Question: Can I listen to my USB turntable through my Mac computers speakers?

Answer: The quick answer is yes, but note that computers are designed to be “playback” devices and not necessarily “play through” devices such as a stereo amplifier or receiver, so you may need to change some settings in your computer for proper operation. Additionally, you will need to use an audio recording program with a monitoring feature. The monitor feature allows the signal from the turntable to be routed through the speakers on your computer. This procedure assumes an audio recording program of your choosing has been properly installed and configured.

Configuring your Mac:

1. Begin by having your turntable properly set up. (Check past blog posts for setup information for your specific Audio-Technica turntable.)

2. Turn on the turntable and computer and plug the turntable into the USB port on your computer.

3. Locate and click on the System Preferences icon on the Mac's dock.
4. In the System Preferences window, click on the Sound (Speaker) icon.
5. The Sound window will open. Click on the Input tab. Select USB Audio CODEC to set it as the Sound Input Device.
6. Click on the Output tab. Select Speakers to set your computer speakers as the Sound Output Device. DO NOT set the Sound Output Device to USB Audio CODEC.
7. Open your recording program and select the monitoring In the following example, we have shown where to find the monitoring function in the Audacity recording program that is bundled with some of our USB turntables. Placing your cursor over the Recording and Playback Level Meters and clicking will select the monitoring function. You should now be able to hear your records play through your computers speakers, without having to actually record them.

You may adjust the computer volume as needed and listen to your records while doing other things on your computer. Each time you unplug the turntable from the USB port of your computer, you may have to reset one or more preferences. This is the nature of the beast with computers. Feel free to bookmark this page to refer back to it at any point. If you have any further questions or issues, feel free to contact the Audio Solutions Department, who will be happy to assist you.