On my Windows 10 laptop, I cannot record through the MIC jack using a stereo adapter from the record player Line Out. The player has its own amplifier and I can select line out on or off. The recording seems to work with waveform, but when I click Stop Recording the waveform disappears. Sound on the Control panel only has one choice and that is MIC.
We can struggle with this if you want, but it’s recommended to use an actual stereo USB adapter such as a Behringer UCA-202, a Phono Preamplifier the UFO-202 or higher end Art Phono Plus.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/USBPhonoPPS
If you offended the sound gods, your computer only has a mono microphone connection on the side and it will never record in good quality stereo.
Koz
As Koz says, the mic input is “wrong” for a line level signal…
The recording seems to work with waveform, but when I click Stop Recording the waveform disappears.
That’s strange. What version of Audacity are you running?
Sound on the Control panel only has one choice and that is MIC.
I assume that’s the laptop’s built-in mic. If so, you should be recording sounds from the room.
If your laptop has a single combination mic/headphone jack you’d need a [u]4-conductor TRRS adapter[/u] adapter to split-out the mic & headphone connections. (Regular headphones will work without an adapter.)
split-out the mic & headphone connections.
And that will give you left headphone, right headphone coming out and single microphone going in. So even after all that, there’s no good way to record left and right phonograph.
Some computers have special setups that allow you to record two signals. We can’t guess at that. Consult your instructions. Some plain Windows laptops will record stereo with special settings and if you’re careful with your volume settings.
Koz
I initially recorded 13 language tapes through a cassette player with a USB output, and a 78 rpm LP through the MIC Input using Audacity 1.2.6. I decided to upgrade to Audacity 2.0.3. I downloaded the newer version without uninstalling the older version and put the program into the same folder. I believe that is the essence of my problems. The new version just did not work. Besides the problem reported here, I could not bring up a MP3 I recorded previously with the older version. I uninstalled Audacity and was informed there were many files that needed to be deleted manually. I wound up deleting 4,000 – 5,000 .au files individually. I then downloaded Audacity 2.0.3 and it seems to be working properly. However, the sound from my phonograph is tinny. The record sounds good through the turntable speaker, but the Audacity copy does not sound very good. I’ve tried all sorts of adjustments. The language tapes sound very good.
If Audacity contributors read this, it might be wise to advise folks to uninstall an old program before downloading a newer version. Also, the program should have an update link on the Help dropdown box. Also I would like the program to provide a notification when a reply to a question is posted.
Thanx. I’ll look into it, even though the phono I have now is really a nice one. I have a TON of LPs to transfer to disk. Is there an adapter from the stereo output from the player to USB that will work?
My thanx to all who responded.
Audacity 2.2.0 has a link to the download page: Help Menu - Audacity Manual…_.C2.A0
The developers are not keen to add actual downloading from within the application, as that would require that the application connects to the Internet, which opens a big can of worms regarding security.
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You have too many problems.
Do the blue waves still vanish when you press stop?
stereo adapter from the record player Line Out.
Does the switch really say Line-Out on and off, or more likely switch between Line-Out / RIAA Out.
Sound in a groove isn’t recorded natural. Bass notes have a hard time fitting, so sound is recorded gutless and tinny. It’s the job of the Phono Preamp to boost the bass notes back to normal when you play the record. It sounds like in one of those passes, you selected music without the bass boost.
The Behringer UFO-202…
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/UFO202
…has a phono preamp or not (switchable), a place to put that thin black ground wire, and a USB digital connection to the computer. It sounds like this is the thing for you.
Koz