I have an old tower PC with win XP that I got from the hard refuse collection. Someone installed Norton anti-virus or something like that so it doesn’t work properly. Then they disabled the task manager to “fix” that, so I can’t delete hidden files, so the HD is quite full, and I can’t really install a different version than the “beta” version of Audacity I have on it. I have a laptop but of course it doesn’t have line in.
1 - If I run a RCA cable direct from a VCR its too loud. When I put “line in” on windows right down to zero it still blasts out.
2 - If I run a RCA cable from an old Pioneer amplifier (no receiver, just amp), with the VCR connected to “tuner” and the PC connected to “Record” on the amp, it does exactly the same thing. Whether the amp is on - or not ! - it gets the same signal.
3 - If I connect a cable to the loudspeaker connections on the amp and connect that to the PC it runs perfectly fine - but in mono. It shows both waveforms but they are identical. I know this method works because I use the same cable on another PC connected to the loudspeaker connections (the HD on that is full too) with Ubuntu and “sound recorder”. I have “stereo” set in preferences in Audacity and in control panel on Windows.
4 - I’m looking for an amplifier with USB out so I can use the laptop, but they either only have USB input, or they have input/ouput but have no other type of input. AARGHH !!
If you pull a computer out of a refuse bin you are on your own. I suggest you simply save any data you want to an external hard drive, format the tower’s drive and reinstall Windows. If you don’t have a Windows licence or the machine is not of sufficient specification to run the version of Windows installed on the laptop, you can install Linux Ubuntu on it for free.
We won’t help you with Audacity 1.3 Beta (please see the pink panel at the top of this page).
See if you can find correct drivers for the sound device, or buy a USB device with a line-in. See Missing features - Audacity Support .
Windows XP does not have any way set the sound device to stereo or mono, unless you are talking about the sound device’s own control panel. What is the make and model number of the computer?
Are you sure you did not push a mono button on the amplifier?
Why do you need another amplifier? Can’t you connect the amplifier to for example http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/UCA202.aspx ?
Gale
It took some time for this post to occur, a couple of days after I posted this, I tried using the headphone socket (as per usual I tried the simplest solution last). Works fine !
Windows XP does not have any way set the sound device to stereo or mono, unless you are talking about the sound device’s own control panel. What is the make and model number of the computer?
Surely the settings would be determined by the sound card (which is embedded) ?
You mean the headphone socket of the amp?
On Vista and later, sample rate, bit depth and number of channels are exposed in the Windows “Sound” Control Panel.
Gale
You mean the headphone socket of the amp?
Yep.
Its still weird that it only records in mono from the loudspeaker outputs though. And that it belts out loud through the amp - even when its turned off ! Its like those self-levelling compensation circuits that they used to have on cheap cassette recorders that belted the sound up to maximum when running through the quiet part of a recording.