Analog to PC

[theiiiman]

i am trying to get all of the songs that i have recorded on to my PC. but i am have a hard time getting it to sound good
i just dont know what to do
i really want to make a cd
but i have no idea how to do it
i think i am loosing my mind
this is driving me nuts and i am starting to wander if i didnt just waste $400 on a 4-track
i bought a Tascam 424 mk III
when i try to hook up the 4-track to the sound card and record on the computer
there is alot of hiss
even though i turned the dbx noise reduction on
i just wish i knew what i was doing
so if any of you care out there enough to help a newbie
please respond

Jimmy
III

 

[Chris Shaeffer]

Hi Jimmy,

While its true that your 4-track will have some hiss to it, it shouldn't be too bad. I've heard some great recordings done with 4-track cassette, so the issue is probably somewhere else.

If it sounds good to you before you try and hook it up to the computer then your 4-track and recording skills are OK. If not, then there are some other things to look at.

Most stock computer sound cards are tricky to get good sound out of. One friend of mine had a soundcard so noisey that we had to out and buy another one before he could record on his own computer. Frequently, though, there are ways to get it to sound better. No harm in getting it sounding as good as possible before deciding if and what to buy next.

SO!

What kind of computer are you using? What kind of soundcard? How are you hooking your 4-track to the computer? What outputs on the 4-track? What kind of inputs do you have on the computer?

Did you have the noise redux on while you were recording, too? You have to have it on for both the recording and the playback.

Take care,
Chris

 

[regebro]

If the hiss is only there when you connect the 4-track to your computer, but not when you connect it directly to an amp, tehn it's not the 4-tracks fault.

I've used earlier versions of the Tascam 424 and it's not very noisy at all. Very good 4-track.

 

[theiiiman]

dont get me wrong
i love the tascam
i am not really sure what sound card i am using
i am not really sure how to check for that
i am just hooking up the 4-track into the mic port
i have used both the monitor and line out out puts
and i got this strange sound just before the music i recorded stared
it was this wierd digital type sound or buzz
the only output that i have is a mic port
i had the noise redux on when i was recording and trying to convert
the other thing that was wrong was that the sound was to loud
thanx for the help

Jimmy
III

 

[regebro]

dont get me wrong
i am just hooking up the 4-track into the mic port

Well, it aint a microphone, is it.
Try the line in port instead.

 

[skipos]

i had the same problem not too long ago...luckily i've got a little mixer, which i ran the 4 track through, eq'ed a tiny bit off the top end, and then mixer to line in on my pc

the final mix isn't exactly shattering church windows but it sounds damn fine to me