I know this subject has been broached before as I’ve read the forum entries and have tried to solve my issue by following what has been suggested. However, I can’t get the issue resolved and am hoping someone has the answer. I am running Audacity 2.3.3 on a Dell XPS Windows 10 laptop and recording from an Audio-Technica LP-120XUSB turntable. My Audacity settings are MME with input as LINE USB AUDIO CODEC, 2 STEREO RECORDING CHANNEL, output as SPEAKERS/HEADPHONES REALTEK (alternative have used) SPEAKERS USB AUDIO CODEC which makes no difference.
In WINDOWS I have under SOUNDS-RECORDING-USB AUDIO CODEC (line) DEVICE-PROPERTIES-ADVANCED “2 CHANNEL 16 BIT 44100 HZ” selected. When playing and recording the record, I am hearing only 1 channel, the same channel, coming through both the internal computer speakers…as well as the (VU) meters showing the exact same levels and the waveform also showing exactly the same read out with no variations for the different channels. When playing back the recording I only hear the 1 (same) channel coming out of both channels.
For a really good test of the separate channels I have used a recording of Wooden Ships by Crosby, Stills & Nash, the part where each singer is on a separate channel, and in the test one singer is very faint. When monitoring the record with the turntable RCA outputs to an external speaker as I’m recodring it, I hear both channels distinctly so it appears as though the turntable is picking up both channels.
I have also tried swapping out the USB-A to USB-B cable thinking it may be the issue and still have the same problem. I have read several things online that say the problem is that usually Windows is treating the input as MONO as it uses the microphone input and thinks it’s MONO. But as mentioned above I have set the INPUT DEVICE to 2 CHANNEL STEREO in the Windows Sound Setting.
Needless to say I have futzed around with this for quite awhile and am quite frustrated. I hope someone out there has the answer. Thank you, Kris
I think this is usually caused by Windows being set to mono (1 channel) with Audacity set to stereo (2-channels).
It’s unlikely to be a hardware problem, especially since the analog connections work. A short could end-up connecting the left & right channels together, and a broken connection could cause one channel to be silent.
Try uninstalling the driver. It uses the standard Microsoft-supplied driver and it should re-install automatically:
Right-click the Windows start icon and then select Device Manager.
Scroll down to Universal Serial Bus Controllers and click the ‘>’ to expand.
Find the USB audio device, right-click and then click Uninstall Device.
Unplug the turntable from the USB port, then plug it back in and the driver should re-install, and maybe it will record in stereo.
Weird… You could try the trial version of [u]GoldWave[/u] and if that works you know it’s an issue with Audacity. And if it does work, your frustration level might make it worth buying. ($19 USD for one year or $59 for a lifetime license). I bought the lifetime license about 20 years ago (I don’t think Audacity existed) so with free upgrades it’s been “almost free”.
If this sheds any light on the problem. It is the right channel that is not coming through, placing the left channel on both tracks when recording. I did a test where I selected mono and in that instance it was the left track that showed up in the mono recording. Might the issue be the USB out port on the turntable?
I spoke to an equipment repair guy (online) who thought that since the analog signal was OK and the Windows sound setting was correct and the Audacity settings were correct that the problem could be in the USB port or the encoding electronics in the turntable. But you’re saying that the fact that any audio is getting thru from the USB belies that theory?
One other person on THIS forum had me uninstall the driver for the device, then unplug the turntable from the computer, then plug it back in where it automatically sets up the driver again. I did so to no change. I’m really at a loss now.
I do have an older laptop that still runs windows 7. I suppose I would have to load the Audacity software onto it, but I could do that. How would I test the turntable? Just see if I get 2 channel thru that laptop?
the problem could be in the USB port or the encoding electronics in the turntable.
[Raising hand] That’s my guess.
There is a point in the turntable where the sound is still left and right, but it hasn’t been delivered to the USB services yet. Depending on how they did it, that can be separate from the turntable analog output. The turntable came out of the box like that, right?
Open the Windows sound control panel and play your test record. Watch the Windows bouncing sound meter while listening to the performance. See if there’s a great difference in meter bouncing when you get to the left/right ping-pong segments. I’m betting there is. I’m betting the meter stops bouncing as vigorously when the “right” channel sound is presented—because it’s not there.
