Audacity Forum

Greetings, I am trying to use Audacity to transfer some reel-to-reel tapes to CD. Some basic info:

-Running a Mac Mini with OS 10.4.11.
-Using an Edirol FA-66 Firewire Audio Capture unit.

Having followed Edirol's directions to a T, I can use the FA-66's headphone jack to hear both the incoming audio from the tape deck and the outgoing sounds from the Mac, so I know the unit itself functions properly.

Once I get into Audacity (version 1.2.5) and have the tape playing, as I go to hit record, the following error message pops up:

Error
Error while opening sound device. Please check the input device settings and the project sample rate.

I have tried making multiple adjustments in Audacity's Preferences, but to no avail. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks for any help you may be able to offer.
-Dan

<<<I have tried making multiple adjustments in Audacity's Preferences, but to no avail. What am I doing wrong?>>>

You're making multiple adjustment in Audacity's Preferences. You should be in the Mac System Preferences > Hardware > Sound > Input. If your device doesn't show up there and you can't see the little flashing lights when you send audio, then the connection between the Edirol and the Mac has failed--or never was.

Unless the process succeeds there, you might as well leave Audacity closed. Failure at the System level can be traced to bad or outdated device software, or, on occasion, a device that will never work. There is one sound machine that Macs don't like at all and I don't remember what it is without a search.

Sometimes the USB connection fails--try using a different one. My Mini has four.

Koz

I just double-checked in the Mac System Preferences, and the computer and Edirol are interfacing correctly. I hear sound coming from both the tape deck and the computer in my headphones attached to the Edirol, and I do have the audio input "flashing lights" in the system preferences sound screen as the tape plays.

Also, if it matters, I have a firewire connection with this unit. At this point, I am positive my issue is with a setting in Audacity. The error message I quoted in my first post occurs whenever I try to press the "record" button.

Thank you.
-Dan

Things slow down a little when we have to go look something up and do systemic analysis.

The Edirol looks like it supports a whole bunch of encoding bits and sample frequencies. Some of that is going to be pure advertising fodder. For example, most analog microphone amplifiers are far worse than most of those digital selections.

Anyway. One quick item. You don't have to go into full-on record to tell if this is working. Launch Audacity and click once anywhere inside the red recording meters. If there is a delivered signal, the meters will wake up without pressing the record button. I'd be curious what happens to you.

We're so used to that message being wrong, it's kind of refreshing when, in your case it's probably right. Did you go through all the bit rate matching? I don't recommend actually performing live recording like this, but for testing, stick with 44100, 16 bit, stereo. That's Music CD quality. Set in the Audacity Preferences panels. Restart Audacity. Set the Editrol the same way. Consult your instruction book. I have no idea how to do it on the Edirol.

Maybe you need to restart the Edirol, too. Plug them together and see what happens.

Oh, one more thing. I see the Edirol comes with a wall power supply. Use it for serious work. USB and FireWire powered equipment is brittle when used via self-power. That, too, is a great advertising trick. I have a self-powered microphone amplifier out in the garage because I could hear my hard drives starting and stopping on the track in back of my voice. "What's that clicky whine back there when I stop talking...?"

Koz

Well, I gave it a shot. I set Audacity's Default Sample Rate to 44100 Hz, and the Default Sample Format to 16-bit, both in the Quality tab of the preferences menu. Then I quit the Audacity application. Next, I set the Edirol's Sample Rate switch to 44.1, switched it off, and switched it back on. I then opened Audacity, and still had no activity in the red recording meters. However, the Input Level meter in the Mac's Sound system preferences is still responding.

With the Edirol, I am using the wall power supply, as I agree that the BUS power is an unnecessary risk.

Thank you, Koz, for bearing with me on this.
-Dan

<<<Thank you, Koz, for bearing with me on this.>>>

I'm concerned that I can't just wave my Wii-Wand and have the problem go away. This is the kind of problem that the Windows people have.

I'm going to be missing on and off because I'm trying to plug the holes in my house before it starts raining Tuesday (LA version of a snowstorm).

Back when it gets dark and cold and I have to stop.

Koz

I'm just really looking closely at my Mini, and it's set to Line-In, but Audacity is set to Default Input. And it works.

Do you have or can simulate one of these:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... age=search

Any length is good.

Disconnect the Edirol and plug that 3.5mm/RCA cable into the Line-In on the back apron of the Mini. Select Line-In on the Mac Preferences, maximum level. While in preferences, touch one of the two RCA centers to make the system hum. Can you see it in the preferences panel jumping lights? Now launch Audacity and select the Default Input, click once inside the red record meters and touch the center of the RCA connector again. Do you see one of the two sound meters kick up? Can you touch the center of the other RCA and get the other meter to kick?

Koz

Well, I gave that a shot. And wouldn't you know it? I got a response in Audacity's Input Level Meters for both channels.

So what exactly does this mean for me? Should I be contacting Roland tech support about a possible malfunction or incompatibility matter? Or might the solution yet be found in Audacity? I am still getting activity from the Edirol in the Mac's System Preferences Sound Input jumping light meter.

-Dan

Just to know that basic audacity is working.

USB services are a pain because all the parts of the system need to be running at the correct data configuration and that kills an awful lot of people (judging by the forum).

We know that in an effort to make this stuff work, configuration commands fly back and forth between all the components. Apparently, the configuration between the Edirol and the Mac worked, but the one to Audacity didn't. Just for giggles, try starting the different services out of order. Turn the Edirol on and then launch Audacity. Launch Audacity first, etc. Get that touching the RCA thing to work and then plug the Edirol in with it already running and change teh Mac system panel. You don't have any other audio services running during all this, right?

Instead of opening the System Preferences, try going into About This Mac > More Info > and drill down to the info panel on the USB services (with the Edirol connected and running). What's that say? That panel can tell me the chipset number from my keyboard, so it has hidden information you can't find out any other way.

I don't have any magic for you. Google the various combinations. Editol, Audacity, Mac OS-X, etc. Haunt the Edirol web site. I know there is at least one USB sound device that just will not work with Audacity no matter what.

Koz

Unfortunately, the additional attempts along the lines of what you had suggested yielded no results. However, just for yuks, I decided to try cutting out the Edirol, and connecting the reel player directly to the 1/8" line input jack on the Mini. As it turns out, the reel player apparently has a preamp of some sort, because I am able to get full volume input into Audacity from it.

So, a different question then: is the line input jack method I just described sufficient enough to produce CD quality sound? Again, the project is to archive old recordings of concert band performances, so it is important to preserve the sound quality as much as possible.

Thanks,
Dan