New Vinyl Getting Skips

[steve]

I'm not hearing in the recording what I'm hearing on vinyl directly. Maybe its impossible to get the same quality.

You should be able to get very close to the same quality if everything is set up correctly.
The main things to check are the "signal path" (exactly how does the signal get from stylus to loudspeaker), and "levels".

Using a conventional (non-USB) turntable, the signal path for recording should be:
stylus > cartridge > pre-amp > D/A converter (sound card) > hard disk.
There should be no other audio signals being mixed in with the recording, so the computer microphone should be off, the recording input should be set directly to sound card input that is being used (not Stereo Mix) and all cables should be shielded audio cables, not just bits of wire.

Each piece of equipment is designed for an optimum signal level. The signal level from the cartridge should match the pre-amp input, the pre-amp output should match the sound card input, and the recording level in Audacity should show a strong signal, but never as high as 0dB (never reach the top or bottom of the track).

After you have recorded you can use the Amplify effect to bring the peak level up to 0dB.

The volume level that you hear from the computer when you are listening through headphones plugged into the sound card may be different when you listen to Audacity than when you listen direct to the sound card input. To do an accurate "quality" comparison you should adjust the listening level of the sound card so that you are listening to both at the same volume. If you check in the sound card "mixer" controls, many computer systems have ways to adjust the listening levels of different sound sources.

[prosser99]

I found a few discoveries. I changed the sample rate from 1 channel, 16 bit, 44100 hz (cd quality) to 2 channel, 16 bit, 48000 hz (dvd quality) I got the drum sound I heard by hearing the vinyl directly (conventional tt - pre amp - sound card - lap top.)

Everytime I tried to disable or mute the microphone, I couldn't record.

The input level is about in the middle. But my range is from 0 - 1. Can't you change the range? And does it help the quality of the recording to do so?

I didn't quite understand your last point. But by changing the sample rate the recording is very close to hearing the vinyl directly. Prosser

[prosser99]

What is the difference betweent configuring the Default Format on my lap top (Sound/Recording/Microphone/Properties/Advanced) and on the audio track in Audacity. In the audito track in Audacity there's the "Set Sample Format" and "Set Rate." Thanks.

I know I've asked you guys a lot of questions. I'll send a donation. Prosser

[steve]

Sound/Recording/Microphone/Properties/Advanced

I presume that's a Windows thing? Settings in the Windows Control Panel?

As Koz is forever saying, Audacity is a slave to the sound system of the computer that it is running on. If you configure the computer sound system to 8 bit 1100 Hz mono, then that's all that Audacity will get. You may still be able to configure Audacity to work at 32bit 96kHz, but the actual data that it is working from will still be very low quality.

In most situations you would have the sample rate set the same throughout. I usually use 44100Hz as the final destination is generally CD and that's what CD uses. On my laptop computer the sound card bit depth is not configurable - it's 16 bit and that's it. At work the sound card is set for 24 bit.

In both cases I have Audacity Preferences set to 32 bit. This does not improve the recording quality, but it improves the processing quality so there is less deterioration of the sound when it is being processed. Also, Audacity usually runs a bit more efficiently at 32 bit because of the computer architecture.

The Windows settings will be applied before the sound gets to Audacity. The Audacity Preferences are what Audacity then does with what it receives.
Does that answer your question?

[prosser99]

let me put the question this way: If I configure the sound system at 2 channel, 16 bit, 48000 hz (dvd quality) on my lap top, how should I configure the system in Audacity's audio track? prosser

[steve]

You don't need to worry about Audacity's "Tracks", they will sort themselves out. Set Audacity's Preferences to 2 channel, 32 bit, 48000 hz.
The 32 bit setting will not improve sound quality, but it will avoid loosing quality through any processing that you may do (such as Amplify, Equalization...)
If you are only recording, editing (cut/paste/delete/trim) and exporting, set it to 2 channel, 16 bit, 48000 hz.
The difference between these two settings will be hardly noticeable, perhaps not noticeable at all, but there is a tiny difference.

"Edit menu > Preferences > Devices"
and
"Edit menu > Preferences > Quality".

[kozikowski]

Audacity can do some pretty unconventional, unexpected things. Did you notice that you can open a clip and it will open at the clip rate, but if you open the same clip as a second or third component of the show, it opens at the project rate?

What.

This is all different from the way Audacity handles clips internally.

Every so often somebody will post that they had Audacity set for all matching characteristics beginning to end and the final show wasn't a bit for bit match with the clips.

Yes. That's correct.

The developers got together and decided on the most convoluted way to manage clips. They think they developed a pipeline to prevent damage, and they probably did. But I know what Audacity is doing and I get lost.

This is all a piece with the bad assumption that Audacity is a WAV editor. It's not. Audacity will not Save a WAV or MP3 sound file. It's an Editorial Production Environment Manager and viewed in that light, what it's doing makes a lot more sense. Or less nonsense.

Koz

[prosser99]

Thanks for the help. I've made this config. Prosser

You don't need to worry about Audacity's "Tracks", they will sort themselves out. Set Audacity's Preferences to 2 channel, 32 bit, 48000 hz.
The 32 bit setting will not improve sound quality, but it will avoid loosing quality through any processing that you may do (such as Amplify, Equalization...)
If you are only recording, editing (cut/paste/delete/trim) and exporting, set it to 2 channel, 16 bit, 48000 hz.
The difference between these two settings will be hardly noticeable, perhaps not noticeable at all, but there is a tiny difference.

"Edit menu > Preferences > Devices"
and
"Edit menu > Preferences > Quality".

[phildobya]

Hi there

I've been having the same problem. I have a 6 month old Digitech USB TT. I have played decades old vinyl on the system with little or no skipping.

The other day I bought two new records - an LP, 45rpm, and an EP, 45rpm. Both records came in cardboard packages instead of plastic sleeves, and as such there was a fair bit of dust and cardboard fragments. I cleaned them in the way I have cleaned other records - using warm water with a little bit of detergent, then letting them dry.

After this I attempted to play the records, and both skip dramatically throughout the whole record. I tried the old records again - they worked perfectly.

Both new records appear to be spotless and without scratches or dust.

Any thoughts on what I can do? Having read the other posts here, I'm not sure I'm convinced its the vinyl itself....

Thanks

Phil

[steve]

If the record is "skipping" (that is, the stylus is jumping out of the groove across the record), then this is an entirely mechanical problem regarding the turntable and the record. Check that the turntable/tone arm is set up correctly - most important is that the turntable is level.

Some modern dance music type tracks have excessively high amounts of "wiggle" in the groove - this is great for club DJs who want to produce massive amounts of bass on their DJ systems, but can make USB record players far more prone to skipping and distorting.

Increasing the "tracking weight" (the weight that the stylus has on the record) can often be adjusted (see your user manual). Increasing the tracking weight can help to prevent skipping but increased weight means increased wear on both the vinyl and the stylus. The weight should not be increased beyond the design limit, so adding coins on top of the cartridge is not recommended.

There is a page here that describes typical turntable set-up. http://www.turntabletech.com/tonearm.htm