That is exactly what happens if the USB loses synchronisation.
Just a tiny disruption to the USB audio stream can cause the data to turn to (horrible and very loud) noise.
Check your USB cable is connected securely.
Try using a different USB socket (on full size computers the USB sockets on the back are sometimes more reliable).
Ensure that you do not over tax the computer - USB data flow depends on CPU availability.
Ensure that you have plenty of free disk space in the location where Audacity is writing the data (usually the C: drive)
Defragment your hard drive (Defraggler is free and very good).
The last time it happened this afternoon, was during tack 3 of 5 tracks of an album. I was out of the room (and then I heard the dreaded White Noise) - so the cable was stable as no-one else was in the room.
I will try using a different USB port and see what happens.
When you mention free space, where Audacity is writing to can you explain that a bit more? - When I export my Audacity project to MP3 - that is done to my 1TB server: however I am not sure that is what you mean… And of course, the problem is happening during the recording: is Audacity writing to my C: drive at the point? Can I change that setting?
Are there any other setting which could be changed in the Preferences which could impact this?
If the turntable has been out of service for two years, that’s time to build up a little corrosion on the electrical contacts. Pull and replug several times to clear – or as above, change the socket.
Are you going through a USB Hub? USB audio hates that. Direct connection is indicated.
I don’t think it’s a drive problem. That usually causes an outright failure or crash. Koz
There’s rarely a half way point with USB audio - it tends to either work or fail horribly. As Koz mentioned, just a tiny bit of corrosion can be enough to tip it over the edge from success to failure. We’ve seen cases where someone can’t record on a Wednesday unless they wear a blue jumper - it can be that sensitive.
If the project has not been saved Audacity will write to its temporary folder which is usually on the C: drive. You can check the location by looking in:
“Edit menu > Preferences > Directories”
If the project has been saved, there will be an Audacity Project file (with a .AUP file extension) and a folder with the same name but ending in “_data”. Recorded data will then be written to this _data folder rather than to the temporary folder.
The recorded data should always be written to a fast hard drive. Network drives are not suitable because continuous data transfer is not guaranteed. When recording, the data cannot wait, it needs to be written to disk immediately.
