Tinny audio w/switch to newer laptop/newer Audacity

[michaeljshaw]

Hi-
I'm trying to make the switch from my older HP laptop to my newer Dell laptop, the latter which has the latest version of Audacity,
and my mic tests produce a tinny audio quality, upon playback, that I haven't had a problem with on older laptop.
Wondering if this is Audacity issue, or maybe more likely a mixer issue (Mackie ProFx8)?

thanks in advance-
M

[kozikowski]

Could be you're not recording from the mixer. Do you know where the new machine's microphone is? Scratch that and the performance microphone.

https://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/cli ... hTest2.mp3

Is the mixer connected with USB?

Koz

[michaeljshaw]

Hi Koz,

I don't think it's the recording connection. USB mixer is clearly selected in the recording options; the recording level is lower than with the prior laptop, but otherwise everything is the same.
thanks-

[jademan]

I'm trying to make the switch from my older HP laptop to my newer Dell laptop, the latter which has the latest version of Audacity,
and my mic tests produce a tinny audio quality, upon playback, that I haven't had a problem with on older laptop.
Wondering if this is Audacity issue, or maybe more likely a mixer issue (Mackie ProFx8)?

Do you suppose this could be a speaker issue? What happens when you a view from the older HP on the newer Dell?

[michaeljshaw]

Sorry, no, not a speaker issue that I know of.
I'm testing using the same headphones setup that I use with the HP (the older laptop), which are plugged into the mixer.
So it's not the laptop speakers...
maybe there's some issue with Audacity picking up the new device?

[jademan]

I'm testing using the same headphones setup that I use with the HP (the older laptop), which are plugged into the mixer.

OK, so you have two different Windows computers, each running Audacity, each connected (at different times) to the same USB (Mackie ProFx8) mixer. All I/O and digitation is done via the microphone and headphones connected to the mixer.

So you have done koz's scratch test and the USB mixer is clearly selected in Audacity as both microphone and speaker.

So let's check if Windows is doing any pre-processing/enhancements of your sound. Click on the speaker icon in the lower right-hand corner of the screen and select Sounds > Recording > (your Mackie ProFx8) > Properties. Make sure that all of the settings are the same on both computers, particularly on the Levels, Enhancements, and Advanced tabs. Generally all enhancements should be off.

Do the same for your headphones: speaker icon > Sounds > Playback > (your Mackie ProFx8) > Properties.

Since you only have one mixer. You will probably have to get a paper and pencil and write down all of the settings.

I hope this helps.

[michaeljshaw]

Thank you so much, Jademan!

I will give your steps a try and let you know how it goes-

[jademan]

You are welcome.

[kozikowski]

So you have done koz's scratch test

I don't think the poster ever said they did that.

Koz

[kozikowski]

Unless you turn it all off, modern Windows laptops apply corrections, filters, and effects.

https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/faq ... hancements

I had a Windows machine drive me nuts because the Systems people when they set it up for me left "Cathedral Effects" running in playback.

Also, if you have Skype, Zoom, or any other chat application running, they add effects and filters.

Koz