New member! Problems with recording in stereo

[Mighty Mike]

I am converting cassette tapes to digital format (mp3), using a casette player with L and R output into my line-in on my XP media center PC. No matter what I do it won't record in stereo though! I have followed directions and it is all hooked up properly, I have the channels set to 2, I am just not receiving 2 signals. Any ideas on how to correct this? Thanks!

-Mike

[steve]

What are you getting? A stereo track with one silent track?

[kozikowski]

If you have only one channel in a stereo show and it's Right, do you have the plug at the sound card all the way in? Are you completely sure you're plugged into the blue Stereo Line-In and not the pink, Mono Mic-In (assuming a normal sound card)?

Can you pass the touch test? Set Audacity to recording and touch first one RCA and then the other like this....

http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/touch.jpg

The noise you generate should be available on both left and right. If that succeeds, then the cassette machine isn't delivering music on both channels. If it fails, try a new cable. If that fails, try Windows Media Recorder instead of Audacity.

If that fails, you have a bum sound card. It's not unheard of. My sister has a sound card with one channel far noisier than the other.

Koz

[Mighty Mike]

I'll go through these tests when I make it back to work (I'm converting tapes to digital for my boss). It's definitely into the blue line-in. The track that's getting recorded is the Left one, but yeah, single track recording even though stereo is enabled.

[Mighty Mike]

Touch test failed, changed the chord, VOILA, stereo. Thanks guys!