I have a quick question about capturing...

[MaggIvy]

I was just wondering if you MUST have an audio card in order to capture video and audio effectively. I'm using the capture card itself to capture both video and audio. My audio *card* though not really a card is on board, does it really make a difference? Should I get an audio card?

I read the FAQ thread, and they said all you need is an input for video or something like that...so I just had to ask.

Any ideas?

[Benihana]

If you can get audio and it works well for you, then no you wouldn't need another card. Me personally I prefer using the onboard soundcard as I had syncing issues with a PCI card, and the sound quality is good enough for me. I suppose if I was into some heavy duty capturing, perhaps an additional soundcard would be advisable, but for home recordings the onboard one works perfect.

[fibbingbear]

I second that. I have an ATI capture card that supports audio on the card itself, and it seems fine. Likewise, it doesn't really matter if you have a separate capture card, or use the onboard audio or use a separate audio card --- if it doesn't sound distorted, it'll be good.

I have all three, and I couldn't tell a difference between them (I didn't really test them, though). I'm paranoid, though, so I use my audio card :p

Just make sure when recording, you adjust the volume level so you aren't clipping the recording or distorting it (if you set the "line-in" volume too high, too many noises will be clipped; if you set it too low, you're signal-to-noise ratio will suffer).

[MaggIvy]

I'll mostly be capturing PS2, PS3, and occasionally some TV. That isn't heavy duty is it?

So what would be the recommended volume level for the line in? In your opinion.

And thanks for your help btw.

[fibbingbear]

Hi MaggIvy. No, I don't think any of those qualify as heavy-duty. :)

Just remember --- you are the ultimate person who determines if it's good or not. If the sound seems weird (or different from when you watch/play), you should investigate it. If it sounds exactly the same, then don't worry about it.

For line-in, the best recommendation is to record a short segment that has some really loud sounds in it. Afterward, look at it in a sound analyzer, like Audacity. If you see regions where the sound hits the top (or is close to the top), you should decrease the recording range (allocate a small bit of "buffer" in case there are even louder sounds).

For example, I record at 47% volume.

Most people recommend somewhere between 50% to 100% (for me, above 80% is completely out of the question --- the sound is extremely distorted).

You'll have to iteratively try repeated recordings until you find a sweet spot / zone. I used a video game to do this calibration, since I could re-play the same segment of the game (with the same loud sounds) over and over again. Note that different media have different ranges (and even different games have different ranges!), so although you can come up with a single volume to use, it may not work for everything.

Note that if you really want to be on the safe side, you can record at lower volumes and then re-normalize the audio. I don't recommend this, however --- this causes two different movies will have the same average audio volume, even if one movie is supposed to be quieter than the other.

Note that this volume setting should be applied to your line-in master volume! I set the individual recording program to max volume, and tweak the line-in master volume (in the sound tab in windows).

P.S. If you're capturing from your video card, it might be called something different than line-in.

[MaggIvy]

Awesome, thank you very much.