Audacity Forum

I cannot get the recording slider to stay where I put it...it jumps back to zero...if I finish a track where I got the slider to stay,then I can't get it to work again...is there a setting that is needed?...That slider has a mind of it's own...

someone else told me they had the same problem and never could figure it out and went to Cubase...My recordings are coming out with low volume and when turned up there is distortion then...

That record volume slider needs to stay where I put it for every track...thanks for any help...

Using 1.26

Audacity 1.2.6 and which Windows?

Koz

And are you, by any chance, using a USB device for recording?

WC

I'm using windows XP...2nd question about usb...not sure I know...I'm useing Behringer Mixer that goes into usb port in back of computer...Yamaha sound card...and usb audio codec are the choices for recording......like right now as I turn on a new use of Audacity the recording volume slider works...but if I do a track it starts back at zero...it sort of jumps around and lets me set it sometimes but not always....frustrating

When most USB soundcards/codecs are plugged in - then Audacity normally hands total control over the signal level to them.

So in reality although you may be able to move the Audacity sliders - I actually doubt whether that actually lets you control the recording level (please shoot me down in flames if I am wrong).

You may be better off controlling the signal at your Behringer mixer before it gets sent on to soundcard and PC.

WC

Well maybe thats right...I do have a level knob on the mix board...seems though that the record level should be controlled by the program...maybe your right and the mixing board takes over that duty

That's certainly what happens on my setup I convert LPs: I run a Technics deck into an ART phono pre-amp which in turn feeds and Edirol soundcard and thence to the PC via USB.

I have a gain control on the pre-amp which I use to set so that I get maximum signal level without hardware clipping (it has a v. useful indicator light) - and then I use the hgain control on the Edirol to control the signal level that gets fed to the PC/Audacity.

BTW: are you aware that you can make the meters larger (I hav emine across the whole screen) by clicking and dragging the meters? It makes monitoring much easier and more precise.

WC

I had a similar problem running the ouput signal from an Audible Illusions preamp to the PC, with a Lynx22 soundcard. One solution was to turn the volume up dramatically - this I didn't like, since it introduced distortion and I had trouble monitoring the sound as well. I solved it by just recording the signal at a lower input level, and then amplifying it in the digital domain. I found that amplification of about 14 dB did no harm to the signal, which compared very well with the original analog sound. Does anyone have similar experience?

I solved it by just recording the signal at a lower input level, and then amplifying it in the digital domain. I found that amplification of about 14 dB did no harm to the signal, which compared very well with the original analog sound

.

What is the digital domain...do you mean the effects area?...the level control on my mixer goes up to 15...is that what you mean about amplification?....Thanks

I meant that I record at the 'normal' output level of the pre-amp, which means that the peak volume is around -15 to -20 dB, and then amplify this signal in Audacity (effects/amplification) by about 14dB, to get the final peak signal level of about -3 to -4 dB.