First call into your forum.
I use Windows 10 and have just downloaded the Audacity program on my PC.
I would like to transfer some old R to R recordings onto my hard disc, in order to try and improve the sound quality and burn them on a CD.
Problem is I cannot disconnect the built-in microphone present on my PC. So whenever I set the program on recording mode, I automatically get the surrounding noise before I even try to set the volume correctly.
Most FAQ on the net refer to older Windows versions and the answers are useless in my case.
Has anybody encountered the same issue? Any solutions found?
Many thanks in advance for your help.
Cheers,
Make sure you’ve selected the correct [u]Recording Device[/u]. DO NOT select “Stereo Mix”, as it may include your computer’s built-in microphone.
How are you connected to the computer? I assume you are using a laptop, and most laptops don’t have an appropriate line-in for connection to a tape machine. (The microphone input is too sensitive, it’s usually relatively noisy, and it’s usually mono.)
If you are using a laptop without a line input, you’ll need an external interface with line-inputs in order to get good quality. The [u]Behringer UCA202[/u] is popular and affordable, or you may want to look for something with an analog gain control.
If you select the correct external input for recording an external source, that external input should not by default be picking up the internal mic.
If the external mic port is being used (which it should not be, as Doug explained) then it is possible that a setting is in force that mixes in the internal mic with the external mic. On some systems this might require muting the internal mic as described.
On some systems there is an option in the sound card’s control panel “Tie up same type of input jacks” or similar. This means there is only one visible mic device for both built-in and external mic. On some of these machines this option can cause the internal mic to mix in what it hears with the input from the external mic, but in other cases connecting the external mic disables the internal mic as it would when there are separate mic devices. You would have to explore your control panel and experiment.
Note that on some systems the default is that the built-in mic is the only recording device available. If so, you have to show and enable the other recording devices. See this link Windows Sound for how to show and enable all devices.
Thanks a bunch for your kind inputs!
In the meantime, I changed the connexions by using the extra input on the back of my PC, which does not pick up the external noises.
So I managed to record this old Jazz (Charlie Parker jam session 1952) from the old tape onto the Audacity program.
Now I will try and burn it on a CD.
Will come back in case I have more problems (I’m an analogue man and the digital world is a little strange to me…)
Many thanks again,