Recording with a laptop and Vista, wtf?

[RedPenguin]

Alright, I've been recording my scanners for about 2 months or so now, but basically with Windows 2k/XP.

But I wish to use my Compaq Presario F739WM laptop with Vista Home Premium.

I obviously can only use Mic In, since there is no Line In.

Here's the annoying part.

I went to Recording Devices and made sure Mic was selected and the volume was around halfway.

I can't seem to find a way to unmute Line In for Playback to just hear the scanner, like 2k/XP used to let you do.

Audacity seems to record though with some annoying noise that I don't seem to get on other systems with the same scanner/audio cable.

Though VOX-type recorders like XCorder/Vox2File don't seem to sense any audio.

I think it's because Audacity shows how there seems to be a constant noise going on even when nothing at all is being received and the scanner (BR330T) is only at volume 5.

 

[blueangel-eric]

Alright, I've been recording my scanners for about 2 months or so now, but basically with Windows 2k/XP.

But I wish to use my Compaq Presario F739WM laptop with Vista Home Premium.

I obviously can only use Mic In, since there is no Line In.

Here's the annoying part.

I went to Recording Devices and made sure Mic was selected and the volume was around halfway.

I can't seem to find a way to unmute Line In for Playback to just hear the scanner, like 2k/XP used to let you do.

Audacity seems to record though with some annoying noise that I don't seem to get on other systems with the same scanner/audio cable.

Though VOX-type recorders like XCorder/Vox2File don't seem to sense any audio.

I think it's because Audacity shows how there seems to be a constant noise going on even when nothing at all is being received and the scanner (BR330T) is only at volume 5.

don't feel bad i hate the way the mixer stuff is for vista. i can't get my microphone to work right. i have the volume all the way. even bought a new mic. it works perfect with audacity but with my video editors and the windows sound recorder i get noise and hardly any of my talking. maybe my sound card sucks. i dunno. i remember awhile back there was a volume level meter next to the mic in the recording panel on windows now it isn't there. weird. the audio settings is all disorganized and mixed up on Vista. it's not straightforward and i click on everything trying to find something. i may never get my videos edited now. i waited since last summer to get more memory and so now i have more, i still can't get a project done. so once again i gave up and went back to photo editing.

 

[kb0nly]

The funny thing about Vista is the mixer settings depends on the sound card you have. Let me explain that better... If you have a high end sound card suddenly all the sliders, mute check boxes, and all the recording and playback options show up. But go to a computer with a low end sound card or onboard sound and stuff is missing. So Vista definitely customizes the mixer based on what you have for a sound card. On my Dell XPS i have a Sound Blaster X-Fi and i can tweak everything to my hearts content, but on my Dell laptop with the onboard sound i can't do anything other than adjust the volume and the mic level, thats it.

I do agree that the mixer layout sucks on Vista, its not all in one convenient spot anymore. As for the OP's question about getting the input to playback over the speakers, you need to have a full duplex capable sound card for Vista to give you that option on the mixer. I came across this problem as well and found out that the sound card wasn't capable of it with the Vista drivers, bought a newer sound card and put that in and then i had that option.

 

[RedPenguin]

Well, perhaps I will have to try Linux and Listener again....

Well since Vista is annoying for this situation and since I have the Laptop dual booting to Ubuntu Linux anyway, I think I will try using listener again like some people on the board have stated that they use.

I also had it working before but not quite.

I should manage to get it to work, because I normally do in Linux and I've used Linux for a long while now.

 

[smokeyjones666]

I was having some difficulty getting acarsd to pay attention to my line in, so I eventually ended up disabling my microphone device to get it to use it. Have you tried the same thing, in your case disabling your line in?

(Props for using Ubuntu, btw - I use the server version to run a media server in my basement. If I ever stop caring about games someday, I'll pitch Vista for Ubuntu Desktop in a heartbeat.)

 

[RedPenguin]

Well....

Well recording seems to work fine with this method of my Sony ICF-7600GR, thought it seems to get constant noise with my BR330T, though it's obviously not my BR330T, which I've recorded from with various others PCs with never so much noise.

Why would it like my Sony but not my Uniden?

 

[rcvmo]

I don't think it has anything to do with the vista OS.
I'm using vista on a laptop at work and home. I found using the mic. input you can overdrive the sound card, thus I had to make filter-limiter circuit and had great results. If you have a sound card input that utilizes a stereo jack for the mic. circuit which includes tip> audio in, second sleeve> 5V for electret mic power and ground, then connecting a standard 2 conductor 1/8" plug will short out the 5 volts to ground rendering the sound card inoperative. Use the stereo 1/8" plug and keep the second sleeve un-terminated.
Also connect a 1K in series with the audio input (tip) with a .01uF cap to ground.
Good Luck.
rcvmo

 

[RedPenguin]

What?

I don't think it has anything to do with the vista OS.
I'm using vista on a laptop at work and home. I found using the mic. input you can overdrive the sound card, thus I had to make filter-limiter circuit and had great results. If you have a sound card input that utilizes a stereo jack for the mic. circuit which includes tip> audio in, second sleeve> 5V for electret mic power and ground, then connecting a standard 2 conductor 1/8" plug will short out the 5 volts to ground rendering the sound card inoperative. Use the stereo 1/8" plug and keep the second sleeve un-terminated.
Also connect a 1K in series with the audio input (tip) with a .01uF cap to ground.
Good Luck.
rcvmo

I would like your answer more if I could completely understand it. I'm not a complete audio newbie, but hardly can make out most of what you said.

 

[DaveNF2G]

You have two problems.

Compaq laptops are notorious for being finicky and incompatible with most anything that is not Compaq.

Windows Vista is notorious for not working with stuff that worked fine under Windows XP.

 

[appalachianscanner]

Ill tell ya what grinds my gears..... Yahoo Messenger autmoatically changes your line in selection to microphone when you receive a incoming voice message on XP. This is potentially embarrassing if you host a live scanner feed. And theres no way to correct it, other than to not use YIM, I feel your pain, Its ashame you have to pay more to get older OS's. I just turned down an offer on a cheap laptop because it was "crippled" with Vista... I seen there was an article today on all the news outlets telling how Gates was using " the best version" of Windows... ARGH!! anfd guys its gonna get worse, with a poor economy theres not gonna be anything but the 'lowest' bidder for a long time when it comes to basically anything......dont expect any common sense engineering or egronomics, just cheap thoughlessness manufacturing and development....Its like the music industry.....no money no well produced music..... GRRRRRRRRRRR Rant done, cheers

 

[RedPenguin]

Yes.....

Ill tell ya what grinds my gears..... Yahoo Messenger autmoatically changes your line in selection to microphone when you receive a incoming voice message on XP. This is potentially embarrassing if you host a live scanner feed. And theres no way to correct it, other than to not use YIM, I feel your pain, Its ashame you have to pay more to get older OS's. I just turned down an offer on a cheap laptop because it was "crippled" with Vista... I seen there was an article today on all the news outlets telling how Gates was using " the best version" of Windows... ARGH!! anfd guys its gonna get worse, with a poor economy theres not gonna be anything but the 'lowest' bidder for a long time when it comes to basically anything......dont expect any common sense engineering or egronomics, just cheap thoughlessness manufacturing and development....Its like the music industry.....no money no well produced music..... GRRRRRRRRRRR Rant done, cheers

Well, that YIM thing would be bad, especially if anyone ever decided to talk dirty on YIM and didn't know that problem. That would be one bad live "scanner" feed.

 

[smokeyjones666]

Ill tell ya what grinds my gears..... Yahoo Messenger autmoatically changes your line in selection to microphone when you receive a incoming voice message on XP...

Another reason I'm glad I switched to Pidgin http://www.pidgin.im/

 

[appalachianscanner]

Re:

No doubt

 

[blueangel-eric]

so things might get better if i upgraded my onboard sound card but I don't have enough PCI slots. so what do i do?