I'm so close, now it's just a little crackly

[audioguy]

I don't know what i did. I ran the test and now have it plugged into the mic input on the rear. It must not be able to record from the front mic input. It still doesn't record from the rca ins. Not sure why there, but as long as the mic works, that's ok. I am able to record sound now, but now it's recording it a tad too loud. I have the mic gain at like .1 on audacity, and down almost all the way on the volume manager for the computer. It's making the bars move over almost the whole way all the time. It sounds good playing through but now it's just recording a tad loud. If i can get this perfected. I will be ready to start recording seriously. Just another little hill now, hopefully i will get over it. MMJ records it way too loud. I can't get that sounding good. I'm not sure how to make the volume any quieter so it records better. Thanks.

 

[vinylengine]

My advice would be don't use the Mic input! Most Sound Cards have a very poor quality MIC preamp useful only for telephone type applications at best. They are also invariably Mono, with the centre ring on the stereo plug connected to 5V. They aren't even suitable for professsional Mics unless modified. If you have no other choice you could try using the MIC input but you will invariably need to use an external volume control to bring the input voltage down, possibly from the Pre-amp out if your amp has one? I'd still expect quality to be poor though with limited frequency response and excessive distortion :thumbsdn:

A model number or even a picture of your soundcard input plate would help here.

 

[SPL db]

Forgive me, I must have missed an earlier post...

It sounds like you're trying to take a preamp out signal from your receiver and run
it into the soundcard of your computer, is this correct?

You made mention that the RCA in of the sound card is not working or at least, you
couldn't get sound from that input.

Are you trying to just record CDs, or are you trying to record mic input?

Scott

 

[the-real-mandak]

The mic input is +20dB compared to the line in (if it keeps the standard), so you need to dampen the signal if you want to use the mic input.

 

[audioguy]

Ok, i have the turtable plugged into phono, then i have rca's going from rec out of the receiver to the rca inputs on the audio card. No sound plays through. I would think there should be sound. The card is a realtek hd audio card.

0xCFFFF400-0xCFFFF4FF Realtek RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC OK

I'm not sure if that is the serial # or not past the realtek. I'm not sure if that even the right thing under system info to find the audio card info.

Well, since i couldn't get the mic in to sound right with the record player and the analog inputs don't seem to work unless something needs checked other than selecting that as the input and unmuting it. I decided to use a tape deck. In fact, it has an output level so i can adjust that and it seems like it's recording pretty well now. I would still like to solve the rca problem but i'm lost in that right now.

 

[kbott]

do you have your line in on tape 1 and line out on tape 1 to the soundcard? if so try it without anything plugged into the rca in's. I had a similar problem (can't quite remember exactly how I had things plugged in - Alzheimer's onset you know) but I couldn't record from my tape deck until I had all my inputs off the tape that was going to the soundcard

 

[audioguy]

With the tape deck, i have rca out of tape deck, output 1, then it goes into mic in on the computer. I didn't really try rca to rca, but it didn't work with any other source so i don't know why this tape deck would. Are you suppose to go out of the soundcard to TD, then out of TD into the computer?

 

[vinylengine]

0xCFFFF400-0xCFFFF4FF Realtek RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC OK

Nope, thats your LAN card not your sound card

Firstly are you absolutely certain the RCA jacks you are plugging into on the computer on the soundcard and are line in, not line out or coaxial digital in/out? Most sound cards / motherboards only use stereo mini jacks for analogue connections. If you do have RCA's then you are lucky. Secondly, if the RCA's are line in then this may be a simple driver problem. If you go to start/control panel/sound and audio devices/audio what device is listed as the default recording device?

 

[DougMac]

On Board Audio

This is the audio on your motherboard, right?

If it is, I don't know what you're plugging your RCA's into, but I'm almost positive it's not your audio input.

Although audio chips on motherboards have improved significantly, they still aren't good enough IMO for any real recording or playback. According to your needs, you get a really good audio card for ~$90, something like M-Audio. Don't buy the cheaper Soundblaster cards. The newest TOTL card is OK, though.

Tell us more about your intent, why you're trying to record to the computer. If you're recording your LP's, there's some really good software that will clean up the recording, removing clicks, crackle and hiss.

Doug

 

[audioguy]

Ok guys, JaS, for sound recording, i have Back line in/Mic, Line in. I have audio input 2, video input 2 and svideo 2 on the front of my computer. The back has audio input in 1. Right now, the software i have is audacity and goldwave. I know they're free and aren't prolly the best but i don't want to fork out a bunch of money for this. I only want to do some here and there. Those programs seem to work fine though. Goldwave sounds pretty darn good with tape recording. I would like to go straight from record to computer if i can. I'm going to try rca's one more time with different things selected under recording device to see if one of them works. Thanks.

 

[kbott]

if you were going directly out from your TT into the line in on the pc without a preamp in between that's your problem. Just as you wouldn't connect your turntable directly to a tape deck you wouldn't do it with the pc either

just think of your computer as a tape deck. How would you connect a tape deck to the back of a receiver? It seems like you're making this way more complicated than it is. Line out goes to line in. If the line in is mini on the soundcard then you need rca to mini adapters. I use magix personally which has a recording control that lets you select the line in as the input (it also has the ability to select mic or cd). If you're able to connect the tape player directly (without using a receiver) to line in and record on the pc it means your sound card is good.

It sounds like you don't have a preamp amplifying the signal from the turntable in line somewhere if you just cant record from the turntable

 

[audioguy]

No, i have a receiver hooked up to the turtable. It plays fine through the computer, it just is distorted with mic in, and i have everything hooked up right. I had turntable to receiver, phono selected. Interconnects from tape rec. out of receiver to analog input on computer. I swear it's the sound card unless there is some secret setting that is making this not work. I connect a tape deck to mic in, but i adjust the output level on tape deck or it would be the same way as TT. Tape deck sounds fine. Thanks.

 

[kbott]

sorry, it does look like your sound card is hosed. on that i don't know how to help the only thing i would check is going online and downloading the manual for the soundcard to make sure you're hooking up everything right

 

[Sansui Louie]

I connect a tape deck to mic in,

This is your problem. It should go to Line In on your sound card. If your sound card does not have a Line In, then you need to go buy a decent sound card.

 

[AudioAddict]

Ive done it

If you have a receiver with phono inputs(like who doesnt) Run your TT into phono, RCA cables from record out to a 1/8 '' stereo plug , Plug that into the line in on your soundcard and voila' you can record to PC all day long.. I use Sonar 2XL
and have transferred about 25 lp's over to PC then to CD...Hope this helps ya...... AudioAddict

 

[audioguy]

Ok, which color input is line in. At the very beginning of this i thought line in was rca in. I guess that's not true. Pink is mic in. I'm not sure what line in is, like the color. I also found out that supposedly my audio card is integrated. However, i did record from the tape deck with the output level adjusted and it worked well, but line in would be easier. I recorded ian lloyd, third wave civilization for my uncle and he was very touched.

 

[Thom]

I've had nothing but trouble with Realtek on my computer and being on a budget I bought a Soundblaster card. Not the best you can buy but a 24 bit version. My suggestion is forget the Realtek and get a new soundcard. Even the cheap versions are better than the motherboard ones. I only paid $30.00 for mine and it does quite well. By the way the "line in" color is mint green. Mic is pink. This however does not hold true for evey card. I think soundblasters are multiplexed. Hope this helps.

 

[Thom]

OOPS!! Boy did I goof!! Blue is line in - Green is line out - Pink is mic. Use the blue one. Am I embarrassed.

 

[audioguy]

Yeah, i found that out earlier today. Thanks. It works this way, it just seems quieter so i adjust the volume on the computer to make it louder and it gets crackly. Heck, i think i could get the sound better with mic in. I did get the audio inputs to work. The only program that works with it is intervideo windvd creator. The card for that is Hauppage Win TV PVR PCI II Capture. It's made for video and audio. A tape finally plays through the analog inputs and it records. Now it doesn't seem loud enough. This isn't prolly the best program to use for this but it works. I can select that card under goldwave for recording device and it doesn't work.

 

[Thom]

The item I am refering to, the "soundcard", is a piece of hardware that is located most likely on your motherboard, or in a PCI slot. In either instance it is in your computer case. It is not something you can "select" without going into your system's control panel and then you must de-select the soundcard currently running and reboot. Programs that you buy or download do not come with soundcards because programs are software and soundcards, vidiocards, and modems are hardware. Make sure your soundcard is working properly (there may be a self diagnosis option). Look under Start, Control Panel, Audio Device, Hardware. You may even have to reload the drivers. I had to. Then I wised up and bought a new sound card. I hope this isn't confusing you but there is no reason you should be having this much trouble.