Thanks for the link and that works OK, with recording in stereo and them converting to mono. Still have to turn the headphones up a lot to hear what was recorded. Was expecting them to be the same. That is what I hear when playing is exactly the same volume as what I hear on playback .
The general trick with Audacity, in particular, seems to be to use Amplify or Normalize to boost the recording.
Unfortunately, itās not as straightforward as that.
Cheers,
Keith
There are so many possible ways to configure this stuff, hereās some random pointers that might help. Volume problems like this are probably to do with your setup having a point where the input/output is too low.
- Your guitar amp, not sure what type this is as you donāt mention it - are you using the XLR out from it to go into your AI? If youāre using headphones out, the output may be too low.
- Make sure youāre using the ASIO audio device from the AIās drivers in your DAW (Audacity)
- Take the DAW out of the loop while testing this and use the AIās āmonitorā function to go straight from AI input to your speakers/headphones
- Crank your AIās gain up as high as it will go without it clipping when youāre playing
- You might need to adjust amp volume - a good modern modelling amp will output to an AI at full volume while silent or quiet, but not all amps will
The constant input is probably dirty power or induction in unshielded cables like @TheCluelessLuthier says. If it happens while your amp/guitar cable isnāt plugged into the AI, itās probably dirty power. Make sure youāve got no cable loops (eā¦g having the same JVC amp & speakers connected to your PC and the AI would be a loop).
Thanks for you help with this. @jkahn
As Iām beginning to understand!
Itās a Roland Cube 20X with the output from the āRecording Out/phonesā socket.
I think I am but not sure how to check. This is what I have in Audacity.
and the UMC Control Panel which shows ASIO not active. How to I activate this?
Unfortunately Iāve no idea where that is in the UMC Control Panel app.
I darenāt do that as it will blow my ears. The headphones level in the 204 is only about 9 oā clock which is well loud enough. What do you mean by āwhile silent or quietā?
It doesnāt. Only when the amp is on.
I have the JVC amp connected to the 204 only. Sound from the pc goes via the 204>JVC amp>speakers.
Just a quick google and there are lots of pages on similar issues. Likewise quite a few topic on this forum on the same matter froma variety of users. Not sure if any of them got resolved. Iām wondering if youād be better off with a DAW like reaper (or similar - Iām sure @Majik knows a few decent free ones)?
This sort of quirk is why I tend to not recommend Audacity. On the other hand, Audacity (even with the quirks) can be easier to get to grips with for simple recording purposes.
Almost all proper DAWs have a considerable learning curve as they are designed for professionals (or experienced amateurs) who tend to have complex requirements which include MIDI capture and editing, transposing, bussing, sidechaining and other complex plugin configurations, automation capture and editing, overdubbing, etc.
They are also designed to be able to do these things quickly, easily, and efficiently, and that often is not compatible with āintuitivityā (whatever that means). Certainly, what many people perceive to be āintuitiveā is a long way from being āeasy to useā once you know the tool well.
If you are going to try a DAW then you really must RTFM (or the modern equivalent: watch a tutorial on Youtube).
Audacity cannot do some of the things I briefly listed above, and some it can do but (IME) does rather poorly. But itās not a DAW and, for itās purpose of simple recording, editing and mixing, it does work.
Iām reluctant to suggest a full DAW in this case because I suspect the OP may struggle with that learning curve. The āquickstartā for most DAWs is a 30min+ video, and most DAWs have many hours of tutorials dedicated to helping you learn them.
Of course, if @Stuartw is up for this, My personal favourite is Ardour which is, technically, free of charge but, in reality isnāt completely for most people. It is, however, very inexpensive to acquire: you can get the installer for a donation starting at $1 per month (with no obligation after the first payment), or a one off donation payment of āwhat you can affordā. A payment of $45 gives you the full current version plus access to free upgrades within this version.
There is, also, an interesting offer on Mixbus 10 which I also enjoy, largely because itās based on Ardour, and purchasing it goes towards supporting Ardour. At the moment you can get it for $29.99, which is about Ā£23.
Cheers,
Keith
I had a quick look at the Roland Cube 20X manual. When something is plugged into the Recording Out/Phones socket, it silences the amp speaker. Thatās what I mean by the amp being silent or quiet.
You probably just need to crank the volume on the amp while it is connected to your AI.
Iām not sure the amp needs cranking too muchā¦
Cheers,
Keith
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Apparently, Audacity does not support ASIO drivers:
https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/asio_audio_interface.html
The ASIO technology was developed by German company Steinberg and is protected by a licensing agreement which prevents redistribution of its source code.
Audacity, as an open source program licensed under the GPL, is therefore currently unable to support ASIO, despite being ASIO-capable (providing the userās sound device is similarly capable). If ASIO support were distributed in Audacity builds this would either violate Steinbergās licence agreement if the code were included, or conversely would violate Audacityās GPL Licence if the code were withheld.
Cheers,
Keith
It would work for me if I can iron out the hum issue. The volume bit Iām sure I can sort based on previous comments.
You may well be right!
Iām always up for a challenge so will check this out.
Found that out the other day!
I suppose but worth noting a lot more user support on the forum and I guess just the basic understanding would be needed for adding tracks and recording.
Just following this one up as Iām still getting the background hum & not sure what to do. The hum is only present when the amp is on so guessing itās a problem with the amp or power to the amp. The usb cable from the amp to the computer is running at desk level well above the power for the amp. The amp power cable on a extension lead at floor level with the power to the pc direct into a socket in the wall.
I have tested move power cables about and changing sockets but the hum is still there!
I may have asked this (and had this answered) before: does it still hum if the guitar cable is unplugged from the amp?
If it does, it points to some sort of ground loop or a noisy USB interface (Iāve come across these before, especially on laptops). On a lot of computers, the USB sockets are not well grounded and they pick up, and transmit, digital noise. I have this on my laptop when the power supply is connected (if I disconnect the power supply, it goes away).
There are USB isolators available ranging from about Ā£8 upwards, with varying reviews. In theory, these devices may help in some cases and it may be worth trying one of the cheaper ones to see if they help. Iāve never tried any myself, so I canāt say if they work or not.
Cheers,
Keith
It does. The only time it doesnāt hum if is when the amp is off which obviously is not much use!
Itās worth a try.
Something like this might do the trick:
Youāll need an extra cable.
Again, Iāve not used one, so itās a bit suck-it-and-see.
Cheers,
Keith
Thanks. Is this positioned before the AI, so Guitar > Boss DS-1 > amp > SubZero>204HD? Canāt quite work this out!
Yes, between the guitar amp output and AI input. Basically to provide isolation between the two.
Cheers,
Keith
@Majik So I bought one of the Hum Destroyer but it has not helped, in fact it has made it worse. I now have hum even when the amp is off!!
Iām guessing that something is not right and will be having a word word with Gear4music!
The cable from the amp that went into the AI I put in the āinputā on the hum destroyer, with a cable in the āoutputā to the AI.
Sorry to hear that, and sorry for suggesting it if it doesnāt work.
If you can, send it back and get a refund.
Cheers,
Keith