I just downloaded 2.0.1 running in win 7. I can record and hear the playback, but the input level is too high, I moved the slider almost to the bottom and it is still too high.
Using a USB turntable. What am I doing wrong?
I’m thinking it might be the “microphone boost”. (Windows might think the USB turntable is a USB mic.) But, but I’m not on a Win7 machine right now, and I don’t remember exactly how to get to that setting… Through the control panel somehow.
It is set so the windows thinks the turntable is a USB microphone. The microphone setting in the control panel is the same as the input level slider in the Audacity toolbar, at least if you change the setting in control panel it changes the position of the slider in audacity. I can’t get the recorded signal to fit in the range, i.e. much of the peaks get clipped .
There should be a microphone volume control and an Microphone boost control.
Here’s how I got to it -
-Control Panel
-Hardware and Sound
-Sound - Manage Audio Devices
-Recording
-Microphone
-Properties (not “configure”)
-Levels
— Now finally, you should see a volume slider, and hopefully a boost slider too.
My volume slider goes from 0 to 100%, and the boost control goes from 0 to +40dB, and the default is +20dB. I assume the “correct” settings for your USB turntable are 100% and 0dB. In case you are not familiar with dB, zero dB is a gain of 1.0 (no gain or loss). +20dB is a gain (multiplication) of 10, and +40dB is a gain of 100.
There may be something else you have to click… somewhere along the way… to select the USB device. The laptop I’m on right now only has the built-in microphone and no USB audio device.
Following your instructions
I only get one slider. I have turned the slider down to 4 %
It shows here as 3 because it is really 3.99995
maybe there is something else to be set but I don’t know where.
I used to use audacity 2.6 in XP and never had this problem, using the same turntable.
Well… I’m stumped! 
I’m pretty sure it’s a Windows issue (not Audacity), or possibly a problem with the turntable. You could try some different recording software. I use [u]GoldWave[/u] a lot. It’s $50 USD, but there is a free trial which would allow you to determine if it’s Audacity or something else. [u]Gizmos[/u] has recommendations for a couple of free editing/recording applications. (Of course, Audacity is at the top of their list.)
Do you have access to another computer? Perhaps a desktop with a regular soundcard and line-in? (Most USB turntables have built-in preamps and line-level outputs in addition to the USB connection).
If the turntable has line-outputs, you could also try an external USB soundcard. But, you might have the same Windows issues. Just beware that most USB soundcards are like laptops with only mic-in and headphone-out. Probably the cheapest line-level audio interface is the [u]Behringer UCA202[/u].
I just ran it 4% and it worked OK. Its very difficult to set the slider but you can input the numbers so it works.
Maybe there is a “gain” on the turntable I didn’t notice, but I didn’t notice it last time I used it either.
I used to have an ION iTT-USB and that did have a gain control - but it was in a very unobvious and un-ergonomic place, undernest at the back of the deck (almost impossible to adjust while a record is playing!).
WC