mbeat USB-TR08 User manual

mbeat® USB Turntable and Cassette to Digital Recorder
Model: USB-TR08
Read instructions carefully before use and store in a safe place for future reference. Product color and specification
are subject to change without prior notice. The manufacturer or distributor reserves the right to amend the
instruction manual at anytime to reflect the latest product design changes or limitations
Version: 082010

Product introduction

Initial start up
Power on
Ensure that the mains voltage of your home corresponds to the operating voltage of the unit. Your

unit is ready to be connected to a mains voltage of 240V/50Hz.
Amplifier connection
If you want to connect the device to your own powered speaker set or your mixer or amplifier, there
is a set of Aux output (RCA sockets R/L) at rear of the product which allows user to connect the
device to external audio speakers or some mixers.
zRed plug into R/H channel input.
zWhite plug into L/H channel input.
How to use turntable function
Play the record using Turntable Function
1. Place the vinyl record of your choice on the turntable.
2. If it is a 45rpm recorder, DO NOT forget to place the 45rpm adaptor on the record spindle.
3. Choose the desired playing speed using the Speed select switch among 33.3, 45 or 78rpm.
4. Turn on the Rotary Power & Volume Switch.
5. Release the tone arm lock.
6. Push in the arm with your hand lightly.
7. Gently place the tone arm vertically over the first track of the record the turntable will start
turning automatically.
8. Put down the cartridge slowly to the record then the turntable will start to play.
9. When a record comes to the end, the turntable will stop automatically if the Auto-stop
switch is in the ON position. If the switch is in the off position then it will be suitable for
Long Play records.
After use care
1. Take out the record and store it properly
2. Lift up the tone arm and put it on the rest.
3. Replace the protective cap on the stylus and close the tone arm lock.
4. Turn off power and unplug the power cord from mains.
5. Close the plastic dust cover
How to use cassette function

Play the record through cassette
Follow the above instruction figures
1. Plug the power cable to the AC power supply. (240V/50Hz)
2. Insert a pre recorded cassette tape into cassette slot, with the exposed side against the
control button (refer above figure 2). By pushing, the cassette will slide into the cassette
mechanism and the control knob is up. Turn on the power/volume button; the cassette is
starting to play automatically.
Please note: one end of the cassette will remain visible and it is normal.
3. To fast forward the cassette, press the control knob (refer figure 3) half way down (refer
figure 4), the cassette starts to fast forward. To exit this mode, just press down the control
knob slightly
4. To jump over the sound tracks, just slightly press down and hold the knob (refer figure 3)
and release as desired to exit this mode
5. To eject the cassette, firstly to turn off the power/volume button, then press down the knob
completely (refer figure 5)
After use care
1. Take out the cassette after use and store it properly
2. Make sure the cassette roll is not loosen to stuck the device
3. Turn off power and unplug the power cord from mains.
How to use record to digital function

Step 1. Install the “Audacity” audio edit software
Put the CD disk into your computer and run “Aduacity.exe” file to install the software on your
computer. After installation you can launch the software on your desktop, looking for this icon
on your desktop or starter menu on your Windows OS.
When first time to launch the software, select your prefer language as “English”
Follow the on screen instructions to install this audio editing software program. With the software
installed, you can record old music collection into digital and store on your PC.
*If you using Windows 7 OS or MAC OS X, you can also download the free version of the latest
“Audacity” software to install on your computer (Details please refer “Audacity Software Quick Guide”
later). Download link: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/
Step 2. To connect your device with your PC
1. Plug your device to an AC outlet and connect the USB port on the recorder to the USB port of
your computer.
2. Turn on the power switch on your device and open the “audacity” program that you have
installed.

Step 3. How to use Audacity to record your music
mbeat® USB turntable and cassette to digital recorder is able to transfer music from turntable or
cassette to PC with USB connection by using the powerful audio edit software named “Audacity”. For
the detailed software guide please refer to the “Audacity Software Quick Guide” and Audacity
official website as well.
Please note your computer audio configuration may slightly different as our manual
description, please check it carefully and make prompt changes to suit your system.
Some software knowledge is required to operate software in handling more complicated
functionalities (Please read this chapter carefully in order to find the right Audio In and Out
for your device and your PC)
1. Turn on the device, connect the USB cable to the device and computer, no extra driver is
required to drive this device.
2. Your computer should detect a new “USB PnP Audio “device (USB Plug and Play Audio Device)
or it could named like “Generic USB Audio Device”, or whatsoever, they are the same thing, just
depending on how your PC call it.
3. Double click to open up the Audacity program and you will see this similar interface screen on
your computer.

4. Check the Stereo Mix column in the drop down menu and just to keep the default settings, the
software shall be able to auto default the device setting as “Stereo Mix” or “Line”, or remain gray
inactive color according your computer hardware configuration. Those factors are not such key
important and you can set up in“Preference” , under “Edit” menu as well
5. Adjust the output and input volume to get your desire sound volume when you using computer
speaker to play back , please note that this setting will not effect the final recording track volume
level, only effect the computer speaker volume, just works like your Windows OS volume and
microphone controller panel.
6. Very Important is to Select the “Edit” menu on the top bar of the software and then select
“Preference” in the drop down menu, it will lead you to the audio input/output source
settings. (Some users may not right set up the correct Audio I/O , so the PC can not capture
the turntable’s audio signal , thus you can not record )

After enter “Preference” section, choose Audio I/O section:
Under Playback drop down menu:
Select “Realtek HD Audio output “ , which means it is your sound card audio output to listen the
music playback through tape recorder while doing the recording internally.
Under recording drop down menu:
Select “USB PnP Audio”, which indicated the audio source from the device when it is plugged
into the computer. Your system may show the name like “Generic USB Audio device”, or “USB
PnP Device”, it does not matter. Important is to find the proper recording source that is match
with this recorder
Please also tick “Software play through (Play new track while you are recording)” this
function enables you to real time monitor the recording track and playback (SEE DETAILS AS
BELOW)

7. When everything is ready, then you can select the RECORD button to start recording
your music from turntable or cassette into digital format.
8. You can turn the device’s volume down and turn on the computer speaker to monitor your
records.
9.. Select the PAUSE button to pause the recording.

10. Select the STOP button to stop the recording.
11. Select the to skip to start.
12. Select the button to go to end.
13. You can see the recorded file on your computer and convert the recorded file to other formats
including .WAV/ MP3/Ogg Vorbis. Once the cassette/vinyl record reaches its end, the recorder will
stop to work and you can turn around another side or change a new cassette/vinyl record to keep
recording as you like
Please note: if you try to convert the file into MP3 format, you need to install
“LAME” encoder software, and you install it at the first time you using then it will
work in the future

How do I download and install the LAME MP3 encoder?
Because of software patents, we cannot distribute MP3 encoding software ourselves. Follow these
instructions to use the free LAME encoder to export MP3 files with Audacity.
Windows OS Users, follow these steps
zCheck your CD disk , there should have this file in the CD disk , and you
can copy into your computer somewhere that you can find to reload it on Audacity
zIf you can not find out this file, you can download and follow below steps to install it. Go
to the LAME download page. (Steps as Below)
zUnder "For Audacity on Windows", left-click the link "Lame v3.98.2 for Audacity on
Windows.exe" and save the file anywhere on your computer. Do not right-click the link
to the .exe file.
zDouble-click "Lame_v3.98.2_for_Audacity_on_Windows.exe" to launch it (you can
safely ignore any warnings that the "publisher could not be verified").
zFollow the "Setup" instructions to install LAME for Audacity. Do not change the offered
destination location of "C:\Program Files\Lame for Audacity".
zThe first time you use the "Export as MP3" command, Audacity will ask for the location of
"lame_enc.dll". Navigate to "C:\Program Files\Lame for Audacity", select "lame_enc.dll",
then click "Open" and "OK".
zIf you prefer the Zip option for the LAME download, save the zip file to anywhere on your
computer, extract "lame_enc.dll" to any location, then show Audacity where to find it as
in Step 5 above.
zIn case of difficulty, please view our more detailed instructions on the Audacity Wiki.

14. Play the saved file.
Put the saved file in the Audacity program and press the PLAY button to play the file.
15. Download music into the digital MP3 or iPod device
Please save those converted music into a folder that you can easily to find, then you can copy or
paste those converted MP3/WMA/OGG files into your MP3 /MP4 player, or you can load them into
your iTunes then transfer into your iPod.
Please note, some of the digital MP3/MP4 player may not able to fully support all type of converted
music file, such as FLAC,. OGG due to the original hardware limitation, however most of digital music
player can support MP3 or WMA files.
Turntable basic maintenance
Replacing the stylus cartridge
-Refer to the figures 1-8

Installing a new stylus cartridge
-Refer to the figures 5 & 6
*NOTE
1. We strongly advise you to clean your records with an anti-static cloth to gain maximum
enjoyment from them and to make them last.
2. We would also point out that for the same reason your stylus should be replaced periodically
(approximately every 250 hours)
3. Dust the stylus from time to time using a very soft brush dipped in alcohol (brushing from
back to front of the cartridge)
WHEN TRANSPORTING YOUR TURNTABLE PLAYER, DO NOT FORGET TO:
1. Replace the protective cap on the stylus.
2. Put the rest clip into the pick-up arm.
Trouble shooting and FQA
1. Device is not power on

zCheck your main power board function
zCheck whether you plug the power plug into the power board and power board main
switch is on or not
zCheck whether the power button is on or not
2. Can not play back the vinyl record
zCheck whether the vinyl record is placed in the right side
zCheck the turntable is power on or not
zCheck volume settings is not mute
zCheck the tone arm is lifted and placed properly
zCheck the platter is spinning properly
zCheck whether the stylus cartridge is wore out and need to be changed
3. Can not insert the cassette
zCheck whether the cassette is in wrong direction, please refer the above manual for
instruction
zCheck whether the cassette is broken
zCheck there is nothing jammed inside the cassette tray
4. Can not play back the cassette
zCheck whether the cassette is jammed inside
zCheck whether the cassette is played to the end and stopped
zCheck the device is power on properly
zCheck volume is not set to off
5. Noise from the speaker
zVinyl record has little background noise due to its natural acoustic character and minor
background noise is consider as normal
zCheck whether the Vinyl record track is damage or fade out
zDo not turn the recorder speaker volume to max to get distortion
zCheck volume settings
zCheck whether the stylus cartridge is wore out and need to be changed
6. Can not find the USB audio device when plug it into my computer
zPlease refer manual topic “To use digital record function ”, please pay attention to Audio
I/O section settings on the audacity software, to get the record signal, you need to set up
the proper in / out source under“Preference”
zOr you can refer the following “Audacity Software Quick Guide” – under topic “ Software
configuration”

7. Can not convert music into MP3 file and Save it
zYou need to install “LAME MP3 encoder” into your computer first time to make the audacity
save the music into MP3 format please refer “How do I download and install the LAME MP3
encoder?
8. How can I playback my recorded music?
zYou can play back your recorded music using Windows Media Player or other media player
software, for details please refer Microsoft and Apple website for download and support
content
***************************************************************************************************
Audacity Software Quick Guide
For the complete manual please check the following website.
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/documentation
Before recording and editing music please install the supplied software first. You can
also download the software from the website directly if your disk is not readable
http://audacity.sourceforge.net
***************************************************************************************************
To Install Software (PC) & Record
1.Insert the CD that came with your product
2.Click on the “Audacity” file to open it and then click on the“audacity.exe” to run it. Follow the
on screen instructions to install the program.
3.With the software installed, you can record to your PC.
4.Plug the device to an AC outlet and connect the device to the USB port of your computer.
5.Turn on the power switch on your device and open the audacity program that you have
installed.
Software Configuration
1. Select the “Edit” menu and then “ Preferences”
Select the USB audio device under the “Recording” selection as shown. Select “Software Play
through” to hear the audio while recording.
Note: The USB recorder may show up with a different name in Windows operation system. This

may depend on your computer model and operating system. Please select the proper device
name
If you are still having difficulty finding the USB recorder, try to check your system settings or control
panel to adjust audio input settings from the sound control panel.
After you have completed the above settings, you are ready for recording.
To record
1. Start the device with the vinyl record or cassette. Click the red record button on the toolbar
to begin recording to PC.
2. When the track has finished recording click the orange stop button.
3. Drop down the“File”menu and select the intended music format to be “exported as”.
4. Select where you would like to save the file e.g. my music, name the file and save. (As the
audacity software cannot save MP3 directly, please install the “lame_enc.dll” that can be found on
the installation disc, all other formats will save automatically).

Toolbars
Selection tool - for selecting the range of audio you want to edit or
Listen to.
Envelope tool - To change the volume over time.
Draw tool - for modifying individual samples.
Zoom tool - for zooming in and out.
Time shift tool - for sliding tracks left or right.
Multi tool-lets you access all of these tools at once depending on the
location of the mouse and the keys you are holding down.
Audio Control Buttons
Skip to Start - moves the cursor to time 0. If you press Play at this
point, your project will play from the beginning.
Play - starts playing audio at the cursor position. If some audio is
selected, only the selection is played.
Loop - if you hold down the Shift key, the Play button changes to a Loop button,
which lets you keep playing the selection over and over again.
Record-starts recording audio at the project sample rate (the sample rate in the
lower-left corner of the window). The new track will begin at the current cursor position, so
the” Skip to Start” button first if you want to the track to begin at time 0
Pause-temporarily stops playback or recording until you press
pauseagain.
Stop-stops recording or playing. You must do this before
applying effects, saving or exporting.
Skip to End - moves the cursor to the end of the last track.

Edit Toolbar
All of the buttons on this toolbar perform actions – and with a couple of exceptions, they’re all just
shortcuts of existing menu items to save you time. Holding the mouse over a tool will show a
“tooltip” in case you forget which one is which.
Cut
Copy
Paste
Trim away the audio outside the selection
Silence the selected audio
Undo
Redo (repeat last command)
ZoomIn
ZoomOut
Fit selection in window – zooms until the selection just fits inside the
window.
Fit project in window – zooms until all of the audio just fits inside the
window.
Track Pop-Down Menu
The Track Pop-Down Menu appears when you
click in a track’s title. This lets you access a few
special commands that apply to individual
tracks.

Name - lets you change the name of the track.
Move Track Up – exchange places with the
track above this one.
Move Track Down – exchange places with
the track below this one.
Waveform(dB) – similar to wave forms ,but
on a logarithmic scale, measured in decibels
(dB).
Spectrum – display the track as a
spectrogram, showing the amount of energy in
different frequency bands.
Pitch (EAC) – highlights the contour of the
fundamental frequency (musical pitch) of the
audio, using the Enhanced Autocorrelation
(EAC) algorithm.
Mono – makes this track a mono track,
meaning it is played out of just one speaker, or
played out of the left and right speakers
equally.
Left Channel – makes this track come out of
only the left speaker.
Right Channel – makes this track come out
of only the right speaker.
Make Stereo Track – if there is another
track below this one, joins them to make a
single stereo track, with the top track
representing the left speaker, and the bottom
track representing the right speaker.
When tracks are joined into a stereo pair, all
edits automatically apply to both the left and
right channel.
Split Stereo Track – if the selected track is a
stereo track (a pair of left and right tracks joined
together as a single track), this operation splits
them into two separate tracks that you can
modify and edit independently.
Set Sample Format –this determines the
quality of the audio data and the amount of
space it takes up. 16-bit is the quality used by
audio CD’s and is the minimum quality that
Audacity uses internally converted when you
open them). 24-bit is used in higher-end audio
hardware. 32-bit float unless you have a slow
computer or are running out of disk space.
Set Rate – sets the number of samples per
second of the track, 44100Hz is used by audio
CDs.
Tracks can have different sample rates in
Audacity; they are automatically re-sampled to
the project sample rate (in the lower-left corner
of the window).
[MENU]
File Menu
New – creates a new empty window
Open …- opens an audio file or an Audacity
project in a new window (unless the current
window is empty).