Audacity Forum

I am trying to use Audacity (beta) to transfer music from vinyl to CD, by first "recording" it in my computer, then converting it to a CD-friendly format and burning it ... at least that was my plan. I can record the music just fine, but the quality of the playback (from the computer - I never even get to the conversion/burn stage) is just horrible; drop-out, clipping, distortion.

My hardware lash-up is as follows: using an HP Pavilion dv6700 laptop ("Home Entertainment" model) running Vista. I run my turntable through a Yamaha CA-1010 amplifier, then bring the signal out of the "Preamp Out" jacks, into the microphone jack on the laptop (which is supposed to be stereo-compatible according to the manual). I use a double RCA cable, the input ends plugged into the left and right plugs of the "Preamp Out", with the computer end of the twin cable going into an adapter that turns two RCA plugs into one stereo 1/8" plug - which goes into the microphone jack on the laptop. The sound card is a Conexant High Def Audio - I have not been able to determine if it is free-standing or mother-board resident

In so far as I can tell, I have all the settings on the Audacity control panel set properly, but I notice that it is almost impossible to get the level low enough using the slider to avoid the digital meter from bouncing of the right end of the meter. I mean, I have to turn the input level to less than 0.1 or it blows the meter clear off the right end. This, of course, results in lots of "red-line" clipping, etc. Turning the volume down on the amplifier doesn't help because that doesn't control the preamp out level. I have tried coming out of the tape jacks on the amp, but it doesn't help.

I suspect that using the microphone jack as the computer input is the main source of my problem, but I don't know what else to do ... any help,hint, or suggestion will be greatly appreciated. By the way, and I don't mean to seem ungrateful, but, if you respond, don't use a lot of acronyms and jargon, because I simply won't know what you're talking about. I am reasonably computer-literate but it's taken me hours and hours of diligent surfing just to root out what "ASIO" and "WDM" mean.

Thank you in advance.

I

... into the microphone jack on the laptop... I suspect that using the microphone jack as the computer input is the main source of my problem, but I don't know what else to do ...

Right!!!!

Your preamp-outputs are "line level" which is 10-100 times the signal-level of a microphone. And, you are running through a mic preamp, which is typically low-quality on a computer/soundcard.

Sometimes the soundcard/soundchip has a utility to switch between mic & line, so if your computer has an audio configuration utility, check to see if you have that option.

Most USB soundcards have the same issue... They only have microphone inputs. There are all kinds of USB/firewire "audio interfaces", but the lowest-cost solution that I know of for a pair of high-quality line-level inputs of is the Behringer UCA202. (I don't own one of these.) If you get an external device, you'll have to "select it", and there may be some configuration to tell Windows it's a stereo USB device, and not a mono USB microphone. But, once you get set-up it shouldn't be too hard.

Thanks for your timely response. I went to ComputerGadgets'R'Us, acquired a USB interface thingie as you suggested and it made the problem worse. I then abandoned the laptop and went to my desktop system (which has both line-in and line out jacks), plugged into said jacks and the distortion/clipping problem improved significantly. However, the playback now sounds like it is at the bottom of a rain barrel ... which would be great if I was looking for over-the-top echo-reverb. I fiddled with Audacity's settings and various combinations of controls on both the computer, the amplifier and Audacity's graphic interface for two or three hours ... all to no avail.

So here's my conclusion - Audacity is likely a terrific little audio processing program for those with multiple advanced degrees in computer science, sound engineering and digital electronics. Me - I'm just an old flatlander trying to move some music from vinyl to CD. It's pretty clear that Audacity is NOT the answer for me. Just reading through the hundreds, if not thousands, of problems, queries, etc., on this forum is an indication that Audacity is not a simple, clean, off-the-shelf, for-the-masses system, though the glowing descriptions of it on the Audacity web site leaves the definite impression that any one with a pulse can zip through all sorts of sound processing gymnastics with little or no effort. I did not find that to be the case.

Don't misunderstand - I'm not mad ... in fact I'm grateful that I discovered for myself (in excruciating detail) that this program is worth about what I paid for it. I am off now to uninstall it from both my computers, and tomorrow I will begin again the search for some type of solution to my problem - this time with checkbook in hand. It's still true ... you get what you pay for.

Unfortunately it sounds like your problems are hardware and operating system problems.
If you change your mind and decide to try and work through these issues, we will do our best to help.

Uhhhh ... thanks, but no thanks. As Gomer Pyle used to say, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me!"

Eddie Paul wrote: and tomorrow I will begin again the search for some type of solution to my problem - this time with checkbook in hand. It's still true ... you get what you pay for.

If you are still here, I suggest you get a simpler recording-only application, perhaps Total Recorder ($18 USD & up) rather than a full-blown audio editor.

Audio editing is NOT simple!!! There are lots of concepts & terminolgy to learn, and you to learn to use a complex application.

However, the playback now sounds like it is at the bottom of a rain barrel ...

As Steve suggested, that ain't a software problem...


P.S.
Another suggestion - You can get stand-alone CD recorders that don't require a computer.

DVDdoug wrote:

Eddie Paul wrote: and tomorrow I will begin again the search for some type of solution to my problem - this time with checkbook in hand. It's still true ... you get what you pay for.

If you are still here, I suggest you get a simpler recording-only application, perhaps Total Recorder ($18 USD & up) rather than a full-blown audio editor.

Audio editing is NOT simple!!! There are lots of concepts & terminolgy to learn, and you to learn to use a complex application.

However, the playback now sounds like it is at the bottom of a rain barrel ...

As Steve suggested, that ain't a software problem...


P.S.
Another suggestion - You can get stand-alone CD recorders that don't require a computer.

Thanks for the advice. I really do appreciate everyone's willingness to help. Regarding the above, I would make a couple of points:
1) I certainly agree that "audio editing is not simple", however my problems had nothing to do with "editing" - they seemed to be associated with just getting the signal recorded at an acceptable level of quality. I never did get to anything resembling an "editing" stage.
2) It is possible, perhaps even probable, as you state, that my difficulties were hardware related ("... that ain't a software problem...), but if that is the case then it is difficult to see how acquiring another recording program ("I suggest you get a simpler recording-only application ...") would be of any help to me. Wouldn't the same hardware difficulties remain?
3) and finally, just in the interest of full and honest disclosure, it seems that there should be a front and center, bold type proviso on the top of every Audacity web page that states something like this:

"This is a very good program for those who are highly skilled in computer and acoustic technology; further, good results depend heavily on a very delicate and critical balance of hardware/software compatibilities between operating systems, sound cards, processors and associated circuitry. Note that we do not specify acceptable HW/SW configurations - you are pretty much on your own in discovering whether or not your particular system will work - many do not ... and this determination will NOT be easy. Remember that this program is free."