Annoying New Hiss

[MHirn]

I used Audacity 1.3 Beta quite successfully for several recordings from a turntable to the computer. Today, I have a loud background hiss on the recordings I am trying to make from my turntable. Nothing has changed on my computer set-up (same computer, same turntable, same cables). If I try to make a recording without anything plugged into the sound card, I get total silence, so I think that it is not not a sound card problem. Also, everything was nice and quiet on my first recordings, so I don't suspect a sound card problem. I just tried running the turntable directly into my stereo and I got a clean input there also.

Is there something that I can do with the software or my computer to return to the hiss-free environment that I had when I first started using Audacity? I tried uninstalling Audacity and reinstalling using the stable older Audacity first and then the Beta version. Neither of those changes got rid of the hiss.

Ideas? Solutions? I'm all ears.

[waxcylinder]

Sounds like it could be loose plugs or poor connections somewher in the audio chain. Give 'em all a gentlle wiggle, or replug them (and clean the connectors).

WC

[MHirn]

Thanks for the suggestion. I will give that a try. I took everything apart , because I was done recording for the week. I will check the connections again when I attach everything to the computer later this week.

[kozikowski]

<<<return to the hiss-free environment that I had when I first started using Audacity?>>>

Also when you first started using your USB turntable? Your throw-away USB turntable?

"This worked on the first few vinyl records and now I have noise on the recordings."

No shortage of complaints like that. These last gasp turntables are build to be thrown out at the end of the last record. They have bare minimum electronics inside and it's not unusual for them to fail too soon. One of the failures is a ratty bitstream or a phono preamplifier that starts oscillating. Both of them will hiss at you.

If you had a Mac or a Deskside PC machine, we would tell you to stop using the USB and go analog. That works remarkably well. With a Windows Laptop, it's a good deal more difficult unless you got one of the few with a stereo line-In connection.

Koz

[lokkerman]

I've got the same problem. I'm trying to record both Reel-to- Reel and SACD and use a number of PCs and PC cards (Prodigy 192, Xonar D2, Audigy 2 external and Internal). What I've found is that on the start of some SACDs I'm picking up a hiss that is barely audible, even with headphones cranked up, straight from the disc. I have two SACD players - a Pioneer and a Denon, the Denon is supposed to be S/N 123 dB and is an ideal match for the Xonar. It is as though there is some strange AGC type effect at the start of the track, the ending is the same, from darkness then to hiss. Sounds like tape hiss. Almost similar to taking off the Dolby on playing back a Dolby encoded tape. Wierdly it is not so noticable on my R2R masters, which obviously have their own hiss and in fact the noise levels sound better, so there may be a masking effect somwhere. The daft thing is in some respects it sounds like post recording cleaning-up has been removed from the SACD and sounds closer to a straight master sound - so being a R2R man I quite like it!!! For conversion I'm using either 96 or 192khz/32 float.
I've tried different levels and the leads are consistent, usually LOFC/Gold high quality, so it's not these. I must confess I've not used the 1.2 Audigy as I needed to leap straight forward to the benefits offered by this release. If you need me to I can send you the first 10 seconds of the Boston 1st album, form SACD (don't comment on my tastes please!!) almost any track, you can then hear the hiss build and then disappear, almost like a badly set-up compressor/DBX etc.

I hope this helps.

[MHirn]

Koz,

I don't think that the problem is with the turntable. Remember that I said I was getting clean sound at the stereo with it.

The turntable is an Audio Technica AT-PL120. It is not a USB turntable. It is a heavy duty DJ-style unit with direct drive, built-in preamp and ability to play 33,45 and 78rpms. It is definitely not audiophile quality and the cartridge is utilitarian (high weight for 78 tracking), but I don't think this unit is junk like some of the USB players. With a cartridge upgrade, this player should be a respectable budget turntable.

At any rate, thanks for your input. I am going to try to set everything up again tomorrow. If the problem persists, I may try other software. I have noticed that some of the software available now will automatically separate tracks, label them and find the correct album artwork for easy transition into a music library.