Distortion/noise

[euser1]

Hi,
Well, this is strange. I get distortion/clicking noise when recording piano (and other instruments from keyboard) via line in, however, I don't get any distortion when recording via other software (in my case - Ableton Live Lite). However, the same levels/settings are used, the difference in Ableton case is that it uses ASIO driver. Where could be the problem? I would just simply record via ableton, but audacity interface is much easier to operate... I use Windows XP , not a very new/powerful computer.
Also - when making the recording, no distortion is heard. It appears just when playback in audacity. Also, sometimes the distortion is heard even when there are no vertical red lines (indicators that gain is too high)... I have tried various sample rate settings, from 44.1 to 96 but problem remains.
Could there be something else I need to change in settings? Thanks! P.S. I use focusrite scarlett 8i6 usb for recording, using line inputs 3-4. Previously have used line inputs 1-2, managed to get a good enough singal, however, I find inputs 3-4 generally better quality somehow, except the distortion...

[PGA]

There has been a recent discussion involving Ableton kit. You might want to run a search here on the forum to try and find that and read through it.

[euser1]

There has been a recent discussion involving Ableton kit. You might want to run a search here on the forum to try and find that and read through it.

I tried to search via keyword "abelton" and checked topics dating back to 2010, but none of them dealt with my issue it seems.

The thing is, that ableton is working like it should work per say, it's just too complicated, and my question is why Audacity doesn't record without glitches. Is it something to do with windows (as windows direct sound, etc.) or smth. else.

[Gale Andrews]

ASIO may well be the difference. Audacity does not come with ASIO support enabled, but you can compile Audacity with ASIO support turned on - see http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/ASIO_Audio_Interface . Unfortunately it is time consuming to set this up.

Does the distortion occur only when recording overdubs (recording while other tracks are playing) or in any recording?

Have you tried Windows DirectSound host in Audacity?

Increasing the "Audio to buffer" in Audacity Recording Preferences may help distortion or clicking. It will mean the audio from the tracks you are dubbing over will be heard later.

Does the distortion occur on both Windows XP and 7? Are you using the latest drivers for the device
http://www.focusrite.com/products/audio ... downloads/ ?



Gale