I cannot find a way to make the “Amplify” setting remain where I set it. When I close that window and go back to recording, the Amplify feature returns to it’s default setting. How do I do this?
Each time you make a new selection in your show, Amplify changes to reflect the amount of boost needed to achieve the target – the two window values. If you change one of the values, the show will change and the values will change. It’s a dynamic tool.
Koz
If your show is 10dB low, you can continually boost by 2dB until you can’t any more – the show is as loud as it can get without damage. If you click Allow Clipping, you can keep boosting it “forever.”
What are you trying to do that the tool will not do? Normalize is a cousin to Amplify and it works slightly differently.
Koz
I see that I made the error of not specifying what my intentions are with the Amplify feature. I am need of attenuating the signal as I have my equipment at the lowest output settings (going to the computer) but yet I have to turn the gain to it’s lowest setting and set the record level at it’s lowest setting and still the waveform is showing that the signal is being severely clipped. The signal I am using is coming straight from the playback (play/out) on the dual cassette deck.
If the audio is being clipped during recording, then amplifying/attenuating the signal after recording will not repair the clipping, it will just mean that it is clipped at a lower level. To avoid the clipping you need to find a way of making the original recording at a lower level.
How/what are you recording?
The signal I am using is coming straight from the playback (play/out) on the dual cassette deck.
…into the Mic-In of your laptop, right?
Past the problem that Mic-In is mono, not stereo, it’s also configured for the super low volume signal coming from a microphone. You are very probably overloading the connection and I’d be surprised if you weren’t creating sound damage and distortion.
Far better to use one of the stereo devices designed to do this like the UCA202 or equivalent.
Koz
I failed again by not realizing to relate that I am starting the recording of the tapes onto Audacity, hitting the stop button, bringing up the Effects dropdown and clicking on Amplify. Then I adjust the amplify level to the attenuation that I need, and start the recording of the tapes onto Audacity. that is where i lose the settings on the Amplify, as they have returned to the default settings. Again I will state that i am using the blue stereo input on the back of my HP 5750 into which is the signal from my dual cassette deck on the play/output jacks.
The blue input should be the line-in, so should be the correct input for recording from a cassette deck. The tape volume output control will not affect the level sent from the line/play out. If the level is too high, try connecting from headphones out and use the volume control on the deck.
Are you quite sure you have the Audacity input slider turned down?
You need to fix the recording level. Effects are for audio that has already been recorded. Normalize is the better tool if you want to set a fixed target level to amplify up or down to. See
Missing features - Audacity Support .
Gale