Recording Line-in Too Hot

[bethruss]

I am using the line input on my computer (Win XP) to capture audio from a tape recorder to the hard drive using Audacity 1.2.6. The orginal recording sounds good and plays back well though the computer speakers, clean sound with no distortion. The problem is when recording, the input levels are too hot and the captured sound is distorted. I have adjusted the inputs on the mixer and audacity to almost "0", but this does not give much room to work with trying to adjust the recording levels. See attached pic. attachment=0]audacity1.JPG[/attachment]

Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Russ

[kozikowski]

Are you bet-your-butt sure you're using the Line-In of your laptop? Many Windows Laptops have one input connector and it's Mic-In, not Line-In. That can be a 1000 to 1 mismatch in sound level. The clue is "I have the adjustments all the way down and it's still overloading."

Given that's OK, are you recording the sound twice? It's possible to record the Line-In from an audio device and record the Speaker-Out of the computer at the same time, doubling the sound level--sometimes in an uncontrolled way. This usually gives you echoes, but it doesn't have to.

http://audacityteam.org/wiki/index.php? ... trol_Panel

I know how to make adjusting this a little easier. Set up everything like you're going to start a recording, but instead of pressing record, click once inside the red record meters. The meters will wake up and show you what the recording levels are going to be like without actually going into record. I use this as a test tool all the time. You can just leave those running while you change things around to try and fix it.

Koz

[bethruss]

I am using a HP Pavillion a1530n Desktop computer. Not sure if that makes in difference.. Not sure why output to speakers should have anything to do with recording from a tape deck. I do not have any microphones even connected. I give the other suggestions a try and get back later with an update.

Russ

[bethruss]

I muted the output so no sound was coming from the speakers. Results are the same... See pic.

audacity2.JPG (127.21 KiB) Viewed 1300 times

[bethruss]

No matter what I do with Win XP Sound options or the Realtek Audio Manager, I get the same results...line input too hot. I believe the problem to be with the incompatibilty of Audacity program and my computer. Case in point, the audacity program indicates that I am using a microphone as my input. I am not. Also, the inability of the audacity program to allow me to change the input type (box is greyed out), the route the audio is taking through the audacity program is via microphone branch and not line branch of the program. This is why the input appears to be too hot...Still trying to figure it out....

Russ

audacity3.JPG (54.11 KiB) Viewed 1273 times

[kozikowski]

<<<Not sure why output to speakers should have anything to do with recording from a tape deck.>>>

Because of the insane way that Windows does sound services, Mix-Out, the service that normally feeds your room speakers, is a sound device. Because it is a valid sound device, you can record it in Audacity. You can record it in addition to a live microphone and the Line-In.

You don't need to know that each version of Windows did it differently, so getting good at Windows 2000 doesn't do you a bit of good in WinXP.

Did you read through that Wiki page?

Also, if you're convinced that Audacity is doing something wrong, launch the Windows Sound Recorder and see if that works.

Windows Sound Recorder
Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> Entertainment

Koz