I need help with trying to learn how to use Audacity

I have several old cassette tapes that I would like to capture onto my hard
drive and then burn on CD's. Since all I have as playing devices is simple
handheld cassette players with head phone jakes, I went to Best Buy and
purchase a cable there that will let me plug one end into my cassette player
and then other end into the line-in of my PC's sound card (I'm using Windows
Vista). Then I downloaded and installed Audacity from off of the Internet
(http://audacity.sourceforge.net/). I had, very naively thought that all I
had to do was play the cassette and press the record button in Audacity.
Man, was I WRONG!!!! I hear absolutely NOTHING AT ALL while "recording".
And when I go to play it back in Audacity, there is nothing at all. So then
I thought I could get into the help in Audacity and find out how to get
started. You know, something incredible advanced like, "Getting Started".
But, NO, not that. It is clear to me that the help that comes along with
Audacity is nothing more than reference. You must KNOW what it is you're
doing and all you're interested, when you look up something in Audacity's
help is a reminder as to how to get to some complicated command.

I need a "Getting Started with Audacity" for crying out loud!!! I've just
spend an hour and a half trying to figure this thing out and have gotten
nowhere at all! Why is Audacity so hard???

So, next I went to Audacity's website trying to find that elusive "Getting
Started with Audacity", but NO! So, I tried in vain to find more help and
it talked about something called a sound mixer. What's that? Where do I
find that? Do I have to buy it, or is that already in my PC?

I need that "Getting Started with Audacity" to learn how to record something
from a source like the line-in, which takes SMALL steps, such a start with
step A and defines ALL of the terms before moving onto step B. At step B it
defines ALL of the terms before moving onto step C where everything is
described and defined, before moving onto step D, etc. I don't need things
like I'm finding online associated with Audacity which starts with step J,
and then leaps to step V followed by step CC, etc. I have no experience
with sound recording, mixers, etc.

Does anyone know where I can find what I need so that I can actually use
Audacity???

Rod

Rod wrote:
> I have several old cassette tapes that I would like to capture onto my
> hard drive and then burn on CD's. Since all I have as playing devices
> is simple handheld cassette players with head phone jakes, I went to
> Best Buy and purchase a cable there that will let me plug one end into
> my cassette player and then other end into the line-in of my PC's sound
> card (I'm using Windows Vista). Then I downloaded and installed
> Audacity from off of the Internet (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/). I
> had, very naively thought that all I had to do was play the cassette and
> press the record button in Audacity. Man, was I WRONG!!!! I hear
> absolutely NOTHING AT ALL while "recording". And when I go to play it
> back in Audacity, there is nothing at all. So then I thought I could
> get into the help in Audacity and find out how to get started. You
> know, something incredible advanced like, "Getting Started". But, NO,
> not that. It is clear to me that the help that comes along with
> Audacity is nothing more than reference. You must KNOW what it is
> you're doing and all you're interested, when you look up something in
> Audacity's help is a reminder as to how to get to some complicated command.
>
> I need a "Getting Started with Audacity" for crying out loud!!! I've
> just spend an hour and a half trying to figure this thing out and have
> gotten nowhere at all! Why is Audacity so hard???
>
> So, next I went to Audacity's website trying to find that elusive
> "Getting Started with Audacity", but NO! So, I tried in vain to find
> more help and it talked about something called a sound mixer. What's
> that? Where do I find that? Do I have to buy it, or is that already in
> my PC?
>
> I need that "Getting Started with Audacity" to learn how to record
> something from a source like the line-in, which takes SMALL steps, such
> a start with step A and defines ALL of the terms before moving onto step
> B. At step B it defines ALL of the terms before moving onto step C
> where everything is described and defined, before moving onto step D,
> etc. I don't need things like I'm finding online associated with
> Audacity which starts with step J, and then leaps to step V followed by
> step CC, etc. I have no experience with sound recording, mixers, etc.
>
> Does anyone know where I can find what I need so that I can actually use
> Audacity???
>
> Rod
>


Did you click the record button?
caver1

"caver1" <caver@inthemud.com> wrote in message
news:Ojb%23JMwLIHA.1208@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> Did you click the record button?
> caver1

And secondly, did you unmute the line-in device from your sound card?
-bb

Rod wrote:

> Does anyone know where I can find what I need so that I can actually use
> Audacity???
>
> Rod
>

Try this. If you have a problem downloading, I can email a PDF to you if
you like.

http://www.ion-audio.com/company/med...cxUDkIMw%3D%3D

--
Dave T.

I've learned that whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.

Yes, I did click the record button and let it record for about 10 seconds or
so. While it was recording the line that appears, which I assume indicates
the change in sound (going higher or lower), remained flat. When I did the
playback, there was no sound at all.

Rod

"caver1" <caver@inthemud.com> wrote in message
news:Ojb%23JMwLIHA.1208@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> Rod wrote:
>> I have several old cassette tapes that I would like to capture onto my
>> hard drive and then burn on CD's. Since all I have as playing devices
>> is simple handheld cassette players with head phone jakes, I went to Best
>> Buy and purchase a cable there that will let me plug one end into my
>> cassette player and then other end into the line-in of my PC's sound card
>> (I'm using Windows Vista). Then I downloaded and installed Audacity from
>> off of the Internet (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/). I had, very
>> naively thought that all I had to do was play the cassette and press the
>> record button in Audacity. Man, was I WRONG!!!! I hear absolutely
>> NOTHING AT ALL while "recording". And when I go to play it back in
>> Audacity, there is nothing at all. So then I thought I could get into
>> the help in Audacity and find out how to get started. You know,
>> something incredible advanced like, "Getting Started". But, NO, not that.
>> It is clear to me that the help that comes along with Audacity is nothing
>> more than reference. You must KNOW what it is you're doing and all
>> you're interested, when you look up something in Audacity's help is a
>> reminder as to how to get to some complicated command.
>>
>> I need a "Getting Started with Audacity" for crying out loud!!! I've
>> just spend an hour and a half trying to figure this thing out and have
>> gotten nowhere at all! Why is Audacity so hard???
>>
>> So, next I went to Audacity's website trying to find that elusive
>> "Getting Started with Audacity", but NO! So, I tried in vain to find
>> more help and it talked about something called a sound mixer. What's
>> that? Where do I find that? Do I have to buy it, or is that already in
>> my PC?
>>
>> I need that "Getting Started with Audacity" to learn how to record
>> something from a source like the line-in, which takes SMALL steps, such a
>> start with step A and defines ALL of the terms before moving onto step B.
>> At step B it defines ALL of the terms before moving onto step C where
>> everything is described and defined, before moving onto step D, etc. I
>> don't need things like I'm finding online associated with Audacity which
>> starts with step J, and then leaps to step V followed by step CC, etc. I
>> have no experience with sound recording, mixers, etc.
>>
>> Does anyone know where I can find what I need so that I can actually use
>> Audacity???
>>
>> Rod
>>
>
>
> Did you click the record button?
> caver1

I don't know if I did that or not. I have no idea how to unmute the line-in
device.

Rod

"bb" <bb@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:ewI3L8wLIHA.4684@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> "caver1" <caver@inthemud.com> wrote in message
> news:Ojb%23JMwLIHA.1208@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> Did you click the record button?
>> caver1
>
> And secondly, did you unmute the line-in device from your sound card?
> -bb

I was able to download it and will review it.

Rod

"Dave T." <davey@MyPlace.net> wrote in message
news:BB52j.77419$Um6.11147@newssvr12.news.prodigy. net...
> Rod wrote:
>
>> Does anyone know where I can find what I need so that I can actually use
>> Audacity???
>>
>> Rod
>>
>
> Try this. If you have a problem downloading, I can email a PDF to you if
> you like.
>
> http://www.ion-audio.com/company/med...cxUDkIMw%3D%3D
>
> --
> Dave T.
>
> I've learned that whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.

Rod wrote:
> Yes, I did click the record button and let it record for about 10
> seconds or so. While it was recording the line that appears, which I
> assume indicates the change in sound (going higher or lower), remained
> flat. When I did the playback, there was no sound at all.
>
> Rod



Ok. Right beside the speaker and microphone level
sliders there is a drop down box. What do you have
there? You should have either "What U hear" or
Analog Mix(Line/CD/Aux) choosen if you want
Audacity to 'hear' what is coming through your
sound card.
Also make sure that the recording level is high
enough(The microphone slider.)
Then when you push the record button you should be
recording.
caver1

Rod wrote:
> I don't know if I did that or not. I have no idea how to unmute the
> line-in device.
>
> Rod
>
> "bb" <bb@invalid.com> wrote in message
> news:ewI3L8wLIHA.4684@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> "caver1" <caver@inthemud.com> wrote in message
>> news:Ojb%23JMwLIHA.1208@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>> Did you click the record button?
>>> caver1
>>
>> And secondly, did you unmute the line-in device from your sound card?
>> -bb
>
Start-Control Panel-Sound and Audio Devices.
Will be under first tab.
Also in Audacity go to Edit-Preferences and check
everything there to see if the settings are where
you want them.
caver1

Hi Caver1,

I think I got the line-in turned on (not muted), but I'm not sure. I found a
place in the sound devices to increase the volume for the line-in device,
but when I got into Audacity it set the stupid thing to zero? Why would it
do that? And better yet, WHERE would it be doing that?

Where can I go to get information on using Audacity? Is there some
website/newsgroup/SOMETHING, where I can get this sort of information?

Rod

"caver1" <caver@inthemud.com> wrote in message
news:upWg%2313LIHA.1188@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Rod wrote:
>> I don't know if I did that or not. I have no idea how to unmute the
>> line-in device.
>>
>> Rod
>>
>> "bb" <bb@invalid.com> wrote in message
>> news:ewI3L8wLIHA.4684@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>>> "caver1" <caver@inthemud.com> wrote in message
>>> news:Ojb%23JMwLIHA.1208@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>>> Did you click the record button?
>>>> caver1
>>>
>>> And secondly, did you unmute the line-in device from your sound card?
>>> -bb
>>
> Start-Control Panel-Sound and Audio Devices. Will be under first tab.
> Also in Audacity go to Edit-Preferences and check everything there to see
> if the settings are where you want them.
> caver1