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LP To CD eBook Welcome
PC Mixer Interface Quick Hookup Tips

Quick Index
Major Tutorial Sections

Interface Mixer Quick Tips & Manual
Turntable Opening, Setup And Quick Tips

USB Audio Adapter Main How To USE. Read This First.
         Notebook Recording with the USB MP3 Timed Recorder
         Notebook Recording with the Real Time Timed Recorder.

Dear Fellow DAKonian Restorer,

You're going to love listening to your favorite music from your LPs, 45s, cassettes and tapes wherever you are whenever you want on CDs and MP3s.

Included:
1) PC Interface Mixer.
2) DAK Mixer to Sound Card Interface Cable.

Here's how to hook up the Interface PC Mixer Interface.
 
1) Just plug your Turntable's RCA plugs (or the professional DJ turntable from us) into the L & R A-Jacks (14) on the back of the Mixer. I would use Slider A* if you are only connecting one turntable or tape deck. (See Below).

2) Attach the ground wire from your turntable to the GND lug (it just unscrews) on the mixer (12). If you have no ground wire, (it's just the loose wire that's usually attached to the RCA cables), you can ignore it, or take a piece of speaker wire and attach it to any screw on the chassis of the turntable and the GND lug. Ground wires are not needed from tape decks.

3) Plug the RCA jacks from the cable we supplied to the AMP OUT jacks (13) on the Mixer and the other end called a 3.5mm stereo mini plug into the Line Input of your sound card. You'll find it on the back of your computer NEXT TO where you currently have your computer's speakers plugged in.

You can usually tell the LINE In from the MIKE In because the Line In is usually Blue, and/or has a symbol stamped in the metal (kind of hard to see) that looks like some rings with an arrow pointing in to the center.

OK, now you're hooked up.
Now you can simply check the manual for all the things the controls do, but I'll give you the basic starting setup here.

All you really need to do is slide the A slider to about 30% for testing (you'll probably go to 80% or so once you've got it all working) and if you're using a turntable switch the little toggle switch (7) to Phono to engage the preamp and RIAA equalizer. Or turn it to line if you're copying cassettes, tapes or anything other than a record directly from your turntable. Even if you are copying a record, if it's coming through your stereo or from a headphone jack, then always select Line IN.

Finally, if you're using headphones, Switch the PFL (6) button to either A or B depending on whether you want to listen to whatever you have plugged into the A or B jacks. You use the PFL preview so you can listen to what you're cuing up on A while B is being fed to the outputs, or just listening to the same channel that you're feeding out.

One Last Thought.

*Sliders A & B on the front of the Mixer AREN'T the Left and Right Stereo Channels. I know it sounds confusing, but it's really not. A has Left and Right Inputs and B has Left and Right Inputs. So each slider controls a pair of stereo channels. Then the signal is mixed (that's why they call this a mixer) and output as a single stereo output.

OK, that's it.

Happy restoring and converting LPs, 45s, cassettes, tapes and more to CDs.

  DAK INDUSTRIES 2000, INC.

Drew Kaplan
President
P.S. All of us are here to help. If you've still got a question? Email us. Something isn't clear? Email us. Remember, if you have a question, we've left something out and we need to know that so we can resolve it and add it. Both the website and the tutorial eBook are constantly evolving (Meaning we'll add answers to your new questions.). So please do email us. And of course if you like what we've done, email us too. I love to share in your triumphs. Just type CS@DAK.com and we'll do our best to respond with a solution to your problem.

Here Are 2 Detail Pages From The Manual

Operation:


1) Power on: Once you have made all the equipment connections to the PC Mixer Interface, press the power switch (9). The power will turn on and the power LED will glow.

2) Stereo Channels 1 and 2: The Line Fader (2) for each set of stereo inputs allows you to adjust the input volume of the selected source.

3) Phono Or Line: Switch (7) allows you to choose the stereo source, either a line level input or phono input which the Mixer Interface will preamplify and add RIAA equalization.

4) PFL: Monitor either Channel 1 or 2 for preview while the other channel is fed to the amp/PC.

5) 3 Easy-Glide Crossfader: With the crossfader (3), you can mix channel 1 and 2. Channel 1 is to the left side and channel 2 is on the right side. Center position mixes the two channels equally.

6) Microphone: The input level of the microphone is controlled by the rotary fader (10).

7) Headphone: By connecting a set of headphones to the headphone jack (4), you can monitor the channels by selecting the cue or PFL preview switch (6).

8) LED: The LED meter (8) shows the master output of the mixer.

Specifications:

Input
DJ Mic: 1mV/1kOhm
Phono 1 and 2: 3mV/50kOhm
Line 1 and 2: 150mV/100kOhm

Output
Amplifier: 1.5V/600 Ohm
Headphone: >8 Ohm stereo 200mW
Phono: Preamplifier with built-in RIAA equalization
Frequency range: 20-20,000Hz
THD: 0.04%
S/N Ratio: -80dB
Power Supply: 115V/60Hz
Dimensions: 191X 113 X 33mm
Weight:2kg



1. Microphone Jack. 6.3mm 1/4"
2. Stereo Line-Faders to control channel 1 and 2 input volume
3. Easy-Glide Crossfader for fading between channels 1 and 2
4. Headphone Jack. 6.3mm 1/4"
5. Volume Control for headphones
6. PFL switch to monitor with headphones either channel 1 or 2
7. Phono (with RIAA Preamp) or Line Selection Switches
8. LED Output Meter 2X5 segments
9. On/Off Power Switch with LED
10. Microphone Volume Control
11. Power supply Jack 12V
12. GND Ground lug for turntable connection
13. Master output to Amp or PC Sound Card
14. Phono/Line Stereo Input Jacks. Selectable. Turntables or Tape Decks, Cassette Decks, 8-Track Decks




Turntable Assembly Quick Tips. It's My No Restorer Left Behind Technique. I've put twice as many pictures as you need in this section, but I want to make sure you have 110% of any info you need. This turntable is great.

What's In The Box?

Here's what's in the box. The turntable is in the main bottom box that says GLI on it. The Mixer Interface is in the top brown box. The headshell with the cartridge we've added and mounted for you is in the yellow and black box to the right.


Where Are The Counterweight & 45RMP adapter?
The Counterweight and 45RPM adapter are packed (hidden) in the styrofoam that holds the turntable itself. It's actually sort of hidden facing the packing box, so you do have to look for it. Don't throw out the styrofoam. Plus it's a good idea to keep in case you ever have to ship your turntable.


Where Is The Belt?
If you haven't setup a Pro turntable before, you'll never find the belt. It's hidden on the hub/flange on the bottom of the turntable platter. You can see I've grabbed it with my finger so you can see it. You don't take it off or do anything with it till you put the platter onto the turntable, but you might want to take a look so you see where it is.


How Do You Put On The Belt?
OK here's how you put on the belt. The reason it's not premounted for you is that you can't safely ship a turntable with the belt on or for that matter with the counterweight on the arm. OK here's how to put on the belt.

Arrow 1.) Choose one of the big holes in the platter. Reach your finger down and in toward the center of the platter. You'll feel the hub/flange you saw the belt on in the picture one above. Just grasp it with your fingers and pull on it as you see me doing.

Arrow 2.) This is the motor pulley. It's at the right rear of the turntable. So to put the belt on it, rotate one of the big holes on the platter to the right rear so you can see the pulley. Then you'll stretch the belt over it.


How Do You Put On The Belt 2?
Here I am stretching the belt over the motor pulley. Don't twist the belt. Just stretch it over the pulley and put it in the groove and you're done.


How Do You Balance The Arm 1?

Balancing the arm is much like playing with a teeter totter with your kids. Here's how. This picture just shows you the arm as it is when you get your turntable.


How Do You Balance The Arm 2?
Let's put on the counterweight. It's easy to do and I'll show you how, now.

Grasp the counterweight that you took out of the styrofoam by the silver part and slide it onto the arm with the black marked part toward the front.


How Do You Balance The Arm 3?
Here you can see I've slid it on to the arm. Don't worry, you do need to twist it a bit. No big deal, you'll see it goes right on. There is a screw but don't worry about it unless you are planning to move the turntable around. The screw will stop the counterweight from shifting during moves. But in normal use it's not needed.


How Do You Balance The Arm 4?
Take the headshell out of the yellow and black box. Don't take off the plastic stylus guard yet. You'll see that the headshell pushes on at the end of the arm, then you turn the nut where the arrow is to pull it in and tighten the headshell. Just do it finger tight. Don't stress it.


How Do You Balance The Arm 5?
OK teeter totter time. Float the arm out over the platter. Turn the silver counterweight till the arm more or less floats. It should not go up or down but more or less float. Don't worry about the black marker now, just turn the whole silver counterweight till the arm floats.


How Do Set The Counterweight 1?
OK now we're ready to set the stylus weight. First let me explain.

The black marker on the front of the counterweight does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. It's just a marker so you know how much weight you have set. And here's how to do it.

You have the arm floating. So what I want you to do is put the arm back on its stand and lock it down. Then hold the silver counterweight so it doesn't move. Then move the black marker so it's set to 0 just as I've done above. See zero is over the white line on top?


How Do Set The Counterweight 2?
Now we can actually set the weight. Don't touch the black marker at all this time. Rotate the silver counterweight itself. The black marker will move with it. Turn it in the direction of the arrows, or so you first go to 0.5 grams till you get to about 3 grams.

Now you know how to set the stylus weight on a professional turntable.


How Do You Set The Antiskating Control?
What's Antiskating? As the stylus travels into the record, it can stop tracking the center of the groove. By setting the Antiskating control to THE SAME NUMBER as the stylus weight, you ensure that the stylus will track the center of the groove and you'll have flawless reproduction for the entire length of your records. This really does make a big difference to your sound and is found on the best professional turntables.


How Do You Put On The Dust Cover?
The brackets/hinges for the dusk cover are premounted for you. You'll see that the dust cover slides right onto them. But they are pushed forward and you need to push them back. I'm telling you this because they are actually pretty stiff. They are set that way because they need to be strong enough to hold the cover at any angle. So, don't be afraid. Just push the hinges to get them to the angle that you can put on the cover.


How Do You Connect The Turntable To the Interface Mixer?
Just like any turntable you just need to include the included RCA to RCA cables and ground to both the turntable and Mixer Interface. Good turntables always have a ground wire and with this professional turntable, it's part of the Left/Right Cable assembly and it's detachable at both ends.

Arrow 1.) Plug the L/R cables into the RCA jacks on the turntable. Match the color coded plugs to the colors on the turntable.

Arrow 2.) Plug the other end of the cables into the A input jacks of the Interface Mixer.

Arrow 3.) On the top of the Interface Mixer, switch the input toggle switch to PHONO.

Arrow 4.) Connect the Ground Wire to the GND lug on the turntable.


Arrow 5.) Connect the Ground Wire to the GND lug on the Interface Mixer to complete the ground.


How Do You Take Off The Cartridge Guard?
OK finally, the stylus is protected in shipment and during setup by this small plastic stylus guard. Just pull it forward. DON'T PULL UP, or you're likely to pull off the whole stylus assembly. That won't hurt anything, but then you have to put it back on. Anyway, pull forward, not up and you won't have to follow the next step to put back on the stylus assembly.

OK, put on a record and start playing. You are all set and good to go.

You Won't Need This Section. But. . .

What If The Stylus Assembly Comes Off Anyway?

I've shown you above how to put back on the stylus assembly. It's not hard, it's made to be done. So, don't worry. It just that you find the slot, put the tab in the slot and then sort of pivot the front part down till it snaps.

Just remember, don't ever touch the stylus itself.


The Audio To USB
Notebook Solution For Use With Both Win XP & W7 & Vista Only.

Notebooks are great for converting your LPs, 45s, 78s and Cassettes to CD. But there's just one problem. Most don't have a 29-cent Line In Jack. So you just need to add this Audio To USB adapter to give yourself the Line In Jack. Oh, and while it's just a jack that's missing, this USB audio adapter is actually a very high quality external sound card. So you'll know you'll get the best sound possible.

As long as you are running Windows XP or Windows 7/Vista, there's no software to install or anything special to do at all. Just plug the USB adapter into your USB jack, plug the cable from our Mixer Interface system into the USB adapter's Line In jack and go.

Below I've shown you in pictures just what it all looks like so you can see it for yourself. And you can buy this Audio USB adapter for just $39 Along with our LPs and Cassettes to CD system and you'll be all set to make your flawless digital copies of your records and tapes.


Here's the story in pictures.

 
How To Use The USB Adapter With Your Notebook Computer.

Here's the Problem

Your laptop computer doesn't have a line in jack. If yours is like mine and most others, you'll have two jacks like these I'm showing you above.

Arrow 1.) This is a Mic Jack. It's mono and the wrong impedance.

Arrow 2.) This is a headphone jack. It's an output, not an input.


But, don't worry. There's an Easy Solution to give yourself a stereo line in jack.

You Should Have One
Of Our Two USB Adapters.
We supply a lot of these adapters. And we have two sources to keep up. They work the same. They are the same. They Cost the Same. So it makes no difference which one you use. Just click on the picture that matches the USB Audio Adapter you have and I'll have you up and recording in no time.
Click The One You Have
The White Adapter

Click To Read All About It.
The Silver Adapter.

Click To Read All About It.






Here's The White Adapter Solution
This is your new USB audio adapter. Just plug it into your USB jack and you'll instantly have a great stereo Line In jack. That's all it does. It's actually a tiny 2" external sound card. It gives you a Line In Jack so you can use your Notebook or Laptop computer just like at desktop. There's no special software or anything to do as long as you are running Windows XP or Windows 7/Vista. Just plug it in and it will become your computer's sound card until you unplug it.

You'll get the same great sound. You'll make Wave Files to burn to CDs or MP3 files to take with you in Your iPod or other MP3 player.



Just Plug It in.
Yep. That's it. As long as you are running Windows XP or W7/Vista, there's nothing to do. Just plug it in and your computer will automatically recognize it because it's plug and play. Here I'm plugging it into one of my USB Ports. And remember, unplug it and your computer goes back to its own sound card instantly. There's nothing you ever have to worry about.

Windows 7/Vista Note: You can use any USB jack on your computer. But once your computer recognizes the adapter, always use the same jack. You can't move to another.


Here's the USB adapter. Remember it's actually an external sound card.

Arrow 1.) Then plug the cable we give you with the Mixer Interface into the Jack on the Right as shown. You don't use the jack on the left. NOT BLUE JACK. This is the same cable I've been telling you to plug into the blue jack. But with the USB adapter, just plug it into the IN jack.

Arrow 2.)Set the switch, toward the Line to the right as shown. If you switch it in the other direction it changes the jack from Line In to Mic In and that's not what we want.



Oh, And Here's how You Can Hear Your Sound As You Record Using the DAK Editor.

WHY DON'T I HEAR ANY SOUND???
One more thing. The only disadvantage to using the USB audio adapter is that for most notebook computers you can't hear the sound while you record. When you click playback you'll hear it no problem (see below), but while you are actually recording, you probably won't hear it.

But have not fear. That's not a problem either. Your Mixer Interface has a headphone jack that you can use with either a headset or a pair of computer speakers. No problem.

Plus I've INCLUDED a 3.5mm to 1/4" adapter so that you can use either a pro 1/4" jacked headset or the 3.5mm stereo jacks that come with all computer speakers to listen while you record. Remember after you record everything will work normally. It's just during record or monitoring that you need to use this sound source.

NOTE NO HEADPHONE SOUND WITHOUT PFL. On the top of the mixer is a PFL switch. It controls whether the headphone jack plays sound from the A side or B side. Be sure to set it to A or B depending on where you have whatever is playing your music plugged in so you can hear what you have plugged in. What's PFL? It's a preview switch that lets you listen to either A or B side so you a disc jockey can cue up the next record while one is playing through the mixer interface. We don't actually need to do that, but we do need to select A or B depending on which side we are playing.

Headphone/Speaker Volume Control. And here's the actual volume control to control anything plugged into the headphone jack of the Interface Mixer. It has no effect on the Mixer's output, just the headphone jack. So remember. 1st set the PFL switch to A or B depending on where your music source is plugged in, then set your volume.

It's just this easy to do. And you'll be recording all your LPs, 45s, 78s and cassettes in no time at all. Just wait till you convert them all to CDs and can take it your music with you wherever you go.


Now you've finished the physical setup. Let's set the editor to record from the USB adapter.

Three Easy Ways To Record Using the USB audio Adapter.
There are actually 3 recorders built into the DAK Wav and MP3 Editor PRO B and advanced version that you can use to record from the USB audio adapter. All 3 work flawlessly. All 3 have timed no-babysitting recording. So, just experiment and see which one you like best.

Check Out Your Special USB Recorders.
1. USB MP3 Recorder. We have the USB MP3 recorder. It's made specifically to use with our USB audio adapter and any USB turntable. It has a special feature DAK developed so that you actually can hear the sound of what you are recording through your laptop's speakers. It does a great job. And it includes a no-babysitting recording timer too. Read about it here.

2. Real Time Timed Recorder. Our Real Time Recorder now has the Playthrough capability so you can hear USB Audio as you record. It does a great job and it has the no-babysitting recording too. Read about it here.


3. HOW To Set The Editor Itself To Record From
The USB Adapter
On the main interface as shown above, to change the input that you want to use to record from, you Click the Record Source Windows Mixer Button or the DAK Pre- Record Wizard Button as shown above. Then select the input from which you want to record. In this case we want to record from our USB Audio adapter.


IMPORTANT PLUG IN THE ADAPTER 1ST. With a USB adapter YOU MUST PLUG it in and be sure your computer recognizes it BEFORE you launch the program, or it won't be recognized.

OK Here's how to set your Windows Mixer to record from the USB audio adapter, or frankly from any USB device. Click the link for the Version of Windows you are using.

For W7/Vista, Click Here.

For XP, Click Here.


Choose Your Recording Source - W7/Vista 1.
When you click the Record Source, this is the 1st screen you'll see in W7/Vista. This is the Playback screen and you want to be sure that your Windows MIxer is set to your built-in sound card, not the USB audio adapter or USB turntable or you'll never hear any sound.

Arrow 1.) This is the USB adapter Play setting. DO NOT make this the default device. Often when you 1st plug in the adapter, it becomes the default device. But, change it once, and you shouldn't have to do it again.

Arrow 2.) This is the sound card in my computer. I've selected it to be my default playback device. Whatever card is in your computer should be your default playback device.

Arrow 3.) If your own sound card isn't your default playback device, highlight your sound card by clicking on it. Then click The Set Default Button and it will become and stay your default play device even when you plug in and unplug the USB adapter.
.

Choose Your Recording Source - W7/Vista 2.

Arrow 1.) Click On the USB adapter with your Left mouse button so it's highlighted. This is how you choose what device you want to record from.

Arrow 2.) click the Set Default to lock in the USB audio adapter as your source for recording.

Arrow 3.) Click Properties to access the actual controls of the device you make your default recorder. You'll get different controls for each device you choose and you can change to another input any time you like. Your computer will go back to your prior choice automatically when you unplug the USB audio adapter.
.

Choose Your Recording Source - W7/Vista 3.

Arrow 1.) This is the 1st screen of the properties menu. Nothing to do here but click on the Advanced Tab.


Choose Your Recording Source - W7/Vista 4.
OK this is really odd. But Windows W7/Vista seems to see all USB audio adapters as microphones. And if that's not odd enough, it by default sets the recording to mono.
Don't worry that it says microphone, that's just a name, not an electrical specification. But you do need to change to stereo and we're gong to do that right now.

Arrow 1& 1a.) Just open this pull down box and choose 2 channel 16 bit, 44,100HZ. This is the exact CD quality that you want.

Arrow 2.) You must click the Apply button for this to take effect.

Arrow 3.) Then Click OK to close this dialog box.

Great News.) Once you set this once, you shouldn't have to mess with it again. So just teach W7/Vista one time and record from then on in perfect CD quality stereo.
Choose Your Recording Source - XP 1.
XP is super simple. Frankly it's likely that it will be chosen automatically. But let's find out.

REMEMBER TO PLUG IN THE USB ADAPTER 1st. Then wait for your computer to recognize it. Finally, open the recorder.

Arrow 1.) This is the 1st screen you'll see when you open the Windows Mixer. Just click on the Audio Tab and you'll be all set.


Choose Your Recording Source - XP 2.

Arrow 1.) This box in the center of the Audio Tab is where you control the Recording Source In the Windows Mixer. In this case you want to be sure it's set to USB and not your sound card. If it already says USB, then leave it alone. If not open it and select the USB audio device. If you don't find it, try plugging the USB adapter into another USB jack on your computer.

Arrow 2.) This is the Playback section of the Windows Mixer. If it says USB, change it to the sound card in your computer. If you leave it on USB there will be no sound coming from your computer speakers because they are connected to your built in sound card.

Arrow 3.) Then click Apply if you have made changes. If you have, Apply will be black and not grayed out. If you've made changes, click Apply. If you haven't made changes then you don't need to click Apply.

Arrow 4.) Click OK to close this box.


IMPORTANT USAGE NOTE: I didn't realize when I first tried the USB Audio Adapter that you could use it just for the recordings, BUT AFTER YOU RECORD you can use your own computer's sound card for playback without unplugging the USB adapter on most computers.

Using the USB audio adapter is easy once you set it up this way and the results you'll get will be flawless.

Now you can use the Editor or either of the USB recorders to make flawless copies of your records, cassettes or other analog sources. Now you are ready to Hit Record and start making music.




Here's The
Silver Adapter Solution
This is your new USB audio adapter. Just plug it into your USB jack and you'll instantly have a great stereo Line In jack. That's all it does. It's actually a tiny 3.5" external sound card. It gives you a Line In Jack so you can use your Notebook or Laptop computer just like at desktop. There's no special software or anything to do as long as you are running Windows XP or Windows W7/Vista. Just plug it in and it will become your computer's sound card until you unplug it.

You'll get the same great sound. You'll make Wave Files to burn to CDs or MP3 files to take with you in Your iPod or other MP3 player.



Just Plug It in 1.
Yep. That's it. As long as you are running Windows XP or W7/Vista, there's nothing to do. Just plug it in and your computer will automatically recognize it because it's plug and play. Here I'm plugging it into one of my USB Ports. And remember, unplug it and your computer goes back to its own sound card instantly. There's nothing you ever have to worry about.

Windows 7/Vista Note: You can use any USB jack on your computer. But once your computer recognizes the adapter, always use the same jack. You can't move to another.

Just Plug It in 2.

This is the back of the Interface Mixer. Use the Cable that comes with the USB adapter, not the cable that came with the mixer. (It's used when you plug directly into your computer, not into the USB adapter.) Plug the plugs on one end into the Sound Card/Amp output jacks.

Then. . . Next picture


Just Plug It in 3.

Here's the USB adapter. Remember it's actually an external sound card.

Arrow 1.) Plug the other end of the cable we give you with the Adapter (not the one that came with the mixer interface) that you've plugged into the Sound Card/Amp output jacks on the interface mixer, into the Jacks on the Right marked INPUT. You don't use the jacks on the left, they are output jacks. With the USB adapter, just plug it into the IN jack.


And all your connections are complete.

Oh, And Here's how You Can Hear Your Sound As You Record Using the DAK Editor.

WHY DON'T I HEAR ANY SOUND???
One more thing. The only disadvantage to using the USB audio adapter is that for most notebook computers you can't hear the sound while you record. When you click playback you'll hear it no problem (see below), but while you are actually recording, you probably won't hear it.

But have not fear. That's not a problem either. Your Mixer Interface has a headphone jack that you can use with either a headset or a pair of computer speakers. No problem.

Plus I've INCLUDED a 3.5mm to 1/4" adapter so that you can use either a pro 1/4" jacked headset or the 3.5mm stereo jacks that come with all computer speakers to listen while you record. Remember after you record everything will work normally. It's just during record or monitoring that you need to use this sound source.

NOTE NO HEADPHONE SOUND WITHOUT PFL. On the top of the mixer is a PFL switch. It controls whether the headphone jack plays sound from the A side or B side. Be sure to set it to A or B depending on where you have whatever is playing your music plugged in so you can hear what you have plugged in. What's PFL? It's a preview switch that lets you listen to either A or B side so you a disc jockey can cue up the next record while one is playing through the mixer interface. We don't actually need to do that, but we do need to select A or B depending on which side we are playing.

Headphone/Speaker Volume Control. And here's the actual volume control to control anything plugged into the headphone jack of the Interface Mixer. It has no effect on the Mixer's output, just the headphone jack. So remember. 1st set the PFL switch to A or B depending on where your music source is plugged in, then set your volume.

It's just this easy to do. And you'll be recording all your LPs, 45s, 78s and cassettes in no time at all. Just wait till you convert them all to CDs and can take it your music with you wherever you go.


Now you've finished the physical setup. Let's set the editor to record from the USB adapter.

How Do I Set My Recording Volume???

In a minute you'll be recording and when you are, just slide the volume slider up or down on the Interface Mixer as you see me doing here to set your recording levels. There are two sets of inputs on the mixer. So slide the A slider if you are using a component you've plugged into the A jacks or the B slider if you are using a component plugged into the B jacks. That's all there is to setting your input recording volume.


Three Easy Ways To Record Using the USB audio Adapter.
There are actually 3 recorders built into the DAK Wav and MP3 Editor PRO B and advanced version that you can use to record from the USB audio adapter. All 3 work flawlessly. All 3 have timed no-babysitting recording. So, just experiment and see which one you like best.

Check Out Your Special USB Recorders.
1. USB MP3 Recorder. We have the USB MP3 recorder. It's made specifically to use with our USB audio adapter and any USB turntable. It has a special feature DAK developed so that you actually can hear the sound of what you are recording through your laptop's speakers. It does a great job. And it includes a no-babysitting recording timer too. Read about it here.

2. Real Time Timed Recorder. Our Real Time Recorder now has the Playthrough capability so you can hear USB Audio as you record. It does a great job and it has the no-babysitting recording too. Read about it here.


3. HOW To Set The Editor Itself To Record From
The USB Adapter
On the main interface as shown above, to change the input that you want to use to record from, you Click the Record Source Windows Mixer Button or the DAK Pre- Record Wizard Button as shown above. Then select the input from which you want to record. In this case we want to record from our USB Audio adapter.


IMPORTANT PLUG IN THE ADAPTER 1ST. With a USB adapter YOU MUST PLUG it in and be sure your computer recognizes it BEFORE you launch the Editor Recording Program, or it won't be recognized.

OK Here's how to set your Windows Mixer to record from the USB audio adapter, or frankly from any USB device. Click the link for the Version of Windows you are using.

For W7/Vista, Click Here.

For XP, Click Here.


Choose Your Recording Source - W7/Vista 1.
When you click the Record Source, this is the 1st screen you'll see in W7/Vista. This is the Playback screen and you want to be sure that your Windows MIxer is set to your built-in sound card, not the USB audio adapter or USB turntable or you'll never hear any sound.

Arrow 1.) This is the USB adapter Play setting. DO NOT make this the default device. Often when you 1st plug in the adapter, it becomes the default device. But, change it once, and you shouldn't have to do it again.

Arrow 2.) This is the sound card in my computer. I've selected it to be my default playback device. Whatever card is in your computer should be your default playback device.

Arrow 3.) If your own sound card isn't your default playback device, highlight your sound card by clicking on it. Then click The Set Default Button and it will become and stay your default play device even when you plug in and unplug the USB adapter. And what's really great is that your computer will remember this and you won't have to change this each time you plug in the USB Adapter.


Choose Your Recording Source - W7/Vista 2.

Arrow 1.) Click On the USB adapter with your Left mouse button so it's highlighted. This is how you choose what device you want to record from.

Arrow 2.) click the Set Default to lock in the USB audio adapter as your source for recording.

Arrow 3.) Click Properties to access the actual controls of the device you make your default recorder. You'll get different controls for each device you choose and you can change to another input any time you like. Your computer will go back to your prior choice automatically when you unplug the USB audio adapter.

Important, Or At Least Interesting Microphone Note: It's really odd, but W7/Vista sees USB audio adapters as Microphones. You can ignore what it calls the device. It actually knows it's Line In, but I thought I better tell you so you won't be worried.

Choose Your Recording Source - W7/Vista 3.

Arrow 1.) This is the 1st screen of the properties menu. Nothing to do here but click on the Advanced Tab.


Choose Your Recording Source - W7/Vista 4.
OK this is really odd. But Windows 7/Vista seems to see all USB audio adapters as microphones. And if that's not odd enough, it by default sets the recording to mono.
Don't worry that it says microphone, that's just a name, not an electrical specification. But you do need to change to stereo and we're gong to do that right now.

Arrow 1& 1a.) Just open this pull down box and choose 2 channel 16 bit, 44,100HZ. This is the exact CD quality that you want.

Arrow 2.) You must click the Apply button for this to take effect.

Arrow 3.) Then Click OK to close this dialog box.

Great News.) Once you set this once, you shouldn't have to mess with it again. So just teach W7/Vista one time and record from then on in perfect CD quality stereo.
Choose Your Recording Source - XP 1.
XP is super simple. Frankly it's likely that it will be chosen automatically. But let's find out.

REMEMBER TO PLUG IN THE USB ADAPTER 1st. Then wait for your computer to recognize it. Finally, open the recorder.

Arrow 1.) This is the 1st screen you'll see when you open the Windows Mixer. Just click on the Audio Tab and you'll be all set.


Choose Your Recording Source - XP 2.

Arrow 1.) This box in the center of the Audio Tab is where you control the Recording Source In the Windows Mixer. In this case you want to be sure it's set to USB and not your sound card. If it already says USB, then leave it alone. If not open it and select the USB audio device. If you don't find it, try plugging the USB adapter into another USB jack on your computer.

Arrow 2.) This is the Playback section of the Windows Mixer. If it says USB, change it to the sound card in your computer. If you leave it on USB there will be no sound coming from your computer speakers because they are connected to your built in sound card.

Arrow 3.) Then click Apply if you have made changes. If you have, Apply will be black and not grayed out. If you've made changes, click Apply. If you haven't made changes then you don't need to click Apply.

Arrow 4.) Click OK to close this box. Or, if you want to make more changes, you can leave this interface open as long as you like while you record and do other things on your computer.


IMPORTANT USAGE NOTE: I didn't realize when I first tried USB Audio Adapters that you could use it just for the recordings, BUT AFTER YOU RECORD you can use your own computer's sound card for playback without unplugging the USB adapter on most computers.

Using the USB audio adapter is easy once you set it up this way and the results you'll get will be flawless.

Now you can use the Editor or either of the USB recorders to make flawless copies of your records, cassettes or other analog sources that are outside of your computer. Now you are ready to Hit Record and start making music.
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