excessive recording volume (USB input from ION turntable)

Audacity Help Forum Windows
1

A few years ago my ION TTUSB10 USB turntable came with an early Beta version of Audacity. It worked perfectly. Now, getting the turntable out again, I found that the s/w was deleted from my Windows 7 machine (Windows itself is up to date with patches), so I installed Audacity 2.0.5 (exe version) and although it sort of works, the input volume is absolutely monstrous- it’s as though someone connected a line-in source to a magnetic phonograph preamp input. I have the volume control on the turntable (a little potentiometer on the rear) all the way down, and the “mic” volume all the way down on the Audacity control panel. I don’t see that Windows has any independent input volume control in the mixer. Even with all this adjustment, the VU meters on Audacity are pegging, and the recording is distorted by being way oversaturated. The setup is unusable.

Any ideas?

tnx
Fred

2

Check [u]Microphone Boost[/u] (sometimes Windows thinks a USB turntable is a USB microphone) or any [u]Enhancements[/u].

3

Well, first thanks for trying to help.
However I don’t see any of the controls that article outlines.
Specifically, the input device (Microphone (USB Audio CODEC)), under properties, on W7, has no custom button, and no Microphone Boost button.
There is a “levels” tab but that just mirrors the “mic” gain that shows on the slider in Audacity; moving one moves the other.
So far no help on the extreme levels for W7.
tnx
Fred

4

Did you have Windows 7 when you had Audacity Beta? People often find USB inputs are “hotter” on Windows 7 than Windows XP.

I would be a little surprised if the Audacity version made this difference, unless the difference is that the Audacity input volume slider in that version wasn’t controlling the Windows input slider, so was providing additional negative software gain. We intend what happens now, that the Audacity volume sliders control the Windows slider.

You could try a different USB port, or you could try “configuring” the USB device as per http://artproaudio.com/support/faqs#windows7 . But I have never known anyone come back to say that worked.

You could also make the USB Audio CODEC for the turntable default Windows recording device, then record with Windows Sound Recorder, just to demonstrate if it is an Audacity problem.


Gale