learn the music after it has been on for a minute. And the 100,000 hour rating. Good, no more replacing light bulbs with the club and stage lights. I am going to replace all my stage lighting with LED lights.