noise when ripping

jank

ok heres the deal
i want to convert some of my cassette tapes that i have to cd's so that i have them for a long time in the future

i thought this would be easy but i ran into some trouble
i download some free/shareware programs that rip the sound into a wav file so it can then be burned onto a cd using roxio

but the problem is the noise( or hum i should say) when i rip in into my computer

want to know what is causing this noise
is it the tape as they are old and some of them have been recored live so it gives an extra hum

is it the sound card? or do i need a more powerfull audio player (just using a sony walkman at the mo)
is it some kind of feedback??

or is it i just have to clean it up with some program

i can only hear any sound when i put the volume u at max and the hum is all that i hear mostly

please help im so close to doing this
cheers

sceptre

What have you used to connect your cassette player to your sound card?

MartinHSabag

Hi Jank
Make sure you connect the Walkman/tape to the LINE IN and not to the Michrophone jack as the Mic input is amplified and will cause you clipping and noise.

Secondly, you might want first to play the tape and watch the sound wave (graphicaly) and adjust the recording level so the peak of sound won't be clipped.

Enjoy.

Kali

also it may be beneficial to lower the recording input to 11Khz stereo... and enable any dolby noise-reduction on the tape-deck (if it has it).

jank

im using a straight throuight cable 3.5 in plugs from the walkman

i read in the help that comes with the software (audio repair) that to reduce the hum you have to make sure that the ground is the same for both the computer and the stero!

so what does that mean and how do i go about it??

do i have to make sure that there is a min distance between the two devices or what??

John R

Try turning off the monitor, they often cause a buzz or a hum.

Michael Collins

What's the frequency and bit rate of the .wav file your making?

MartinHSabag

Hi Jank
Yes differences in the Ground (what's called "Ground Loop") might cause hum, but didn't you say that you were using a walkman ?
If you are recording from a system then in order to eliminate the ground loop, try to connect them to the same outlet in the wall.

Oriel

In windows, make sure that you are only recording the source that you actually want. Plug the jack into the "Line In" feed, and make sure that "Microphone" is turned off under the "recording" secion of your sound settings.