Digitising LPs - a question for Graham

Finally used the Phase 26 USB to actually record a few takes of the same album today.

Using the Technics with a DL110 and 1Kohm parallel load into the phono inputs of the unit.

Using Sony Sound Forge Studio as the only software I had that could both use ASIO drivers and VST plugins, other software that looked promising could not use ASIO drivers or was looking like taking too long to work out how to use it (Ableton seemed to have a better interface to both the driver and the plugin but is geared to multitrack recording and mixing).

Whatever, sound level good, without clipping being apparent, so boosted BUT NOT EQUALISED.

This was quite easy to hear on playback, this is an album I already had a fairly good recording of to use as a reference.

Ran the supplied RIAA plugin over the file et voila - does the business.

Much fooling around with different post-processing and different sample rates, 24/88.2 and 16/44.1 both tried.  Results yet to be fully evaluated, but appears to work as described, monitoring during recording via Solo/K701 did not indicate the "tilted" sound that could be heard on playback.

Still seems really odd that they should Eq the direct hardware path from input to output but not the recorded signal sent back via USB.

Edited the above following further more careful evaluation.

As Alice said, "it gets curiouser and curiouser" - stay tuned for further inciting instalments.

Nearly forgot, Graham, that is very interesting what you have done to the Genera output, I am so glad I no longer have the one I built, I would likely think I needed to try that too. 

Interesting find on tnt-audio http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/rip_it_4_e.html a 4 part series covering various experiments over a number of years.

He has tried a few of the same pieces of gear that I have although ending with a rather more expensive solution.

He also identified the same input level control issue and recommends the same click removal software that I prefer.

Of particular interest, to me at least and hopefully to anyone else reading this, the page linked covers various software applications available, with some testing methodology for their accuracy and usage, most especially WRT sample rate conversion performance.

There is also a deal of useful information concerning the use of higher accuracy sampling rates during the digital processing phase, prior to downsampling to Redbook and the desirability of doing all digital manipulation in 32bit floating point.  I found this information both readily accessible and easily digested, there are also links to further reading on the subject.