Audacity records in a loop
theolen
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blafouille Posted messages 185 Registration date Status Member Last intervention -
blafouille Posted messages 185 Registration date Status Member Last intervention -
Hello,
I usually use Audacity to record myself when I play the guitar (through a multi-effect connected to the microphone input of my laptop). Recently, I have been encountering the following problems:
-the recording consistently distorts
-the volume of the recording decreases after a few seconds
-the recording is irregular with some passages disappearing as if certain frequencies were "filtered."
-when I record two tracks, the second is composed only of the first notes played, which are repeated in a loop with a terrible sound.
These problems also occur when I record a streaming source. However, everything functions normally when I record with the webcam microphone (ambient "microphone"). My audio drivers are up to date.
Has anyone ever faced such a situation and could help me resolve these issues? Thanks in advance.
I usually use Audacity to record myself when I play the guitar (through a multi-effect connected to the microphone input of my laptop). Recently, I have been encountering the following problems:
-the recording consistently distorts
-the volume of the recording decreases after a few seconds
-the recording is irregular with some passages disappearing as if certain frequencies were "filtered."
-when I record two tracks, the second is composed only of the first notes played, which are repeated in a loop with a terrible sound.
These problems also occur when I record a streaming source. However, everything functions normally when I record with the webcam microphone (ambient "microphone"). My audio drivers are up to date.
Has anyone ever faced such a situation and could help me resolve these issues? Thanks in advance.
Configuration: Windows Vista Internet Explorer 7.0
4 answers
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Hello
I must admit ????
Could it be due to a setting on your multi-effect (could you enlighten me, what do you mean by that if I dare ask)
Do you have enough disk space (although one wonders why, but!!!!)
Do you not have a resident program that would "intercept" or divert your sound?
I'm a bit stumped, please try to elaborate a bit more on your setup, thanks
@+
Jean84
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We are living in a wonderful time, it's our leaders who are ruining it-
Hello Jean84 and thank you for your response. Here are the details of my setup: Packard Bell EasyNote SJ81 B018 laptop running Windows Vista, Conexant high definition audio, USB audio device for microphones, Ibanez guitar, Digitech RP 80 multi-effects. Everything worked fine before I encountered these issues.
I can make a first observation: -It’s not Audacity because I have the same problem with Kristal Audio.
-All sources (guitar, hi-fi system) that go through the microphone input cause the same issues.
-The same goes when I record from a streaming site.
-Recording via the webcam microphone is perfect.
-The sound output through headphones and speakers is perfect.
I don’t understand anything. In your opinion, could my sound card be to blame despite the normal functioning of some settings (playback, normal sound output)?
Thanks again for your help.
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Hello
What bothers me a bit is that I just read the manual for your Digitech RP 80,
it says no USB connection, so if I understand correctly, you're plugging directly into your sound card
via the "MIC" jack, and I would say you have an input voltage issue.
The mic jack accepts voltages around 0.02 volts (or something like that) while you're sending it 0.3 volts, which can cause saturation, or worse, damage to the input
that could explain your problem and the rest, but I still need to dig a little more,
because I do have some doubts.
@+
Jean84
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We live in a wonderful time, it's our leaders who are ruining it.-
Hello,
actually, I connect the headphone output of the rp80 to the microphone input of the PC. I adjust the volume of the guitar, the multi-effect, and Audacity to avoid having an input level that’s too high.
When I record, the recording curve is very far from the edges (so theoretically from saturation) but the recording still distorts or at least crackles.
Right now, the curve of the first track starts normally then decreases in volume, it becomes flat then has a small peak, flat again, etc... If I record a second track on top, the curve will be "thick" and uniform but it repeats the first notes recorded in a loop with a terrible sound. Here are some more details, and thank you for your interest in my problem.- Hello theolen
I'll quote you
"but the recording is still saturated or at least crackling"
"the first track starts normally then the volume drops, it becomes flat then a little spike, flat again"
that makes me think of a capacitor that is failing, or rather a transistor at the end of its life.
this behavior is found on old amplifiers, but what I'm talking about is integrated into chips on a PC, which might indicate a dead component, or one that's dying on your sound card.
these are just deductions, be careful!!!
What I would do is start from a basic situation, that is to say, boot in F8 (I'm not sure if that's possible with Vista, we're both frustrated)
So you start with a minimal basic config, plug a microphone into the mic jack (you must have that)
and try recording with Audacity or the Windows recorder (yuck!!)
If it works, connect your RP80 and repeat the operation with your guitar.
If it's still OK, then you will need to find what the F..... driver is that’s causing trouble
but at least you’ll know that your sound card is not dead.
If it’s not OK, you mourn the impending death of your sound card and consider investing.
But please ask for confirmation first. I don’t have all the answers
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We live in a wonderful time, it's our leaders who are ruining it. - Hello Jean84 and thank you again for wracking your brain to solve my problem.
I'll try this maneuver tomorrow and see what happens. I've already had to change the motherboard twice, the memory stick, a graphics component, so why not the sound card... Could an external sound card help me resolve this issue?
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Hello theolen
Uh, do you already have all that?? In other words, did you change your PC!!!!!
I was actually thinking about an external sound card, but not before testing yours!!!
With this link, you’ll have a little idea of what’s available and the prices
https://fr.audiofanzine.com/carte-son-externe/
Now on the technical side, you’ll probably have to disable your internal card in the BIOS to avoid conflicts between them (internal and external), well, it's not mandatory, but it can create memory address issues, leading to a situation where nothing works anymore.
What brand is your PC? (twice the motherboard!!!!!)
Why did you change the RAM too!!
Well, the graphics card, that’s quite common if I may say so, but the rest!!!
Either you got a bad batch for the year (bad luck)
Or your seller is not very honest
I think that’s a lot (now that’s just my personal opinion, we’d need to know the whole history)
See you later
Jean84
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We are living in a wonderful time, it’s our leaders who are ruining it-
Hello,
my computer is a Packard Bell EasyNote SJ 81. This series had a manufacturing flaw. "The width in bits of the access bus to the Nvidia 8600m GS graphics card was deliberately reduced by Packard Bell from the advertised 128 bits to 64 bits." This is the main problem summarized by the user forum http://laliloulelo.free.fr/ that was set up to put pressure on PB, which refused to acknowledge its faults. Things got sorted out, and the forum closed, but there are still traces of all this on various forums, including this one. I had to go through my retailer to speed things up because after spending 25 minutes on the hotline, the technician suggested sending me a new power adapter!!! When you're a student and you're struggling to buy a laptop for 900 euros that ends up spending half the year in repairs... it's frustrating..- I understand better now
It's true that €900 for something that doesn't work is hard.
even if you're not a student -:) !!!
Luckily forums can bring several people together to apply pressure
On the big groups, but it's not yet well developed in France. (the will of politicians, or rather the lack of will)
Well, it will come one day
Anyway, to get back to your problem, I still think we should do a test
in minimal configuration, just to see.
keep me posted
--r@+
Jean84
We live in a wonderful time, it's our leaders who are ruining it - Hello Jean84,
I just followed your advice by trying to start Vista in safe mode (I managed to do it after 1.5 hours of looping restarts, the computer being stuck at the Windows opening...) I opened Audacity and tried to record from an external microphone. Here’s what is displayed:
- Error opening sound device.
- Check the device settings and project sampling
- I right-clicked on the speakers icon that were not activated (white cross on red background)
“This computer cannot play audio files because the Windows Audio Service is not running. Would you like to activate the Windows Audio Service?” YES
- The sound window opens on the recording tab with the Conexant high definition audio microphone activated, the waveout mix and the USB audio device microphone deactivated.
- But it’s impossible to activate or deactivate these three devices or anything else.
So still the same problem with Audacity...
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the sound card plays the main role...
