tascam portaone connecting to laptop issues

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ianbernacett

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So I have a tascam portastudio one and I've been trying to transfer the recorded tape to my computer via using audacity beta, but when I listen to it on the computer the original decently recorded tape recording is all distorted and messed up. I've been looking for answers all over the internet, but have yet found nothing anyways I'm connecting both machines by a white and red tipped wire to a 1/8 inch head phone jack cord I got at radio shack. I forget what its called, and the 1/8 inch jack is going into the microphone input on the laptop. Any suggestions or solutions would be greatly appreciated !!
 
Hey, I just posted a very similar question. If you find out, will you let me know?
 
Sounds like you've got a L/R RCA > 1/8 cable. Windows laptop? First check your Windows sound settings and make sure you don't have any mic boost settings turned on. Also drop down the mic level. Turn of any goofy extra options that might be there. (Without knowing your sound driver, that's as specific as I can get - you want to start with a clean signal and go from there.) Run the Tascam while you're in there and you should be able to see the levels coming through the mic input. Depending on your laptop's sound card, that might be all you need to do to fix it. I'm on my first coffee, so that's all I've got at the moment, but onboard sound on laptops can be goofy that way so it could help.
 
So connecting through the mic input directly from the four track is an acceptable way to connect both machines because I was reading and it someone said you're supposed to connect through the sound card's input, but my problem was the laptops only input is either the microphone or speaker input. Would the microphone input be the sound card's input?
 
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ianbernacett said:
So connecting through the mic input directly from the four track is an acceptable way to connect both machines because
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It's not the optimum option, but it's been done before and I'd at least try it and see if you can get a good clean signal that way before going out and buying an interface.

Edited to add: On one of my laptops, I can do this and get great results. On another, I can't. The best solution, depending on what you want to do with these recordings, is to get a analog > digital interface (USB) designed to do it. But it all depends on what you intend to do from this point.
 
I think I might go to radio shack today and check some out. Thanks for the help.
 
I'm using a computer running windows xp on microphone properties setting what level would you suggest running?
 
Is there an 1/8" line in jack next to the mic and headphone jacks? If so, that's the one you want to use.
 
no there's not what exactly does an interface do ? Will it actually hold the quality of the songs recorded on my four track
 
An interface has preamps and analog-to-digital converters that provide a clean digital signal to your recording software. It doesn't hold any data, it just converts it to a form your software can work with.
 
I went to radio shack do you think best buy would carry an affordable one or do you know any places that might?
 
Guitar Center would certainly have one. Best Buy might, I don't know.
 
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