My current Audacity version is 241. I have windows 7 (offline, not updated since around 2019 some time and do not plan on updating). Is 242 compatible? I looked at the audacityteam.org page and can’t seem to find this info which seems was there before because I thought I checked this out already.
Also: 241 is working great for me and I don’t want to make any kind of mistake by upgrading to 242 …with it not be reversible or something.
Second question: I record with a Tascam DR05 portable recorder and the built in condenser mics seem to pick up a lot of noise I don’t want (maybe more so now with 5G in the air?).
Anyway, so I started plugging in an auxilary 1/8 dynamic mic into the 1/8 jack on the DR05 and it’s much better! Except the levels are so low - and this is with the DR05 input level maxed - so when I edit I have to amplify (and use Noise Reduction because of this). —/ So does anyone know of a cheap way to boost a dynamic mic? The DR05 has “Mic Power” but it seems to do nothing with my mic - I’m not even sure what it’s for and the manual doesn’t say. / Anyway whatever I use also has to be battery operated because I am recording in a place that doesn’t have electricity. - Guitar Center said a fix would not be cost effective and I’m better off buying a newer recorder with XLR mic power/capability.
My DR05 settings: My plug in mic (brand: Singstar) is mono and I think the DR05’s auxilary input jack is stereo. I’ve set the recording settings to record mono and this all seems to work out all right or does it? Could I maybe need a 1/8 mono female to 1/8 stereo male connector? If that even exists?
Here are some of my recordings with my current setup:
Editing usually consists of Noise Reduction (all). Then all and or part: heavy top end peak compression with the free GVST GComp compressor plugin. Then occasionally Audacity Limiter before and or after GComp, soft and or heavy depending (all and or part). Then occasionally finishing (all) with the GVST GMax limiter as needed. All while keeping in mind the final target volume thanks to the new awesome Loudness Normalization. Per that value I’ve decided on Blind Lemon Jefferson’s “Matchbox Blues” as the example volume: 15.5 LUFS with at least a /-1.5 dBs ceiling. Of course there are other little fixes along the way (not applied to all) which may consist of Adjustable fade, High pass filter, Notch filter (good on foot stomps, trucks, airplanes, UFO’s and alien invasions), Repair, Envelope and at the end De-click and De-ess thanks to Paul L’s great free plugins available in this forum somewhere (search to find).
I’m better off buying a newer recorder with XLR mic power/capability.
Most home 1/8" microphones are electronic and have to be powered somehow. Plug In Power sends computer 5 volts up the mic cable to run things and then the microphone sends voice signals back down to be recorded.
Dynamic (moving coil) microphones don’t need power, but since they’re doing everything with a magnet and a vibrating coil of wire, their volume tends to be low.
If you have a full-on sound mixer (portable or not) you can buy a Cloud Lifter to go between an XLR dynamic microphone and the mixer. Set the mixer for 48 volt phantom power to run the Lifter and the microphone (which doesn’t need phantom power) gets a good, clean boost. The terrific Shure SM7 microphone can be bought with a Lifter as part of the package.
Audacity no longer officially supports Windows 7, but as far as we are aware, if Windows 7 was fully updated prior to Microsoft ending support, then we think Audacity 2.4.2 should work. Nothing has been done to deliberately prevent it from working, but Audacity 2.4.2 was not tested on Windows 7 by the Audacity team.
Are you using your DR05 as an actual recorder? Or do you have a live connection to the computer? I started to ask that because a lot of computer noise and distortion can be helped by simply not recording on the computer. Record on the recorder and then transfer the clean sound files over for editing.
The Zooms can mount the USB connection as either file transfer or live microphone. Can you do that with the Tascam?
“The Zooms can mount the USB connection as either file transfer or live microphone. Can you do that with the Tascam?”
No, I do not think so … there’s only LINE OUT (for headphones, 1/8 STEREO), MIC/EXT IN (for mic or line-in recording, 1/8 STEREO), AND USB, which I assume is only for file transfer (STORAGE) or as a power option (BUS POWER). And I don’t see any USB mic info of any kind in the owners manual.
Thanks for the info y’all … in the manual’s MIC Power cautions, it does mention using a microphone with a built-in-battery (see attached picture) which I did not find anywhere online. And again this MIC POWER did not improve my mic’s levels one bit, so my Singstar mic may not be a mic that relies on plug-in power either (?) is my guess. Bad design on Tascam DR05’s part? Because I did a test with another dynamic mic at a music store and the levels were just as low as my Singstar mic is. I paid $4 for the Singstar mic at a thrift store.
