[kmac50]

I have a new 24" iMac and today resumed a longtime project of converting our old LP collection into digital music for our iPod. (I have done this successfully for quite some time on my "old" G4.) Now, though, there is a distinctive buzz that you hear whenever the cable from the turntable is plugged into the audio in port of the iMac.
I called the Apple store and was told I'd probably need some kind of an audio analog to digital converter as the iMac's audio in port is analog AND digital combined. I have been searching online and haven't found too much in this category. I don't want to buy a Dazzle (unless I HAVE to) because I only need to convert audio. Can anyone give me some ideas on what do do for this problem?
Another thing ...... I was wondering if, since I need a converter, is it possible to run the sound through my digital camera with pass-through and on into the computer? I have done that with analog video tapes to convert them to digital for iMovie. Will it work for just audio too or am I asking for trouble?
Thanks for any and all help/suggestions.
Kathy

[albloom]

Dunno about video, Kathy, but for audio I've had good
luck with Griffin's iMic:
web page

It goes into a USB port instead of the maybe noisy audio-in. For
turntable connection, I also use their Turntable Grounding Cable,
which they don't seem to sell any more, but J&R sells 'em:

another web page
In fact, that cable might be all you need to get rid of the buzz.

[sandbag1]

You may need software such as Audio Companion. This information is from Audio companion's Help.
RIAA correction
You can record from a turntable by connecting it directly to your sound input device. However, the signal is very low and the frequency content is wrong.
On vinyl records, lower frequencies require more space than higher since the lower the frequency the wider the groove. This could result in difficulties for the stylus to follow the groove without jumping out. The solution was to reduce the amount of lower frequencies during recording and reverse this process (amplify lower frequencies) during playback. Higher frequencies are amplified before putting them on the record, and corrected during playback. Since noise is for a large part present in the higher frequencies, this process also makes the signal to noise ratio a lot better. This process is called RIAA correction and is standard for vinyl recordings.
Your regular home stereo's input have a special equalization circuit to perform the RIAA correction. Audio Companion recreates this equalization curve by using digital signal processing (DSP).
Since the signal may be very low, you may need to increase the volume of the signal by using the "Boost gain" slider. Note that this will also increase inherent noise that your sound input devices produce. Also make sure you ground your turntable properly to avoid hum and buzz.

[kmac50]

Thank you both for responding and trying to help me. I seem to have solved the problem by purchasing a ground loop isolater from RadioShack. That did the trick and there is no more buzzing. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Thanks again. I appreciate your help!