fourtrack to computer=shit

[sparksareflying]

so im pretty much illiterate when it comes to recording
i just want to capture the sound as it is in my head and thats what i do
i've been recording on a tascam 424 mkIII and it sounds decent, but my only means of mixing right now is onto my computer to a bootleg copy of cool edit. well my computer barely even picks up the signal so i have to increase all the levels on my fourtrack and it comes out sounding really shitty and really under amplified.
any suggestions? maybe a different program, oh and this is just temporary i have a friend with an old sony two track that i can possibly mix onto

thanks a lot
-chris

[tylerbcrawford]

What kind of soundcard are you using?

[sparksareflying]

i donno the one that comes with the computer
haha its a dell from like 98, top notch

[housepig]

first of all, ditch the bootleg CoolEdit and get the free Tracktion (6 more hours!) or Audacity (free forever).

secondly, detail the connections from your 4-track to your computer.

third, detail your method - how are you going about doing it? what's your process?

more detai = better answer for you.

[midiot]

if all you have is the 1/8" jack going into your soundcard as a means of transfer, then try one track at a time from 4-track into the computer. Go from your 4-track out 1/4" to 1/8" on soundcard in. mute all channels or solo the single channel to go to the computer. repeat until complete. then mix away on the computer.

[Milkmansound]

I think I know what you are doing - what you need to do is not use the internal soundcard in the Dell. Spend a little money and get a USB interface. You can get a cheap one and just do the transfer through it, or spend a little more and use the computer as a 4 track... or DAW... or whatever they call it. If your PC has 98 on it it should have at least one USB port.

And yes, get Tracktion cause its free. Although CEP is the bomb program you are stealing it right now and wouldn't it be nice to email tech support?

[theistheman]

first of all, ditch the bootleg CoolEdit and get the free Tracktion (6 more hours!) or Audacity (free forever).

secondly, detail the connections from your 4-track to your computer.

third, detail your method - how are you going about doing it? what's your process?

more detai = better answer for you.

cool edit is bomb. tracktion sucks.

but I guess if you want to be all ethical about it...yeah, use tracktion.

and get a cheap usb interface. You can get a really cheap one for like 50 bucks.

[dr.ona]

LONG LIVE COOL EDIT!!!

[patternagainstuser]

it's totally ridiculous to tell this guy that the software has anything to do with his problem. cool edit will work as good as pro tools for capturing a hissy, 4-track cassete recording. what you really need to do, guy, is learn more about gain staging and impedence. especially with a cassette 4-track, if your levels were not real hot going in, every transfer from here on out is going to add incredible noise. you 're probably going in to your soundcard through a mic input also, which adds the noise of a really crappy mic pre. you might need a better soundcard (m-audio audiophile 2496 - $100) but the problem could actually be that the input gain on your soundcard is set too low (you can adjust it through windows.. the little speaker icon in your system tray)


hacked cool edit pro forever (thank you peter quistgard, whoever you may be)

[Mark Alan Miller]

if all you have is the 1/8" jack going into your soundcard as a means of transfer, then try one track at a time from 4-track into the computer. Go from your 4-track out 1/4" to 1/8" on soundcard in. mute all channels or solo the single channel to go to the computer. repeat until complete. then mix away on the computer.

How do you propose to keep everything truely synced?

it's totally ridiculous to tell this guy that the software has anything to do with his problem. cool edit will work as good as pro tools for capturing a hissy, 4-track cassete recording. what you really need to do, guy, is learn more about gain staging and impedence. especially with a cassette 4-track, if your levels were not real hot going in, every transfer from here on out is going to add incredible noise. you 're probably going in to your soundcard through a mic input also, which adds the noise of a really crappy mic pre. you might need a better soundcard (m-audio audiophile 2496 - $100) but the problem could actually be that the input gain on your soundcard is set too low (you can adjust it through windows.. the little speaker icon in your system tray)

Agreed. Even if he's going into a line input, if that input level isn't set right, could lead to the horrible gain staging we're talking about. Right-click on the volume control in the windows system tray, and hunt around for the preferences menu, selecte the 'recording' options, and make sure that you have the input you're using selected, then check the level of the fader...

[theistheman]

hacked cool edit pro forever (thank you peter quistgard, whoever you may be)

YES!!! Peter Quistgard is my homie.

And yeah, the problem isn't software-related at all. You can use any software and it'll sound about the same. But Tracktion is still uber-lame.

[Dr. Sausage]

Use the master out lines, using the rca jacks. then get an adapter for two phono plugs to 1/8 . Then put it in your line in jack. That should be the best way with out getting another soundcard.

[antilog]

it's totally ridiculous to tell this guy that the software has anything to do with his problem. cool edit will work as good as pro tools for capturing a hissy, 4-track cassete recording. what you really need to do, guy, is learn more about gain staging and impedence. especially with a cassette 4-track, if your levels were not real hot going in, every transfer from here on out is going to add incredible noise. you 're probably going in to your soundcard through a mic input also, which adds the noise of a really crappy mic pre. you might need a better soundcard (m-audio audiophile 2496 - $100) but the problem could actually be that the input gain on your soundcard is set too low (you can adjust it through windows.. the little speaker icon in your system tray)


hacked cool edit pro forever (thank you peter quistgard, whoever you may be)

Totally ridiculous to suggest that he stop using illegal software?

<mental note taken>

[theistheman]

no, that's not what he meant.

If you want to be the moral police, that's cool and all, but it doesn't solve this dude's problem. If he gets legal software, it won't all of a sudden make it sound good. It's a hardware issue.

I wish people wouldn't even mention whether or not they're using bootlegged stuff, because every time someone does, the thread gets hijacked.

[antilog]

All I meant was that I don't think it is ridiculous to suggest that he stop using software that has its programming integrity compromised. Sorry for my previous brevity.

That being said, there is plenty of quality cheap or free software to use, and get a decent soundcard or usb interface (m-audio is quality for the price).

I would skip getting a 2 input card and go with a 4 input card, if your 4 track has direct channels outputs (I know the MkIII does, not sure about the MkII). That way you have more options including:

-2 track mixdown from portastudio to PC
-4 track dump from porta to PC
-4 track recording to PC

Hope that was more helpful