I’ve just bought a Futuristix tape converter.
The Installation CD basically is a download of Audacity 1.2. As I’m using 2.0.5 I haven’t downloaded the earlier version in case it messes things up.
The Futuristix manually is telling me to set the playback device to my sound card. As computers have different sound cards it tells me the device is NOT USB PnP Audio Device , Microsoft Sound Mapper or Modem. Audacity only gives me the option of Realtek High Definition Speakers or Microsoft Sound Mapper. Presumably I should use the Speakers Option?
On the Recording Device, the Futuristix manual tells me to set Audacity to USB PnP Audio Device which I can’t find at all.
Can you advise me what settings I should use?
Does Audacity have its own preferred default setting for recording from an external device?
I hope you can help.
Audacity always works with the computer’s sound services. That’s why we always send you back to the computer when you start having problems. If the computer doesn’t know what’s going on, then Audacity is useless.
There was another poster having troubles with a USB PnP cassette player. In his case, the stereo tapes arrive in Audacity in mono and there doesn’t seem to be any way to fix it.
If you go into the Windows sound recording control panels, you should be able to see the USB device arrive when you plug it in. When you see it, then start Audacity and see if you can find it in Audacity Preferences. Audacity checks for new devices when it starts.
Koz
Try reading this Tutorial in the Audacity Manual http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/recording_with_usb_turntables.html . Please don’t look at the Audacity instructions in the manual for the cassette player because those steps may not relate to 2.0.5.
If you are using Windows Vista or later, be sure to follow “Operating System Specifics: On Windows Vista/Windows 7/Windows 8” in the green box on http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/recording_with_usb_turntables.html so that you get true stereo recording. The user Koz is talking about was on a Mac computer and had a different cassette player.
Yes, use the Realtek speakers as the playback device.
Gale
Thanks for that. It worked well in so far as Audacity picked it up as the source of input. This, for the record (excuse the pun) is the opposite of the instruction in the Futuristix manual which stresses the importance of having the device plugged in BEFORE launching Audacity.
Despite Audacity picking it up, the quality of recording from the Futuristix converter is hopeless unfortunately and I’ve sent it back.
If the Futuristix manual refers to an old version of Audacity it is essential to plug the device in before starting Audacity. In current Audacity you can use Transport > Rescan Audio Devices if you plugged the device in after starting Audacity.
USB cassette converters are often cheap and mass-produced in China.
If you already have a good cassette deck, you can connect it to line-in of the computer if it has a blue line-in (microphone in is not recommended). If you don’t have a line-in you can get a modestly priced USB interfaces that provides a line-in.
Gale