Beginner's Question: Line Level Sensitivity??

[LG1000]

Hi,...Long time user of consumer grade stand alone tape recorders here using Audacity for the first time. I'm trying to record records and tapes with Audacity on my iMac and have not been able to find the equivalent of a "Line input level control" with which one would regulate the incoming signal so it's not so strong it's distorting and not so weak that it's anemic. Is there an alternate method which Audacity uses to accomplish this?...Are levels set automatically?, etc? Thanks in advance...

[kozikowski]

You set the Mac line level in Preferences.

Apple > System Preferences > Hardware > Sound > Input. That's the main Mac volume control and the meter is digital peak with about a 40 dB range. Given that consumer "0" VU is about-12 peak and most music peaks about 8-10 dB over that, music peaks should run about -6 to -3 dB if you set tone (if you have one) to -12.

It takes a little getting used to if the last thing you used was a VU meter.

Audacity will follow the Apple Preference Settings. There is no "Auto."

Koz

[kozikowski]

Missed a step. If you're an Audacity Newby, you need to know that if you launch Audacity and click once in the red record meters, they will wake up in what you know as E-E mode and meter the input without you rolling tape, er, going into record.

Koz