Audacity recording – a few issues

osprey,

Tell me if I'm missing the point here...

1 I'm assuming you are running the record system through the Uniti and using a fixed level output into one of the Terratec analogue inputs. I don't think there is any analogue gain control on those inputs (similar to my M-Audio Fast Track Ultra) so the level you get is the level you get. If you are recording at 24 bit you should have enough resolution to adjust the levels in Audacity to give you a reasonable (ie comparable with commercial digital files) playback level. Your only real problem is likely to be the noise floor. If the Uniti offers input trim (like my Nait 5 and others) you could try increasing the sensitivity there. You could use the riaa-equalised phono stage of the Terratec, which does (I think) have a gain control, but I don't think you'd want to!

2 Audacity may not support 24 bit wav; you could try exporting/saving as flac which should support 24 bit; and this might solve...

3 Although wav supports some tagging it's all a bit of a lottery, so flac might be a better option. You can always transcode to wav on playback or batch transcode when you have established some means of getting wav tagging to work. Either is easier than having to re-rip vinyl!

I've only ripped one album as an experiment; my chain was Stageline > Nait 5 > M-Audio Fast Track Ultra > Laptop (XP SP2; Reaper). Didn't try Audacity, but it's probably more suited than Reaper.

Andy

What is the quality of the phono input of the Terratec?

Ripping vinyl is a tortuous task and the end result is very revealing...so it's a job you only want to do once!

I use Audacity on a Mac via analog input (feed from a Stageline/RP3-24). Input level is fully adjustable and the end file format is fully selectable. From memory the bit size is also selectable with the default being 32bit.

Thanks for your comments everyone! In the meantime I have managed to solve the point 2. I somehow managed to fail to notice the “Options” button in the “File Export” dialog box. By using that it is possible to select between different encodings (the default was: Signed 16 bit PCM).

@PureReader, I followed your advice and did following:

• I uninstalled the soundcard drivers (originally from the CD which came with the device)
• installed latest drivers from the manufacturer’s web site
• re-installed Audacity
• closed all other third party programs (to be safe side)
• checked once more the system audio settings through Vista control panel
• (at the moment there is no other audio editing programs installed which could interfere)

Unfortunately this did not help – still no control over input levels. However, thanks for providing a kind of general check list for the future use . NaimUniti has a preamp output but so far I have not planned to try that (the manual defines the line level output to be suitable for this purpose, plus an additional DIN to RCA cable would be needed)

@Andy Too, you are assuming the set up correctly. You might also be correct that with this set up the input level is what it is and as said earlier it is really not yet a problem since the low level can be edited to be higher. The problem would arise if the level was too high and there was no mean to reduce it (and the result would be clipping). I don’t think that Uniti offers that kind of features (trim) which would be useful in this case but I shall check the manual. So far I have not planned to use the phone stage of the Terratec since I would assume that StageLine/HiCap should give better result.

Tagging seems to be, like you said, a bit of a lottery. I was prepared to use the WAV format and it is not that big of a job to add the tags afterwards (I mean compared to entering the tags in the exporting phase). However, I might as well at least try the FLAC files also to see if it works better. No plans to do any re-ripping when it’s done once . Thanks again for your detailed reply.

@James L, I expect that the quality of the phono input of the Terratec should be less than what StageLine/HiCap can offer. Of course I can try it at some point later (no plans at the moment though). I agree this is certainly a job to be done only once although at the same time it is also fun.

Do you use external soundcard or the Mac’s internal one? Since I believe this might be the cause of my problem (besides that I use PC ). The default recording bit size was indeed 32bit (float) which I altered to 24bit but when exporting the recording into WAV file these parameters where not used. However, this problem I managed to solve.

Another thought… Could anyone suggest any other software that could be used for this purpose? I have myself earlier considered Ableton Live Intro but that seems a bit of an overkill just to record vinyls.

Osprey,

Ok, I see you have found how to save as 24bit in Audacity.

I have avoided using the dedicated phono input on the Terratec, taking signal straight from the tape out of the pre-amp.  Most of my recordings have been off Reel 2 Reel tape anyway. 

As for the input level, the Terratec has an input level control but it can be a little bit hit or miss in my opinion.  I tend to set it fairly high and use either the output level control on the R2R or a QED passive control (basically an ALPS  Blue in a box) to get the input level just right. I then use the Terratec's level control for fine trimming only.   It's worth experimenting a bit here trying out different settings and finding a level that sounds best.  I usually set it so you get the peak LEDs to flicker only just on the loudest parts.  Main thing is to avoid clipping.

I'm assuming you number and label the tracks during the stage where you cut them out of the recording project.  I save as WAV or FLAC add cover art as a folder.jpg file within the album folder.  Job done.

Oh, another tip:  monitoring and editing is always best done through headphones. I use a pair of Sennheiser HD480s plugged into the Terratec.  This way it's easy to hear any problems and tiny details that may otherwise be missed.

Richard,

The problem actually was that for some reason I had used the input 3/4 of the Terratec to connect the incoming signal and none of the gain controllers were attached to these. When I switched the cables to the input 1/2 the gain controllers for mic and guitar came alive and now the input volume level can be adjusted as you described. I should have understood this myself but obviously I needed a little bit help, so thank you very much.

Yes, I number and label the tracks when I am cutting them. However, I still have the problem with album name, genre and year though since those I have tried to enter when I am exporting to WAV (the "Export Multiple" dialog). This information is still lost in the process (but can be added later so it does not matter so much).

The headphone tip is great, thanks for that also. 

Osprey,

Sounds like you have a plan... very good!

I just skimmed the manual for the Terratec - a bit ambiguous about whether gain control is in circuit with line 1/2... good thing Richard has the same unit! 

I use Reaper for recording 'stuff'. It's fully functional for free with a nag screen and cheap to licence for non commercial use. Much better value than the major DAW players, but like Ableton is a bit ott for vinyl rips. I'd certainly recommend it for 'studio' multi tracks through...

Have fun!

Andy

Thanks Andy, I will!