recording problems

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jimmyeatstatic

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This is probably easy to fix, but I can't find it in the Cakewalk Help or on this forum so far:

-I have Cakewalk Guitar Studio 2
-Dell 8100 w/ Pentium 4 1.3ghz 512mb Ram
-Santa Cruz Soundcard

My problem is, when I record (acoustic guitar) using my computer microphone, I run into some problems. It records, but when I play it back, the sound changes. It isn't distortion, it seems like it just randomly changes the sound like it can't handle that note. It sounds like I am bending the note when I am not. It is hard to describe...hopefully somebody knows what I am talking about. The only thing I could think to do was lower the input, but that didn't help. Also, it doesn't always do it, just some of the notes...it is pretty random...ARG.

Your help will be greatly appreciated!
 
Two things come to mind -

1. What is the mic plugged into? Sometimes the LINE INPUT gives better results, but if you are using the standard computer mic then I don't think this would be the case.

2. If it is the same sort of little, tiny, tinny computer mic that I have, then it is only going to be able to record a tiny fragment of the total frequencies coming out of the guitar. Typically these things capture mids around 200-500, but dump anything low or high.

Perhaps the sound change is a result of waveform interference between the harmonic notes from the low strings, in combination with the "accurately" captured mids....... Just a thought.....

Bottom line try a different mic. I have got reasonably good results using the bottom of the line "Radioshack" etc. type mics.......

Good luck!
 
I have used a studio microphone before, with amplification. The sound pics up realy well, but it still has this weird problem. My friend said he read the tutorial before and said he read something about it, but he can't remember, and neither of us can find it. Any other suggestions...I think it is most likely a setting that can be adjusted.
Thanks for your help though, Qwerty!
 
It may be that you have the recording properties set to a low bit rate/sampling rate (8 bit/22K sample rate or something like that).
You want 16 bit/44.1K sampling rate at a minimum.
 
Good call TrackRat..........

Also - does anything else record a clean signal? Sound Recorder in Windows etc.?
 
its not the bitrate, because I sample at 48k, and last time i checked all other programs did not have this problem but recorded worse quality. I don't think you guys fully understand the problem. It sounds wonderful untill some chords or whatever i play, the sound bends and changes pitch. I don't know....

thanks
 
Has this problem always existed or is it a new development? I've read alot of reviews on your soundcard and peeps say that they are having trouble with the drivers and Turtle Beach will not update their Windows 9x drivers. Take a look at recent programs you have installed that may be running in the backround because Santa Cruz cannot share IRQ's. Their last Win9x drivers are dated Jan 15, 2001.
 
You should really be running the guitar into a preamp and then record through the LINE IN jack on your soundcard.
 
This has always been a problem, even on my older computer, I am pretty sure it is just a setting. By the way, I am recording with an acoustic....not much of an amp option, unless you mean to amplify the mic. I have tried that, I do not think it is my hardware...I seems like it just can't handle some of the frequencies.
 
I recorded some of the sound...if you would like to get a better idea of what the problem is, email me and I will send you an MP3. thanks
 
OK - I listened to the sound....... weird - it does sound like something interfering with the sampling process of the .WAV driver for your sound card.

Try this (I presume Win9x)-

1. START-RUN-MSCONFIG, click on the STARTUP TAB or something similar.
2. Disable anything which is not essential for the operation of your system. (If you don't know what is and what isn't, check out this cool link - http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.htm

Run your test again.

If it still doesn't work, you may have had something else like a voice modem add another proprietary wave driver to your system that could be causing the conflict.

Try this -

1. START-SETTINGS-CONTROL PANEL-MULTIMEDIA, Click on the DRIVERS(?) tab (the last option on the dialogue)

2. Look for anything that ISN'T your "real" soundcard. If there is something else, disable it or go into PROPERTIES and disable it in there.

3. Do the same thing for any mixers that aren't your "real" sound card.

Reboot and give it a go, Joe......

Good luck.
 
I wonder if GS2 has the same underlying audio system as Sonar?
If so, it may be a setup/buffer problem that I am familiar with.
If there is an options/settings/audio menu item look see if there's a setting for "buffers in playback queue" and if it's only 2, change it to 3. I have found that doing this with a santacruz card will now let you pull the latency slider full left for minimum latency but the buffer change will increase the latency too. Next if there's a soundcard/wave profiler button - hit it. When it's done close the program and reopen it. Your recording might now sound ok.

Or...
Are you using some kind of effect/amp simulator in the program - maybe using a frequency shift effect? Because a pitch shifter won't like chords.
 
WOOHOO

I think it is fixed. I tried most of what you both told me, and I found something else. Therefore I don't know which one it is. I have only done a couple of tests, so I am not sure if it is fully gone...but if it isn't I will write back.

P.S. the other thing I did was: control panel/multimedia/mult. Drivers/media control devices/wave audio device/settings
once there, I upped the amount of memory that will be used for bufferring audiodata during playback and record from 4 seconds to 9 seconds(max)
also I disabled, [in audio devices], Audio for unimodem Helf Duplex Wave Device
I am not sure which one of these solutions was the winner, but thanks for all of your help,

-Ben
 
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