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A problem with Audacity

Avatar Michael Corgan
After successfully using Audacity to copy some 200 LP's onto hard drive, I am encountering a problem. Initially this was confined to the second side of an LP. Having completed recording the first side, recording the second side resulted in a continuous hum on the right stereo channel. This has now progressed to happening when trying to record the first side.

Changing the USB cable between record deck and Mac immediately removed the required recording option "USB Audio CODEC" from the list available. The other two options do not work and there seems to be no way to re-add the CODEC option to the Preferences.

If anyone has experience of Audacity I would be delighted if they can help. And am ready to try any (polite) suggestions that people can offer.

Re: A problem with Audacity

Avatar Georgia Cheer
Might sound too obvious but maybe answers on YouTube? Or typing the (abbreviated) problem in Google. I thought I heard of a program that records similar to Audicity on a podcast at Twit.tv. I will try and find it in their search field. Otherwise I have no other info/possible help to share. 😉

Re: A problem with Audacity

Avatar Michael Corgan
Searching the web generally produced no results for this specific problem, nor did the sites for the Ion record deck or Audacity. Hence the cry for help!

Re: A problem with Audacity

Avatar Eric Jervis
I've got an Ion record deck which I haven't used for many years, but I didn't use Audacity,it went straight into iTunes.
It says its suitable for OSX 10.4 or later, is this a Clue?

Re: A problem with Audacity

Avatar Michael Corgan
Was there an app that came with the turntable? And can you remember what it is, if that was the case?

I suppose that it could be a problem with the stylus, but the fact that the fault is intemittent is puzzling/

Re: A problem with Audacity

Avatar Tony Still
As a complete guess, a hum sounds like an analogue issue, reinforced by the fact that it's only on one channel, so I'd look in the deck itself. Check for good power/earth connections and unplug/replug any connections (including to the cartridge).

I presume you're using a deck with an integral USB cable (and hence internal A to D converter); if you have a standard deck with an external A to D unit then check all the connections there too (focusing on the analogue [deck] side).

The CODEC may have been an install that came with the deck? Rerunning any installer and reinstalling Audacity would be brute force ways to try to restore it. I would have expected a native USB deck to be a standard USB input device that macOS would just recognise so you may just have deleted it from selector list in Audacity.

Re: A problem with Audacity

Avatar Eric Jervis
It says on the box that it doesn't require an app.

Re: A problem with Audacity

Avatar Rick Churchill
I agree with Tony about the original problem; that the hum is an analogue source, possibly faulty earth or earth loop i.e. multiple earth paths. I had problems with noise on my recording when my Mac was running Audacity with a low cost cable until I replaced it. (It was either the cable or the plug/socket interface)

I have no experience of Codecs part from Lame so that Audacity can export mp3 files. Audacity detects my USB analogue converter and can be selected in Preferences>Device>Recording Device or in the Device Toolbar if enabled in View>Toolbars>Device Toolbar.

My only other useful advice is that if you reload Audacity make sure to grant access to the microphone. Thinking I only required it to have access to my USB port I denied this but this also will stop signals entering via the USB!

Re: A problem with Audacity

Avatar Rick Churchill
Did you solve the problem. I would be interested to hear of the solution if you did.

(Off topic - I regularly click the Reply word to the right of the Quick Reply box rather than the button below which is usually off screen. Luckily you don't lose your text if you go back a page on Safari)
 
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