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[ijusth]

I am trying to convert all of my cassettes into mp3 eventually.  Connected a 'walkman' type player to my computer using 1/8" cable to line-in and started recording but output (even with headphone volume maxed) was too low so I tried a boom box.  Also connect to line-in and headphone and still recorded volume was too low with volume maxed.  Checked Windows settings and the slider was turned up to max setting.  Running MJ audio test warned me that db levels were too low also.  I guess I could get a cable going from boom box speaker to line in but not sure what type since the speaker connections are the bare wire (zip cord) type and not rca jackes.

[JimH]

There is a Line in Recording section under Help above.  It may be useful.

You could have the wrong device selected or the volume for the device may be too low.

Check the options in Windows volume control careully.  There are two sets, one for recording and one for playback.

[Glen]

There is also no official standard for the levels that come out of consumer audio devices let alone the levels that sound cards will take in to give a standard recording level. Supposedly the level should be -10 db but there ain't no law.
You might have a sound card that just wants more? If you are going to try across the speakers then you should use a transformer for good isolation, and watch that you do not overdrive the inputs.
Glen.

[ijusth]

actually I verified that the settings are correct as far as using line in for input, the volume on the output device is pegged at max and if I start the recording process it will record and autosplit fine...  it is just that the recorded volume isn't high enough.  I checked that the windows volume stuff was on the recording portion and not playback.  I can play stuff back and the quality is great just not loud and even if I turn up the volume on the headphones to listen it isn't enough.  

[xen-uno]

You may need to do some secondary processing on the wave file before turning it into an ogg, mp3, etc. I've been playing around with WavGain lately (which normalizes AND can dither). Here's the link. Check out WaveGainManual included in the zip file for usage. For permanently applying gain to a mp3, hit the web and search for MP3Gain.

10^-27

[ijusth]

pardon the newb question but what does normalization and dithering do for me?  Also I assume gain means in the process from changing it from wav to mp3 it will boost the volume?  If so that will solve the problem perhaps.  

BTW what is an ogg?

[xen-uno]

Normalizing raises the volume level on a song to some user selectable percentage of maximum (before clipping starts).

Dithering paradoxically applies very low level noise to the file...smoothing the waveform. Better sound results. The factory CD's you listen to have been dithered. Ripping maintains the dither but normalizing introduces round off errors (un-dithers), so you generally need to re-apply the dither.

Ogg is a newer format. Better sound, better tagging, gapless playback (don't care too much about this, I let the playback engine do crossfades), etc.

Check out the net for more in-depth coverage on all of this. Hydrogen Audio is chock full of info.

10^-27

edit > Replay Gain tags the file with a decibel value (to raise or lower). It relies on the player to raise the volume (think of it as a pre-amp) to the tagged values. It is lossless (no rounding errors introduced) but relies on player to have RG capability (and the same type of RG, for that matter). Many don't...and you would be VERY hard pressed to hear a difference in playback quality between an RG'd file and a Normalized/Dithered file. N/D files will be volume level adjusted permanently, so they work on EVERYTHING.