| From Michael Bates=20
| Fri, 05 Jan 2007 17:20:16 +0000
| Subject: [Audacity-help] Line In
| Trying to copy old audio cassettes onto audacity
| Me and a friend of mine have both found that the line in function on =
Audacity
| is not receiving a signal.
| The cable is correct and so are both inputs and outputs Audacity is s=
et to 2
| channel stereo no problems using mic input
Do the computers actually have a physical line-in input (normally blue)? If=
so=20
you need to plug into this port and set the input source to line-in on Auda=
city's
Mixer Toolbar dropdown (or if you are on OS X you need to set the line-in t=
o be=20
the default input in Audio-Midi Setup). If you do not have a line-in, you n=
eed to
have a way to switch the microphone port to line level (some laptops can do=
this),
or add a line-in with a USB device like a Griffin IMic.=20
Please review the steps 1 - 6 underneath this message and see if that helps.=
If=20
you are saying you switch the Mixer Toolbar selector to line-in while plugg=
ed into
the line-in port and get no signal (but it works when the selector is set t=
o mic and
you are plugged into the microphone port), then the probable explanation is=
that
the audio device drivers are broken so that changing the selector to line-i=
n is not
actually switching the source. This is common on Windows machines. You can =
try
selecting line-in in Sounds and Audio Devices in the Windows Control Panel,=
or
updating the drivers using Device Manager. You should avoid drivers made by=
=20
Microsoft as they are low quality generic drivers. If you cannot get driver=
s=20
specific to your hardware, try the websites of either the motherboard or so=
und
device manufacturer
=2E =20
If you have any further questions, please tell us what operating system you=
=20
are on (e.g. Windows XP, OS X 10.4, and if you are on OS X, whether it is
an Intel Mac or Power PC). Also please tell us what version of Audacity you=
=20
are using (see Help > About or Audacity > About in the program).=20
Gale Andrews
***************************************************************
Here are the steps for transferring cassettes to your=20
computer using Audacity.
1 The cassette player has to be connected from an "out" jack =20
on the player (usually the headphones jack) to the line-in port of=20
the computer (normally coloured blue, but check your computer=20
manual). This normally requires a cable with a 1/8 inch plug one
end (for connecting to the player) and a 1/4 inch plug on the other
end (for connecting to line-in on the computer). If the player has=20
an "auxiliary" or "record" output you can also connect from those
using a cable that has dual red/white plugs on one end (for=20
connecting to the player) and a 1/8 inch plug on the other end (for=20
connecting to line-in on the computer. See:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s=3Drecording&i=3Drecords-tape=
s
2 Click Edit > Preferences > Audio I/O tab and set both the playback
and recording devices explicitly to your inbuilt sound or the sound=20
device you want to use. Do not select "Microsoft SoundMapper" on=20
Windows machines. =20
3 If you want to record in stereo, change the recording channels on=20
the same Audio I/O tab to "2 (stereo)".=20
4 Select line-in as the recording source on Audacity's mixer=20
toolbar dropdown input selector
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/onlinehelp-1.2/toolbar_mixer.htm
NOTE 1: No line-in port?
Some MACs and notebook/laptop computers do not have a line-in port.
In that case check if your microphone port can be toggled to line-in=20
with a switch, or by changing the recording source in the software.=20
Sometimes this line-level source is called "mix" or "stereo mix", in which
case you could select this source in the system sound preferences
(or on Windows and Linux you can also do so in Audacity's dropdown=20
input selector as above). If you see a line-in option available, always=20
choose that as your recording source. If you have neither a line-in port=20
nor any way to switch the microphone port to line-in, you need to add=20
a line-in by adding a USB soundcard, or other audio input/output device
that connects to the computer via USB, like a Griffin iMic=20
http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/imic/
NOTE 2: For all MAC OS X users
If you are on OS X the mixer toolbar will always be greyed out on
"default source". This is normal, but you need to go to Apple=20
Audio-Midi Setup and make line-in to be the "Audio Input Source"
5 Next, set the volume level of your recording input. Right-click on=20
the downward pointing arrow in the right hand (red) recording=20
level meters
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/onlinehelp-1.2/toolbar_meter.htm
and click "monitor input". While playing a loud part of your cassette,=
=20
adjust the recording level slider on the mixer toolbar so the=20
recording meters are almost reaching the far right hand side (but not=
=20
far enough to bring the red hold lights on). If the recording level=20
meters are not visible, click Edit > Preferences > Interface > Enable=
=20
Meter Toolbar.
6 Decide if you want to "monitor" your recording, that is, hear it
played back as you make it. If you do, and you are on Windows or=20
Linux, open the system sound mixer e.g. Sounds and Audio Devices
in the Windows control panel, and unmute line-in as a playback device,=
=20
and turn the volume up. If you are on OS X, simply go back to the=20
Audacity Audio I/O tab and enable "hardware playthrough". If this=20
does not work, or if the playback and recording devices on Audio I/O=20
tab are different, choose "software playthrough" on the same Audio=20
I/O tab, which works on all operating systems.
7 Create a new Project by clicking File > Save Project As. Start your=20
recording by pressing the red record button. You can pause and=20
restart the recording between tracks or sides with the blue pause=20
button, which keeps your recording on one track within Audacity.=20
If you want to start new tracks or sides of the cassette on a new=20
track in Audacity, press the yellow stop button, then the red record
button to restart recording on a new track.
8 When you have finished recording, press the yellow stop button and=20
save your recording into the Project you started (File > Save Project).
Now the data is safe, you can edit it in Audacity if you want to=20
(e.g. cut pieces out), or come back to it later by re-opening the saved=
=20
Project file (File > Open). See here for explanations of basic editing=
=20
processes
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/manual-1.2/tutorial_ed_beginner2.html
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/manual-1.2/tutorial_ed_beginner3.htmli=
=20
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/manual-1.2/tutorial_ed_beginner4.html
9 When you are happy with the recording, you need to export it as an=20
audio file (File > Export) that you can play on your computer such as=
=20
.WAV or AIFF. If you export the recording as a .WAV or .AIFF file, you=
=20
can also burn that file to an audio CD. See:=20
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s=3Dfiles&i=3Dburn-cd
=20
If you want to export your recording as an MP3 file, you need to
add the LAME encoder to your system - see
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s=3Dinstall&i=3Dlame-mp3
10 If the cassette you have recorded into Audacity contains multiple=20
tracks or songs which you'd like to export as individual audio files,
you can use Project > "Add Label at Selection" to place labels in a
new Label Track at the points where you want to divide your=20
recording. Note that if you want to burn individual CD tracks for=20
each song, you must export individual audio files corresponding=20
to each song and burn each one to CD. If you then use the File >
Export Multiple command, this will export multiple files with=20
different file names based on those split points - see:=20
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s=3Dfiles&i=3Dsplit
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Tested on: 1/5/2007 6:25:13 PM
|
