New User-Cassette to MP3

[filmyfan]

Hi,

I am a new user of Audacity.

Downloaded the latest version on my Windows 7 laptop. I have a cassette capture player that is connected to the USB

Aiming to convert some old cassettes to MP3 and al started ok

Did a quick test yesterday and all worked ok-and ended up with a test Mp3 of the Kinks..could have been better quality-but just wanted to get something down.

But today when trying to record..the cassette is playing fine as I can hear in the headphones ok -but the sound through my laptop speakers is ridiculously fast...and records fast also...so when I playback a test mp3 is just sounds like the smurfs playing.

Also the audio position (at bottom) and timing of the track on the main view is taking about 2 -3 seconds to complete 1 second in real time!

Not sure if this makes sense to anyone?


Obviously some settings have changed but cannot work out what !

Hope someone can help!

Thanks

[DVDdoug]

Check the playback speed control.

This control only affects playback speed in Audacity. If you have that control set fast or slow and you export to MP3, the MP3 will play at normal speed in Windows Media Player, etc.

[filmyfan]

Thanks..but I have checked the playback toolbar is set to 1.00 all the time!

[Gale Andrews]

Please give us your full version number of Audacity (all three numbers, see the pink panel at the top of the page). We ask because not all sites where you can download Audacity actually have the latest version, which is currently 2.1.2.

It is always safest to download Audacity from us: http://audacityteam.org/download/windows.

What is the make and model number of the USB cassette player?

As it is now, it seems you are recording slow, so it plays back fast.

Please check that you have selected the USB Audio CODEC as recording device in Audacity's Device Toolbar.

And make sure Audacity project rate at bottom left is 44100 Hz. If that does not help, try 48000 Hz.


Gale

[filmyfan]

I have downloaded the latest 2.1.2.

Today I have just tried again...and the record button when clicked is not even recording now!

The cassette i am using is by ezcap-Super USB Cassette capture.

I am going to delete this version and reupload Audacity and see what happens anyway !

Thanks

[filmyfan]

Have reinstalled and still the same....wont even record anything now when I click Record.

Time to give up and try something else I fancy

[filmyfan]

Here is a screenshot of when I am recording...the cassette is playing-as I can hear in headphones...but nothing on Audacity-no levels or sound...and it says recording at the bottom but the time counters at the bottom are unmoved and stay on 0.000

[DVDdoug]

Your screenshot shows you've selected "Microphone Array USB" as your recording device. That might be OK, because Windows doesn't always know what kind of USB device you have. But, are there any other USB choices? It also looks like it's greyed-out, so maybe nothing is actually selected???

And, you might try Direct Sound instead of MME.

And, make sure to plug-in the USB before you start Audacity.



------------------------------------------------
Back to the original problem... In the digital domain, speed is related to the sample rate (44.1kHz, etc.). Small speed errors are not unusual because every soundcard/device has its own clock and no clock is perfect. But these small errors are usually only noticed by musicians when there is a slight pitch-shift.

Big speed errors are very rare and it's usually a driver problem were the hardware, driver, and application are not properly communicating the correct sample rate.

[DVDdoug]

P.S.

Aiming to convert some old cassettes to MP3 and al started ok...

..could have been better quality-but just wanted to get something down.

I hope you can solve your recording problems, and I usually say this when people are digitizing vinyl records, but if you're concerned about quality, buy the CD or the MP3! (if it's available digitally)

You can do a certain amount of clean-up noise reduction, EQ, etc., but you rarely end with something that sounds as good as a digital "original". The Kinks were probably recorded on analog tape, but it was studio-quality reel-to-reel tape.

[Gale Andrews]

It also looks like it's greyed-out, so maybe nothing is actually selected???

Device Toolbar always greys out when playing, recording or paused, even if the recording is stalled.

For the stall problem, restart the computer. Make sure the EZCap is connected to an empty USB port, not to a USB hub connected to the USB port.


Gale