Audacity: Technical Question

**Santiago** · Jun-09-2012, 2:06pm

I'm using Windows XP (work machine) and I've recently downloaded Audacity 2.0.

No matter which input system (Microsoft DirectScan or Conexant HD Audio Input) I select, the Input audio slider is fixed in the Maximum position -- overmodulating anything I record.

Does anyone know of a fix for this issue? The online Audacity forum seems to have similar questions, but no real answers.

**westslope** · Jun-09-2012, 10:04pm

I run it on xp also. I have the input set to "stereo mix" and the slider works. If that doesn't do it for you, the work around is the little speaker icon near the clock at the bottom right corner of your screen. Use the main volume control to adjust the sound card output, and therefore Audacity input. I just tried it and have tremendous range on the audacity input without moving slider..

Speaker knob won't do it. You need to change the sound card output.

Tom

**Santiago** · Jun-10-2012, 9:53am

I'll give it a try. Thanks!

**Santiago** · Jun-10-2012, 9:57am

I don't have an audio device in my system tray. I have an NVidea card, but it doesn't control audio. I'll look in my control panel next.

**Santiago** · Jun-10-2012, 10:01am

Ok, I lowered the output volume of my Coexant HD Audio card, but unfortunately that only alters my speak output, not the line input volume.

**Santiago** · Jun-10-2012, 10:06am

Hey, I'm learning a lot here. So, I found a section of my audio card's control panel that tailors input levels and I lowered the input level. The program is that it's still over modulating. It's as if I used the Normalize effect to compress the dynamic range. Unfortunately it doesn't get rid of the distortion, so the only way to fix this is going to be to re-install audacity, and hope it was just a corrupted version.

**Santiago** · Jun-10-2012, 10:57am

For the benefit of others with this problem in the future: I re-installed Audacity 2.0. When I tried to adjust the input level I was told that the control was defeated and you have to instead use your sound driver's Sound Mixer feature, which my driver does not have. So while this function worked fine on previous versions of Audacity, to fix this problem you (I) will likely have to download a new audio driver for my laptop.

**Chris Reber** · Jun-10-2012, 8:02pm

If you're open for trying a different piece of audio software, you may want to try Reaper.

http://www.reaper.fm

It's open-source so it won't cost you anything (they do encourage you give $60 for it after a trial period, but it's not required). It's much much more feature-rich than Audacity, and it may get along with your audio drivers better. Worth a shot at least!

Cheers,
Chris

**houseworker** · Jun-10-2012, 8:28pm

Audacity (regardless of its version) has many features which are disabled unless the sound card is able to support them. Problems usually arise with PCs (particularly laptops) with no standalone sound card since the versions built in to motherboards tend to be stripped of features to cut costs.

You can download old versions of Audacity here but it won't solve the problem which rests with your sound card.

**Tavy** · Jun-11-2012, 3:21am

First off thanks to alerting me to the release of Audacity 2 - it's about time!

One thing I've sometimes found, is that the input slider only works when the recording is turned on, so start recording and then see if it will adjust. Otherwise as others have said: right click on the speaker icon on your taskbar, select "recording devices", then double click on the input device of choice, choose the levels tab, and hopefully there should be a slider.... love it when things are nice and intuitive

**Don Grieser** · Jun-12-2012, 10:25am

Originally Posted by Chris Reber

If you're open for trying a different piece of audio software, you may want to try Reaper.

http://www.reaper.fm

It's open-source so it won't cost you anything (they do encourage you give $60 for it after a trial period, but it's not required). It's much much more feature-rich than Audacity, and it may get along with your audio drivers better. Worth a shot at least!

Cheers,
Chris

Some seriously wrong information:

1. Reaper is not open source. There is a team of developers headed by Justin Frankel. They do not release their code.

2. The cost of Reaper is $60 for non-commercial studios (home use). The software you download is fully functional and they ask you pay the $60 if you continue to use it after the 30 day trial period. To continue to use it and not pay the $60 is stealing and that's why all other DAWs have horrible copy protection on them. The Reaper developers believe their users will do the right thing. Obviously, they're wrong about some of their users.

Right: Reaper is an amazing DAW with a responsive team of developers. Your $60 gets you a great number of updates that add user-requested features/functions and squash reported bugs. You'd have to pay many times the cost of Reaper to get a DAW with the same features, and you'd pay for every major update after your initial purchase. I bought it at its 1.8 version and all updates through 3.9 were free. It's now in version 4.something and your purchase takes you through version 5 IIRC.

If you don't have a DAW, Reaper is worth way more than the $60 it costs. Don't rip them off--we need developers who write great DAW software and let it run without copy protection dongles and other cumbersome schemes.

**Chris Reber** · Jun-12-2012, 2:50pm

Originally Posted by Don Grieser

Obviously, they're wrong about some of their users.

Sorry to stir up the hornets' nest, but you shouldn't assume I don't support them. I do professional audio engineering regularly and don't "steal" anything, including Reaper.

That said, I'll admit I was incorrect to call it optional to pay the $60. It is a wonderful program that is equally capable as many DAWs 10x or more the price of Reaper. $60 well spent.

**Santiago** · Jun-12-2012, 3:48pm

Problem is I work for a computer company and I often use Audacity for work (podcasting), and I'm not supposed to download unauthorized software like messing with their standard client.

**Santiago** · Jun-12-2012, 3:56pm

I might add that I never had a problem with the earlier versions of Audacity. I'm pretty experienced with it and have done 16-track recordings with it.

**Don Grieser** · Jun-12-2012, 4:30pm

Sorry about my incorrect assumptions, Chris, I just want Reaper to be supported.

Santiago, you might want to go back to an earlier version of Audacity with the link above.

**Chris Reber** · Jun-13-2012, 4:52am

One thing that may help (if you're allowed to install a 3rd party driver on your machine) is the ASIO4All driver (www.asio4all.com). This is a free (actually free this time) driver that basically "lives" in between your audio workstation and your sound card drivers.

Basically, Audacity would utilize the ASIO4All driver, while ASIO4All will interface with your sound card. In other words, it presents itself to the DAW as a virtual device with a nice, well behaved ASIO driver (which will get along nicely with nearly any DAW).

I've used this successfully with the program Pyramix, which didn't like my particular audio interface, but got along great with ASIO4All.

**Santiago** · Jun-13-2012, 9:18am

Thanks. I'm going to have to experiment a little with this when I get a chance.

**almeriastrings** · Jun-13-2012, 9:57am

Why not just get a real audio interface that will work with Audacity? If you are using a built-in "soundcard" you are never going to get a really decent level of performance from that regardless of the software in use. Could you not just bring your own little USB 2.0 interface in? One with decent preamps and converters? You can pick them up for next to nothing these days.

**Santiago** · Jun-13-2012, 10:02am

I've had very good results in the past using older versions of Audacity. Things that got airplay.

**almeriastrings** · Jun-13-2012, 10:18am

Nonetheless, there is no question whatever that you would get vastly better performance, and much greater ease of use, with even a fairly basic 'real' audio interface. Even some of the current USB mics would improve on the Conexant card. A proper interface would give you the freedom to adjust levels in hardware, the ability to use professional level mics (with +48v phantom power), and superior playback through 'phones or monitors. There are dozens of them out there. All kinds of prices, from less than $100 and up...

**robbif** · Jun-30-2012, 8:14pm

Audacity version 2.0.1 released HERE.

**Santiago** · Jul-01-2012, 9:39am

You know, I went back to the earlier version of Audacity, and I still can't get the internal microphone to work -- where it used to work previously. This is really a pain because it's a company laptop (I work for a computer company) and they are very strict about me not messing with the basic client set-up.

**houseworker** · Jul-01-2012, 9:45am

Originally Posted by Santiago

You know, I went back to the earlier version of Audacity, and I still can't get the internal microphone to work -- where it used to work previously. This is really a pain because it's a company laptop (I work for a computer company) and they are very strict about me not messing with the basic client set-up.

As I predicted I'm afraid!

Two choices, ask your company IT people to sort it out for you (they may be quite happy) or buy your own laptop.

**Santiago** · Jul-01-2012, 11:55am

Right. My company's IT people won't work it out or anknowledge an issue, and I don't have the money to buy a second laptop.

**Bauzl** · Jul-06-2012, 10:45am

Sorry for the late reply, but I was frightened away by not having administrative experience with Windows XP.

Anyhow some thoughts:

In order for any input gain slider in the software to function, the hardware needs to have a physical analogue gain control (e.g. an VCA) between the physical input and the ADC (analogue to digital converter). As soon as the ADC is overloaded you get digital clipping and there is absolutely nothing which the SW can do to repair this. Remember that 0 dB in the digital domain is the absolute maximum which must never be exceeded (simplification intended here).

Now not all sound cards have this physical gain control. So the only thing you can do is to make sure that the signal you feed does not overload the ADC.

For example I have an audiophile sound card which appears not to have this physical analogue gain control. It expects line level signals and as long as I feed line level signals or lower, it's happy and sound quality is good. So I use the same mic preamp that I use on stage to feed my sound card for home recording and use its volume control to prevent the ADC from clipping.

Another example is my company laptop which only accepts microphone level signals without distorting. The laptop has a input gain control slider in Windows XP, but I guess this is only SW simulating a hardware gain control. Anything above microphone level will distort that input. I guess the only considered use case for the input on the laptop is to connect a headset for Skype and the purpose of the input slider is to boost weak signals in the digital domain and not to cut hot signals in the analogue domain.

That said I agree that (external) audio interfaces dedicated to recording music will definitely do a better job.

By the way, of course it is totally possible, that bugs in the SW lead to the same situation by making it impossible to use an existing hardware gain control of the sound card. So if it used to work with older versions of the SW, it is save to expect that the hardware is equipped with physical analogue gain control

Cheers
Bauzl