trying to record from a cd/md into line-in on my pc...just updated the soundcard drivers and checked my connections...but still my signal in is extremely distorted. how can this be?

Could be that the source volume is all the way up while the recording, line in, volume is turned down.

no that's not it. im suspecting my soundcard to be a bit moody...

possibly. Is the Line In volume on the computer (which you can check by double clicking on the little speaker icon in the task bar, bottom right corner) up too high? If it is, try dragging it down a little, or alternatively, try turning down the volume on your CD/MD. Trying to record at high volumes (at both ends of the spectrum, input and output) will always give distortion.

heres a cuple of pointers i just thought of

In simple PA Systems, it is possible to work with just one microphone, one amplifier and one speaker. However, for more complicated setups, it might be necessary to alter the sound slightly. For example, karaoke sets add echo to the voice before pumping the sound to the loudspeaker. Also, you may want to add a voice-over to music, just like a DJ speaking over music.
It is overkill to do all this at a signal level powerful enough to drive speakers. To process audio signals that have come straight from the microphone would not be a good idea either, as the signal is barely a trickle of current. It would be like gathering a few scraps of heiroglyphs from an archealogical dig and trying to write a thesis on what the Egyptians thought of Barney the Dinosaur in ancient times. Not only will you have to add a lot of (probably erroneous) information, it will probably be completely different from the truth.


Erroneous sound signals are called noisy, because that's how they will sound. You can often hear this in badly tuned radios as static crackles or a quiet hiss in the background. This arises because your radio is not set up to receive all the audio information to give you a clear sound.

Distortion also damages sound signals. This arises when the equipment producing the sound cannot adequately handle the sounds to give you a fair representation of what it is supposed to sound like. The most well-known example is probably of the Distorted Guitar, the kind of sound produced by heavy metal guitarists. That grungy, grating sound used in guitar solos is interesting, but I'm pretty sure that's not what a guitar actually sounds like. A twang on a guitar string produces a twang, not a Deep Purple power chord.

That previous example also shows that Distortion and Noise are not always undesireable. They can be manipulated to good use.

Clipping is a form of distortion. Clipping occurs when a sound signal's voltage increases past a point that the equipment cannot output. As such, instead of maintaining the real wave-form of a sound, the sound is abruptly truncated where equipment meets its limits. This can sometimes cause the grating-guitar sort of sound.


The Line-Level
To minimise noise and distortion when processing sound, transferring it from one component to another, or reproducing recorded sound, there is a standard type of audio signal called the Line-Level signal. This electronic representation of sound is similar to the types used to drive speakers or coming from microphones and guitars. The only difference is in its strength. It is supposed to be rated at about 1 volt for professional applications, although I have no idea how they rated it. The professional term for this signal is called +4dBu.
Then some bright spark came along and said, "Hey, why should consumer products use the same sort of signal quality as professional products?" As a result, the totally redundant (but woefully popular) -10dBV signal was invented. This signal is rated at a tenth of a volt. There is actually no reason why there should be two types of signal. The two standards coexist in most studio setups, causing occasional conflicts.

Why was the line-level necessary? It is not so powerful to require high-power equipment to withstand the energy in the signal. In fact, line-level signals come out of just about every home hi-fi system (other than most amplifiers) so that they can be interconnected. It is also not so powerful that it would overload some circuits and cause distortion.

It is also not so low-power that noise begins to obscure all audio detail. As such, line-level signals are most appropriate for transferring audio information from component to component and sending to recording devices. How much power the devices use to record the sound is dependant on the individual method of recording.

not alot i no but i hope it can help

Yeah good point i would vouche for that 1,

What u fink Frogi??

Woh, lot of info there, but did it help DJ_Cyqo? All he's doing is connecting his CD player to his computer, lol!

Strange how I've seen EXACTLY that article at:

http://pachome1.pacific.net.sg/~fire...o/signals.html

Plagerism isnt cool, now boys, and is not allowed on these forums. Neither is having two accounts, just so you can try to win an argument. Now go away.

two accounts? no froggi. just sum1 else has obviously noticed that you are rather irritating.

yes i thought of it and then went and got the info form google i dnt see a problem!

and as for that remark on having two accounts wit jus ad! i dnt think so! if u dnt belied check the ip's!

thas my moto:tongue:

well, i already tried fiddling around with the in/out levels...didnt help