Recording to your Hard-Drive from any External Device using Jet Audio 5.x Basic or higher

[bold]Introduction[/bold]

This guide was created to help people preform analog to digital conversions using any standard PC. The author recommends recording to a lossless audio format for best results. It is acknowledged that the program choosen by the guides author (Ced), Jet Audio 6.0.6 Basic, is free of "adware" and "spyware" this 14th day of November of 2004.


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[bold]Contents[/bold]

1) Required Equipment

2) Directions

3) Visual Trouble-Shooter
a. Can't record any sound
b. High pitched hissing during playback

4) Helpful Links


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[bold]Required Equipment[/bold]

1) External Sound Device: Vinal Record player, Tape player, Mp3 player, ect.

2) PC running Windows 98 SE or better

3) Sound Card with Line-In port

4) Connection Cables (I recommended dual-shielded (Foil layer and Braided layer) cables that are line balanced, to minimize sound loss, with gold plated tips to prevent rusting over time)

a) Vinal Record player: Stereo RCA L/R female to 1/8 pin male Stereo cable (a pair of RCA L/R male to male cables may also be needed to use a pre-amp)

b) CD/Tape player: Stereo RCA L/R male to 1/8 pin Stereo cable

c) Portable Mp3/Mp4/CD/Mini-Disc/Tape player: 1/8 pin male Stereo to 1/8 pin male Stereo cable


5) Jet Audio 6.x Basic or newer (the latest version of Jet Audio Basic is 7.x)


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[bold]Directions[/bold]

1. Start up Jet Audio

2. Select the record function

3. Set your sound source to line-in (check the line-In box)

4. Select your audio format (I recommend either [bold]FLAC[/bold])

5. Select your file (save) directory

6. Make sure "Enable Timer" is not checked

7. Try playing a file on your external player: You should be able to hear the sound coming though your pc speakers

8a. If you don't hear sound while playing your external player then go to the (expanded) volume controls and make sure "line-In" is not muted and/or the slider is not on min. volume.

8b. If you can hear sound then everything should work.

9. Stop your external player (queue up the song).

10. Start the recording process, then start your external player.

11. At the end of the song stop the recording process and test your recorded file with Jet Audio (or other media player)

Afterward, convert the file(s) to a compressed audio format using Jet Audio or other audio encoding program (if desired).


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[bold]Visual Trouble-Shooter[/bold]


<-- Can't record any sound -->

1. Make sure your Volume control looks something like this ->



(Your Line-In volume should be un-muted and turn up a little)


2. Make sure your Jet Audio 6 Basic player looks like this ->




3. Press the record icon, Your menu should look like this ->



(You shouldn't be using any special features! No Expansions packs, Mixers or Equlizers!)


4. Press the Start (record) button then Start your External player song. Your menu should now look like this ->




5. At the end of the song press the Stop button.


6. Test your audio using Jet Audio media player, it should look like something like this ->




Final Note: You can use the [bold]Timer[/bold] (its not a special feature) but you don't need too.


<-- High pitched hissing during playback -->

1) [bold]Turn up your Line-In master volume![/bold] Make sure that your Line-In volume is turned up to where you can't hear any hissing but the sound isn't distorted.





2) If that doesn't help the situation either your sound card or connection cables need to be upgraded.


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[bold]Helpful Links[/bold]


Jet Audio's home page:

http://www.jetaudio.com/products/jetaudio/


Jet Audio @Afterdawn Forums:

http://www.afterdawn.com/software/audio_software/audio_players/jet_audio.cfm


Jet Audio @Download.com:

http://www.download.com/3000-2167_4-10013740.html

 

thanks diabolos.
i found your info very helpful

 

thanks diabolos.
i found your info very helpful

 

Just wanted to add that if you plan on recording from vinyl, you cannot connect your record player directly to the line-in. You need a phono to line converter to boost the signal output from the record player.

I also wanted to mention that the quality of the soundcard greatly depends on how your digital recordings will sound. While most decent sound cards have excellent output, the line-in is usually of much less quality. I found this out using a SB Live Mp3 card. But by upgrading to an Audigy card, the quality improved dramatically. So if you are using a cheap onboard audio card, don't expect the quality to be supurb.

 

Yes, very true,

If you have a record player with a pre-amp built in you don't need a phono signal booster.

The Moral: Don't frag your hardware, know your equipment!
Ced

 

Thanks to all.
I am now backing up all my vinyl successfully using jet audio i find this very simple to do and can record from any source i can put through my amp including music from my live concert dvds.
thanks again

 

hi.

a little question about the line in volume...

"(Your Line-In volume should be un-muted and turn up a little)"

I've always wondered about this, when i turn up line in vol. to the highest possible, and then record, and then checks the peak levels, it's about 98% or highter (as highest). Isn't that how it should be? Or should i turn it down like this guide says?

 

Every hardware config is differnt. I was being intentionally vague when I made that statment. I was talking about Windows' Line-In volume control not Jet Audio's volume controlls. It also depends on how loud your external source is. You should have the volume controlls to the point where the peak level is almost into the red but never goes into the red (Jet Audio's Recording Volume (RV) should always be green). If the RV ever turns red the sound will become distorted. As long as your recorded audio isn't distorted when played back through a media player you should be OK.

Are your recordings low (hissing) or distoted?
Ced

 

Thanks diabolos for this info. Ijust wanna know how we can connect the tape player to th pc with stereo 1/8 cable.
If you have a picture I realy appreciate that.

Thanx again

 

You sould use a cable just like this:

http://www.monstercable.com/productPage.asp?pin=135

 

I connect my tape player directley from headphone out let to the mic line in in my pc I can hear the song but very very low and it looks like 10 thousand miles away from me.
Please advise me.

 

What type of tape player are you using? Is it a piece of home stereo equpment (ie Tape Deck) or is it a Walkman?

1) If it is a [bold]Walkman[/bold]: Connect it using a 1/8 pin Stereo to 1/8 pin Stereo cable. Plug one end in to the line-out or the head-phone out ports and the other to the Line-In ([bold]not the Mic-In![/bold]) port on your sound-card.

2) If it is a piece of [bold]Stereo Equipment[/bold]: Connect it using a 1/8 pin Stereo to RCA Stereo (y-split) cable. Connect the RCA Stereo side to the "White" and "Red" out-ports on your Tape deck and the other side to the Line-In port ([bold]not the Mic-In![/bold]) on your sound-card.

[bold]Please post your questions in the Audio forum theread that you created![/bold]
Ced

 

Is there a way I can adjust the line-in volume other than through the windows volume controls? I'm using a stereo tape deck with cables to the line-in socket. The problem is I cannot get the volume control low enough to avoid going into the red and clipping the sound. I've tried with the phono socket on the front of the tape deck as well, no difference. Is it a new sound card job, I'm using the on-board Realtek AC'97. Any suggestions anyone?

 

Are you using all of the volume controls? The "Master" volume as well as the line-in volume will affect the loudness of the recorded audio. I know if you turn down the master volume it will have an extreme effect on the output volume.

You are correct in using the windows volume controlls. The Jet audio volume controlls only work for the Wave out Mix and I think the CD options. There is always the volume of the audio source too (If applicable).

Ced

 

I followed the instruction to the T as cordin to diabolos's but 2 things are happening the first time I hooked up my Tape deck it worked BUT ever since that 1 time I'm not getting any more sound from my pc speaker's secondly the songs I thought I record when trying to play back, there's no Sound.. HELP PLEASE I spent over 2 hours trying to get this thing to work.. nada, nothing

 

Are you trying to hook up a stand alone tape deck and if so is it amped? What was differnt the first time then the 2nd time?

The only test I know to run is this; when you play a tape do you hear sound comming out of your PC speakers? Is the sound low?

- If you hear sound then everything is connected properly.

- If your sound is low then you need some type of amp (I'm thinking you shouldn'e need an amp for a tape deck).

If you don't hear any sound then you should revisit the back of your PC. Make sure that it is in the line in port on you sound card and that the pin is pushed in all the way (click).

Make sure the line-in volume isn't muted the wav isn't muted and the master volume isn't muted!

Try recording using the WAV format! WAV formats are playable by any media player and should let you get to the bottom of the silent audio file.

Ced

 

Well, Thanks man for the tip and sorry I didn't came back to let others know I got it to WORK PERFECTLY. so far I've made to CD's plus numerous copying from Cassette ready to go on CD... AGAIN THANK YOU GUY'S FOR YOUR HELP ESPECIALLY diabolos... oh! oh! what I was doing wrong was (duh) Line in was in the wrong socket.. maybe it was in phono or something...

 

hi ced,
thanks a lot for your very useful posting.
my problem is: i have a laptop which has no line-in, only a mic-in plug. you wrote in an earlier posting one shouldn't use it. is that because the sound quality isn't good? if so, is there any way to work round that problem?
thanks a lot for your help! really appreciate it.
cheers, niels

 

Somthing like this product would do the trick:
http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=244&subcategory=250&product=10769&nav=1

I'm sorry for replying so late!
Ced