Pro-Ject Debut III USB Preamp Advice Options

[Engelsstaub]

I have the turntable mentioned in the title. I suppose it's no big news that the USB-out is sometimes too loud (no gain adjustment) with some vinyl (which results in clipping,) especially nearly every double-LP I own. Much to my dismay it also happens with a few regular ones like my mint original-pressing Black Sabbath "Mob Rules." For about 70% of my LPs it's fine, though "limited" to 16-bit resolution for recording.

My questions are these:

Would it be feasible to use something like the M-Audio Firewire Solo Amazon to record my needledrops from the preamp's RCA-outs to my Macintosh? (I'm using VinylStudio and it's pretty great IME.) If so, would I be able to effectively do so at 24-bit? (I don't imagine I hear any difference, but would like to do so for editing purposes.)

Any recommendations/good advice is greatly appreciated. (I wish I had researched this TT before I bought it. I'm considering trading it in later and getting a regular Debut III or something else in their line-up for under 800 USD...that's just not going to happen anytime really soon. I'm otherwise pleased with this TT's performance, so I wouldn't mind coming up with a good workaround. I get great results with many records and the hardware/software combingation.)

Pretty new to digitizing vinyl, so please forgive my ignorance.

[AndyH-ha]

If you were looking at music that had been mastered, and remained thereafter, in the digital domain, that is a fairly likely scenario. When you are looking at something you are recording from the analogue domain, actual ADC clipping is far more likely. The shape of the peak, observed at very high zoom, will tell the story.

Clipping in the analogue domain, such as the input of an amplifier, often tends to be softer, the wave shape of the peak less of a guide. I've purchased a couple new test LPs, and collected another 6 to 10 used. Nothing on recordings of any of them has come near to clipping level. Levels have been higher, at a few peaks here and there, on various symphony recordings.