request for help choosing the proper settings

trichard · May 12, 2016, 6:07pm

I use the Linux operating system with Zorin (I am uncertain of which version, but I assume it is the latest one, since I have only been using it since January).

I have been trying to use a Pioneer double-deck cassette player/recorder for transferring cassettes to the computer via Audacity. I use an RCA cord with two plugs at one in (plugged into the output openings on the back of the player, and one into the blue in-line on the back of the CPU for the computer). I did this once before successfully, but today when I tried again, I have met with the following problems: when I click the red button to start recording, the pause button is also depressed and thus nothing happens–that is, no sound is transferred from the cassette player, because everything is stopped.

I have version 2.0.0.0 of Audacity. I have tried using the various tutorials on the internet, including the official Audacity one, but they all appear to refer to controls relevant to earlier versions of Audacity, so that when I go to look for them in preferences or the toolbar, I cannot find what they are referring to.

I like Audacity very much for other projects I have used it for, but I cannot figure out how to start recording. Also, I am uncertain which settings to choose for input and output. I have chosen ALSA, but the choices listed elsewhere are bewildering, and I do not know which to pick.

Does anyone have suggestions as to how to solve the basic question of how to prevent the pause setting from being activated when one pushes “record”? Any suggestions regarding the correct settings for Audacity using Linus, too, would be appreciated. Thanking you in advance for your help. Tommy Richardson

steve · May 12, 2016, 6:51pm

Sounds like you have accidentally enabled “sound activated recording”. Look near the bottom of the “Transport” menu and ensure that “sound activated recording” is not selected (off).

If you have just one sound card, try the “hw:0” setting for both the recording and playback devices. If that doesn’t work, go to “Help > Audio device info” and copy the full contents into your reply (that will list what devices are available on your computer).

trichard · May 13, 2016, 2:05am

To Steve (Senior Staff Consultant): Thank you for your quick reply. I had checked the box that was to enable playback as I recorded, since I wished to listen as I did so. I have unchecked this and am now able to press the record button and see a vertical red line crossing the screen as my cassette plays silently in the cassette player.

However, I am not receiving the wave pattern that I should see (and indeed did see on one earlier occasion when I had success) ALso, the input level meter shows only two red blocks that do not move as they should and the output meter does not indicate anything at all as the red line moves across the screen. Both meters should be enabled, should they not?

On the earlier occasion, there seemed to be movement from both sides (I am certain that there was from the input level meter, but do not remember definitely about the output one on the far left). I know that if I persevere and follow your instructions I shall prevail, but it is all very frustrating.

I have attached a list of choices that I have made under Preferences Devices: for Interface Host: ALSA; for Playback Device: default; for Recording, Device: Sysdefault Line:1; for Channels: 2 (stereo) Are these incorrect? Thank you for your time and trouble. Is there no way to listen to playback from my cassette player as I record to the computer? What I did before was not right, since it caused the problems described in my first note. I can live without this feature, but, if possible, it would be nice to do. I do so appreciate your help. Tommy Richardson

steve · May 13, 2016, 8:23am

Host: ALSA is usually the only option. If it’s the only option then that’s right. If it’s not the only option, then it could be wrong. Are there other options?

Playback Device: default should work, though you ‘may’ intermittently get Audacity freezing. If Audacity doesn’t freeze, then that’s fine. If Audacity does freeze, then we can solve that.

Recording, Device: without knowing what options are present I can’t say if “Sysdefault Line:1” is right or wrong.

Channels: 2 (stereo). That’s right.

I need more information. Please open “Help > Audio device info” and copy the full contents into your reply.

trichard · May 14, 2016, 4:29am

Steve: I think this is what you wanted. This seems to be the complete list, copied from Help Audio Device Info. You will see why I am bewildered–none of this has any significance for me, I fear. Whatever guidance you might afford would be deeply appreciated. Tommy RIchardson

Default capture device number: 15
Default playback device number: 15
==============================
Device ID: 0
Device name: HDA NVidia: ALC1200 Analog (hw:0,0)
Host name: ALSA
Input channels: 2
Output channels: 8
Low Input Latency: 0.011610
Low Output Latency: 0.011610
High Input Latency: 0.046440
High Output Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    44100
    48000
    96000
    192000
==============================
Device ID: 1
Device name: HDA NVidia: ALC1200 Digital (hw:0,1)
Host name: ALSA
Input channels: 0
Output channels: 2
Low Input Latency: -1.000000
Low Output Latency: 0.011610
High Input Latency: -1.000000
High Output Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    44100
    48000
    88200
    96000
    192000
==============================
Device ID: 2
Device name: HDA NVidia: ALC1200 Analog (hw:0,2)
Host name: ALSA
Input channels: 2
Output channels: 0
Low Input Latency: 0.011610
Low Output Latency: -1.000000
High Input Latency: 0.046440
High Output Latency: -1.000000
Supported Rates:
==============================
Device ID: 3
Device name: HDA ATI HDMI: HDMI 0 (hw:1,3)
Host name: ALSA
Input channels: 0
Output channels: 2
Low Input Latency: -1.000000
Low Output Latency: 0.011610
High Input Latency: -1.000000
High Output Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    32000
    44100
    48000
==============================
Device ID: 4
Device name: sysdefault
Host name: ALSA
Input channels: 128
Output channels: 128
Low Input Latency: 0.042653
Low Output Latency: 0.042653
High Input Latency: 0.046440
High Output Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    8000
    9600
    11025
    16000
    22050
    32000
    44100
    48000
    88200
==============================
Device ID: 5
Device name: front
Host name: ALSA
Input channels: 0
Output channels: 8
Low Input Latency: -1.000000
Low Output Latency: 0.011610
High Input Latency: -1.000000
High Output Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    44100
    48000
    96000
    192000
==============================
Device ID: 6
Device name: surround40
Host name: ALSA
Input channels: 0
Output channels: 8
Low Input Latency: -1.000000
Low Output Latency: 0.011610
High Input Latency: -1.000000
High Output Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    44100
    48000
    96000
    192000
==============================
Device ID: 7
Device name: surround41
Host name: ALSA
Input channels: 0
Output channels: 128
Low Input Latency: -1.000000
Low Output Latency: 0.011610
High Input Latency: -1.000000
High Output Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    44100
    48000
    96000
    192000
==============================
Device ID: 8
Device name: surround50
Host name: ALSA
Input channels: 0
Output channels: 128
Low Input Latency: -1.000000
Low Output Latency: 0.011610
High Input Latency: -1.000000
High Output Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    44100
    48000
    96000
    192000
==============================
Device ID: 9
Device name: surround51
Host name: ALSA
Input channels: 0
Output channels: 8
Low Input Latency: -1.000000
Low Output Latency: 0.011610
High Input Latency: -1.000000
High Output Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    44100
    48000
    96000
    192000
==============================
Device ID: 10
Device name: surround71
Host name: ALSA
Input channels: 0
Output channels: 8
Low Input Latency: -1.000000
Low Output Latency: 0.011610
High Input Latency: -1.000000
High Output Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    44100
    48000
    96000
    192000
==============================
Device ID: 11
Device name: iec958
Host name: ALSA
Input channels: 0
Output channels: 2
Low Input Latency: -1.000000
Low Output Latency: 0.011610
High Input Latency: -1.000000
High Output Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    44100
    48000
    88200
    96000
    192000
==============================
Device ID: 12
Device name: spdif
Host name: ALSA
Input channels: 0
Output channels: 2
Low Input Latency: -1.000000
Low Output Latency: 0.011610
High Input Latency: -1.000000
High Output Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    44100
    48000
    88200
    96000
    192000
==============================
Device ID: 13
Device name: pulse
Host name: ALSA
Input channels: 32
Output channels: 32
Low Input Latency: 0.011610
Low Output Latency: 0.011610
High Input Latency: 0.046440
High Output Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    8000
    9600
    11025
    12000
    15000
    16000
    22050
    24000
    32000
    44100
    48000
    88200
    96000
    192000
==============================
Device ID: 14
Device name: dmix
Host name: ALSA
Input channels: 0
Output channels: 2
Low Input Latency: -1.000000
Low Output Latency: 0.042667
High Input Latency: -1.000000
High Output Latency: 0.042667
Supported Rates:
    48000
==============================
Device ID: 15
Device name: default
Host name: ALSA
Input channels: 32
Output channels: 32
Low Input Latency: 0.011610
Low Output Latency: 0.011610
High Input Latency: 0.046440
High Output Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    8000
    9600
    11025
    12000
    15000
    16000
    22050
    24000
    32000
    44100
    48000
    88200
    96000
    192000
==============================
Selected capture device: 15 - default
Selected playback device: 15 - default
Supported Rates:
    8000
    9600
    11025
    12000
    15000
    16000
    22050
    24000
    32000
    44100
    48000
    88200
    96000
    192000
==============================
Available mixers:
==============================
Available capture sources:
0 - Rear Mic:0
1 - Front Mic:0
2 - Line:0
3 - Rear Mic:1
4 - Front Mic:1
5 - Line:1
==============================
Available playback volumes:
0 - Master:0
1 - Headphone:0
2 - PCM:0
3 - Front:0
4 - Front Mic:0
5 - Front Mic Boost:0
6 - Surround:0

steve · May 14, 2016, 9:04am

That look like it’s your built-in sound card. Try selecting " HDA NVidia: ALC1200 Analog (hw:0,0)" as both the recording and playback device.
What happens?

trichard · May 19, 2016, 4:42am

To Steve (Senior Staff): A brief note of thanks for all your assistance during my recent troubles trying to get Audacity to help with the transfer of music from old cassette tapes into wave format for transfer onto compact discs. Thanks to your guidance and instructions, I was finally able to get it to work for me. I cannot thank you sufficiently for your help in this matter. Without it, I would never have been able to make use of this valuable feature of Audacity, which I had used successfully for other tasks, but which I had been trying for months, in vain, to get to work in this one important (at least to me!) function. Thank you for attending to my requests. One last question, and I shall not trouble you further: I probably should not tempt fate by attempting anything else, but could you tell me if there is some way, without disrupting the present set-up, which is working for me at long last, to monitor playback from the cassette player while the transfer to the computer is being done? Thank you again. Cordially, Tommy Richardson

waxcylinder · May 19, 2016, 7:58am

This should be as simple as going to the Transport menu and checking Sofware Playthrough “on”.
See: http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/transport_menu.html

Or you can set it in Preferences: see: http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/recording_preferences.html

WC