Hello! How can I set the volume level when recording? For example -1 or 0. The sound is very quiet, about -20.
What are you recording? From the microphone built-into your laptop? Streaming audio? Etc?
I try to record from vinyl player. Like voice recording.
OK, more questions…
Try running the Amplify effect after recording. Does it sound OK?
What vinyl player? How is to connected to your computer? Does it have USB?
Does it work with your stereo?
If your turntable doesn’t have USB, does it have line-outputs? Or does your stereo have “record out” or “tape out connections”?
Also if it’s not USB and you are using an analog connection, do you have a regular soundcard with a line-input (usually color-coded blue)?
It has usb and works with stereo. Excuse me I don’t know, how to connect it with my laptop. I guess, by the cable usb - usb?
Yes, if it has USB that’s the best way to connect it. Is that what’s giving you low volume?
You generally can’t adjust the volume with USB. If you are going to adjust the volume, the analog level needs to be adjusted before it’s digitized. Usually there’s no way to do that with a USB turntable.
The volume is often set a little low because some records are louder than others and the LAST thing you want is for it to be “too loud” and clip/distort. -20dB is unusually low but the important thing is sound quality. A different record might be a little louder.
If the sound quality is OK, just use the Amplify effect after recording.
Some things to try -
Make sure to select the USB device as your Recording Device. (Don’t select anything that says “loopback”.)
Make sure Windows “enhancements” are turned OFF. They can mess-up the sound in weird ways.
Make sure both Windows and Audacity are set for 2-channel stereo.
P.S.
After you use the Amplify effect and normalize/maximize for 0dB peaks, it probably won’t be as loud as most original digital recordings. That’s a normal result of the viny cutting & playback process. And if it’s an older record from the analog days it will also be quieter because they didn’t have the modern digital tools to “win the loudness war”.
Thank you! I don’t have this cable, I’m going to buy it in online-shop. I’ll write when I purchase it.
Good!
Most laptops only have mono microphone-in and headphone-out so it’s “just wrong”. For the analog connection you’d need a stereo line-input.
I’ve connected vinyl player with usb-usb. But unfortunately, my laptop doesn’t see it. There’s no usb-device in the recording device droplist. The sound is still very quiet.
Maybe, I should use cable usb - AV 2 RCA?
https://www.ozon.ru/product/usb-kabel-av-2rca-1709122400/?at=OgtEkxJE0sXLYEpkC6ykvnEFMqR7nquXGQzN6Um0PKXj&keywords=2rca+usb+кабель
That’s odd. Windows isn’t seeing it either? Windows has to see it first. And you have to plug it in before starting Audacity or “Rescan Audio Devices”.
USB turntables are always class compliant which means they are plug-and-play with the Microsoft-supplied drivers (and the drivers that come with MacOS and Linux).
Check your Permissions/Privacy Settings to make sure Audacity is allowed to use it.
What turntable do you have? Does it work plugged into your stereo (or TV or whatever)? If the analog works, that doesn’t guarantee that the USB will work, but if the analog doesn’t work the USB won’t work either.
The adapter cable should work and it might be worth trying. You may already realize this, but it’s not “just a cable”. There is an analog-to-digital converter chip (basically half of a soundcard) built-into the USB connector.
It seems, Windows doesn’t see it too.
Do you have the user manual for the turntable?
Since I’m seeing a “REC” button, I’ll bet the USB port is for a thumb drive, not for a connection to a computer.
And I’m guessing it has a USB Type-A connection (like a computer)? That might explain why you had to order a (special?) USB cable, which won’t work if it’s a USB “host” connection (like a computer) for plugging a USB “device” (like a thumb drive).
Try a thumb drive if it has the right USB connection. If that works you should be able to edit the files in Audacity after recording.
I also see '“BT” so you MIGHT be able to use Bluetooth for recording if you can link it to your laptop. But I don’t know if it will show-up as a Recording Device option.
I already tried a thumb drive. It works successfully. But this way has some lacks. I wanna record with audacity directly. As far as I understood, you recommend to use bluetooth?
Good! We know what the problem is and you have something that can work if you can’t get it to record directly.
Go-ahead and try that adapter cable. I think it will work! But, it doesn’t have a recording-level control and that can sometimes be a problem if you overload (clip/distort) the analog-to-digital converter.
Oh… If that record player/turntable has a headphone output, the headphone -output will also work with a line-level connection (with the right adapter cables) and headphone outputs always have a volume control.
I have this which has a “gain” knob bit’s a LOT more expensive than the little adapter cable. There a lots of USB audio interfaces with switchable “pro” microphone/line inputs and they also start at about $100 USD.
I connected my turntable using bluetooth. What should I do then to record with the loud enough sound?
Sorry, I’ve never used Bluetooth. But if it shows-up as a Recording Device option in Audacity it should work.
What are you asking about “loud enough”?
Digital recording levels are not critical as long as you don’t “try” to go over 0dB and clip. If the record player doesn’t have a volume control, and one that affects the Bluetooth, you may not be able to adjust it.
You can run the Amplify effect after recording if the volume needs to be boosted. Amplify will default to whatever adjustment is needed for “maximized” 0dB peaks. (If you have a loud vinyl “click” or “pop” and that can limit how loud Amplify goes.)
I bought the cable in the online shop. But it’ll go a long time.