Insolite Problem: too high volume on the sound card line-in connector

[crespo80]

I searched the forum but i haven't found any answer.

I capture from my 2HEADS VCR, a philips vr140, trough its SCART connector to the composite-in of my capture card and to line-in of my integrated sound card (asus p4p800-E deluxe).

I found that many guys here have problems with too low volume levels.
I have the opposite problem, the volume is too high. I have to set the line-in volume to very minimum setting in control panel, just one single step over the 0 level! Every step higher causes very very high volume.
In the apture program (fly2000TV) I see the volume meter and it is always over the green zone, in the yellow zone, and sometimes it go into the red zone causing little disotsion.
And sometimes the distorsion is more noticeable.


I cannot adjust the output level in the VCR, so I have to act on the PC (the configuration is in signtaure, all drivers are updated)
What can I do?

[gkar]

I use Winfast's TV2000XP Deluxe TV tuner card and there is a recording volume slider in the configuration section of the PVR programme. This apprears to override the volume level in my control panel and it needs to be set very low -about 4 on a scale of 30.

Is there such a setting in your recording programme? if not, then, I don't know.

[crespo80]

thanks for the reply.

In the fly2000TV program there is also a slider for the volume, but it is set to the very minimum: 1 step over 0, as for the main volume control.

Other suggestions?

:)

[fccHandler]

I was having the same problem trying to capture some older tapes which are unusually loud. I dropped my line-in volume all the way to zero, and still the input audio is too loud!

My solution was to buy a tiny headphone extension with a built-in volume control:

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=42-2559

[Arachnotron]

I had the same problem with a Terratec DMX 6-fire card.

I think it is a driver bug, but since the Terratec was out of support I knew it would never be solved. So I simply replaced it.

You could try using a small mixing panel.

[crespo80]

Originally posted by fccHandler
I was having the same problem trying to capture some older tapes which are unusually loud. I dropped my line-in volume all the way to zero, and still the input audio is too loud!

My solution was to buy a tiny headphone extension with a built-in volume control:

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=42-2559

thanks for the suggestion, I think this should be the final solution for me, and it's also cheap!
I hope I'll find some quality volume control here in my city in Italy, otherwise I'll try to construct it with a godd quality cable, good quality gold-plated connectors and a potenziometer.

Any idea for the pot value?

[fccHandler]

Originally posted by crespo80
Any idea for the pot value?
Good question. I wondered about that myself when I first discovered my loudness problem, but fortunately I found this little plug at Radio Shack (which saved me from having to build my own). :)

I could measure its resistance right now if I had my voltmeter with me, but I left it at work yesterday. Drat...

[crespo80]

Originally posted by fccHandler
I could measure its resistance right now if I had my voltmeter with me, but I left it at work yesterday. Drat...
Can you really do that? I'll be very happy!
:)

[rfmmars]

The best solution is to put a analog EQ between the source out and line in, this is how I have all my workstations configured.

richard
photorecall.net

[fccHandler]

Originally posted by rfmmars
The best solution is to put a analog EQ between the source out and line in, this is how I have all my workstations configured.
True, but best != cheapest. ;)

Originally posted by crespo80
Can you really do that? I'll be very happy!
:)
Seems to go from 0 to about 500 ohms.

[crespo80]

Originally posted by fccHandler
Seems to go from 0 to about 500 ohms.

Thanks, It's like I had supposed!
But I was wondering about this:
since I want to preserve the maximum quality as possible, the use of a potentiometer will degrade it.
So, if I simply solder a 250ohm resistance directly on each sound channel, the loss in quality will be minimum and I'll have an halfed imput volume!
I don't care about the control on the VCR output volume that I could achieve with a pot, since I can control the sound card line-in volume.
The only thing I want is to half the VCR output volume, without losing quality.

Is that possible? I know that, concerning audio/video fidelity, the simplicity is the way for the quality! Meaning that the less components we use, the beter quality we can achieve!

[fccHandler]

I think you're becoming too obsessive about quality. I don't think the pot will hurt that much, and especially if you intend to compress the audio later. Won't the compression degrade the audio much more than the pot? I guess only your ears can judge...

But if it bothers you that much, perhaps you should spend the extra money and get a quality EQ like rfmmars suggests. Or a better sound card. :p

[crespo80]

You're right, my intent was to semplify the operations not to achieve the best quality (I have an integrated sound card......):p

I tried with two 270ohm resistences (1 per channel) but I didn't noticed differences in the volume level.
Are you sure the pot value is from 0 to 500 ohms ?
Or maybe is 500 Kohms ?
There's just a little difference :D

[fccHandler]

Just to be certain, I measured it again. The meter says exactly 0.531 Kohms (which I interpreted as "about 500 ohms") with the volume knob turned all the way down. When I turn the volume all the way up, the resistance decreases to 1.9 ohms. That reading was taken at the + connectors for the left channel, measuring from the plug end to the socket end. I also get similar readings on the + of the right channel.

Still, it's quite possible that 270 ohms isn't enough resistance for your particular audio signal and sound card. Could it be that line levels in the U.S. and Italy are different?

[hartford]

What you want to do may be a bit more complicated than inserting a resistor.

It may be worthwhile visiting here (http://www.oscarcontrols.com/volume/index.shtml) .

Impedence is a complicated isssue; inserting a resistor will decrease the volumne, but the frequency response may suffer.

This is a complicated issue. Your motherboard line inputs are 64K.
A 250 ohm in-series-resistor may do nothing noticeable.

[fccHandler]

Originally posted by hartford
What you want to do may be a bit more complicated than inserting a resistor.
I tend to agree. I did some reading on the Internet too, and I certainly get the impression that this is more complicated than we thought.

But what else could be inside my little headphone extension, other than a simple pot? It seems too small to contain any complex circuits or anything. (And I really don't want to cut it open just yet, because I might need it again.) :rolleyes:

[Centurione]

(deleted -- problems with the PC)

[Centurione]

(sorry double posted)

[Centurione]

Inserting a 270 ohm resistor in series, if your input inpendance is high will probably do nothing.
You need to make a partition (also a simple pot could be used for that).
if you do not want to use a pot you need two resistor for channell.
Simply connect one in series from your audio source and the other in parallel with your input( if it is unbalanced from input to ground), in this case the input will be halved.
In any case generally the line outputs have an impedance of about 600 ohm, so doing this partition you are loading the output with the correct load (you should use 300 ohm), then 600 in parallel to an high impedance should not cahnge so much.
Probably the pot is connected in this way

input -----
| |
| |<------output
| |
-------------------------

Hope this helps.

Centurione

[crespo80]

Originally posted by fccHandler
Just to be certain, I measured it again. The meter says exactly 0.531 Kohms (which I interpreted as "about 500 ohms") with the volume knob turned all the way down.
This is a VERY BIG difference!
500 Kohm = 500000 ohm !!!! 1000 times bigger :D
Now I understand why my little 270ohm resistor had no effect!
Thank for the new measure!
:)
Originally posted by hartford
It may be worthwhile visiting here (http://www.oscarcontrols.com/volume/index.shtml) .

thanks for the link :)

[rfmmars]

True, but best != cheapest.

EQs can be found at thrift stores and garage sales for $5.00 to $10.00 US.

The problem using a pot is you don't always know the output impednce (4 to 1000 ohms) and the input impedance (10k to ~)

Buy a used EQ so you can handle low volume and equalizing problems too.

richard
photorecall.net

[fccHandler]

Originally posted by crespo80
This is a VERY BIG difference!
500 Kohm = 500000 ohm !!!! 1000 times bigger :D
:confused: No no no, read my post again!

It wasn't 500 Kohms, it was 0.531 Kohms.
(0.531 Kohms = 531 ohms.)

[crespo80]

Originally posted by fccHandler
:confused: No no no, read my post again!

It wasn't 500 Kohms, it was 0.531 Kohms.
(0.531 Kohms = 531 ohms.)
Excuse me, I read wrong :o

But following this wrong reading, I finally buyied a stereo POT (i found it in a little electronics shp) of 500 Kohm.
With this system I solved the problem, and to lower the volume I have to set the pot value near to its maximum!

Thanks for all your suggestions!

:)