was checking this little deal out and thought it would be really nice if I had one. I own cd decks and have a ton of vinyl but no way of recording them to MP3 since i dont have turntables. As you can see I could really use a handy gadget like this
was wondering if any of you out there have ever used the ION USB deck to transform your vinyl into MP3 and if so, do you think its worth $149.99? Were you, personally, satisfied with the results, and does it give you quality sounding audio?
If anybody could give me a clue I'd really appreciate it as I tend to spend money on useless pieces of junk quite often.

Thanks

I'm weary of this idea...

One of the problems with those tables is they are cheap belt-drives.

So any waver in the platter speed is going to be translated to your vinyl rip and annoy you when DJ'ing. Not sure how much of a big deal this would really be though.

You might be better just picking up a used 1200.

quote:

Originally posted by Ryan0751 I'm weary of this idea... One of the problems with those tables is they are cheap belt-drives. So any waver in the platter speed is going to be translated to your vinyl rip and annoy you when DJ'ing. Not sure how much of a big deal this would really be though. You might be better just picking up a used 1200.

if you were to use this TT ONLY to rip vinyl to mp3, though, would that be an issue?

provided that the manufacturer sends me a fully functional (never been dropped in the box) turntable and I take good care of it then there shouldn't be any problems that would annoy me when djing, right?

Yes, I intend to dj these tracks so it is important to me that there are no fluctuations in the tempo caused by the device itself.

quote:

Originally posted by justin Yes, I intend to dj these tracks so it is important to me that there are no fluctuations in the tempo caused by the device itself.

then you're gonna need to invest in a direct drive TT w/quartz lock. belt drives have a mind of their own, and do what ever they want when ever they want.

i dj'ed w/beltdrives in my bedroom for years... a real headache.

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I myself have never had to suffer such a terrible affliction cept for the fact that my techs were stolen from me which is the reason why I need this converter deal.
so I'm guessing that the ION is the only version of this device available, that sucks. I really don't want to spend a buck fifty on a belt driven tt. Are belt driven turntables really that bad thast when they come from the factory they can't be depended on to give an consistent BPM. Thats BS!!! somebody needs to tell somebody!
Thanks for all the input so far guys.

any other nay sayers ....

look, hes not gonna be djing on a belt drive, just using it to archive his vinyl to digital. belt drive TTs do not have "a mind of their own." they just suck to try and DJ with. the ion that you are talking about does exactly what you need it to.

under normal circumstances, i would say "BUY TECHS, NUFF SAID!!!" but these arent normal circumstances. just dont touch the thing while its playing and keep it on a level surface and it will be fine. on and buy a nice high quality archival cart for it cuz the one it comes with is bound to be shit.

by the time you get done buying a direct drive tt ($100 minimum), and phono preamp ($40), and an audio interface ($150), well you do the math.

quote:

Originally posted by Vero look, hes not gonna be djing on a belt drive, just using it to archive his vinyl to digital. belt drive TTs do not have "a mind of their own." they just suck to try and DJ with. the ion that you are talking about does exactly what you need it to. under normal circumstances, i would say "BUY TECHS, NUFF SAID!!!" but these arent normal circumstances. just dont touch the thing while its playing and keep it on a level surface and it will be fine. on and buy a nice high quality archival cart for it cuz the one it comes with is bound to be shit. by the time you get done buying a direct drive tt ($100 minimum), and phono preamp ($40), and an audio interface ($150), well you do the math.

do you think spending some more money = worse end product?

i still have a beltdrive that i have never dj'ed with, and i wouldn't waste my time ripping vinyl w/it.

sure the ion will do what it says it will do. but you do get what you pay for. the money you think you're saving isn't everything.

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quote:

Originally posted by Vero look, hes not gonna be djing on a belt drive, just using it to archive his vinyl to digital. belt drive TTs do not have "a mind of their own." they just suck to try and DJ with. the ion that you are talking about does exactly what you need it to. under normal circumstances, i would say "BUY TECHS, NUFF SAID!!!" but these arent normal circumstances. just dont touch the thing while its playing and keep it on a level surface and it will be fine. on and buy a nice high quality archival cart for it cuz the one it comes with is bound to be shit. by the time you get done buying a direct drive tt ($100 minimum), and phono preamp ($40), and an audio interface ($150), well you do the math.

he's not gonna be dj'ing on it but surely if the TT fluctuates ever so slightly whislt ripping to mp3 then the mp3 will permanantely have that fluctuation which is pretty shit really.

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ive played house parties where all they had were belt driven turntables and as everyone else said .. its fuckin impossible to keep a seteady tempo with them. borrow some1s techs or something cuss the mp3s youll make wont be usable

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belt-drive_turntable

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct-drive_turntable

wow and flutter are usually greater on belt drive decks

go with a direct drive turntable, there's cheaper ones out there than techs, but you do get what you pay for

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quote:

Originally posted by Vero look, hes not gonna be djing on a belt drive, just using it to archive his vinyl to digital.

Thanks for clearing that up Vero!
Yeah the ION TT doesn't even have a pitch shifter or RCAs on it so you can't exactly hook it into your mixer and use it to dj.
I'm sure that when the developer of the turntables came up with the idea of the ION he/she gave some thought as to which type of turntable would do the job more efficiently. As he chose the belt driven I'm lead to assume that there must be a good reason why. Other than it being more cost efficient which is always a good thing to keep in mind when thinking of consumer's interest. However I am hesitant about buying a belt driven TT, I know that i won't be using it for djing which is the only reason why I don't care that its belt driven. Hopefully what Vero says is right.