[Good Music]

PC recording question:

When I'm recording realtime analog audio, how can I buffer the audio so that
when my PC becomes preoccupied with other activities (popping up license
renewal reminders, etc), it doesn't result in a "skip" (missed information)
in the resulting music .WAV file?

I keep having to re-record cassette tape transfers due to this problem
("skips" in the .WAV file).

How can such buffering be achieved? I would really like to find & purchase
some sort of USB 2.0 device with L & R analog line-level RCA inputs on one
end, and a USB plug on the other, which will perform the buffering for
however long needed (let's say, up to 1 second) at CD-quality audio
recording. Is there such a thing? If so, what are they generally called?

If that's not possible, then what are some reasonably priced, decent,
reliable sound cards which give the user the ability to perform this
buffering?

My system: I'm currently using a Windows XP (SP2) Dell PC, about a year old,
with USB 2.0, and with a "SoundBlaster Live! 24 bit" soundcard. I tried
going to the sound card "properties" to change buffering time, but it only
offered one so-called "advanced" option, with two radio button positions:
"Use sound card features", or "Don't use sound card features". Weird.

Thanks,
- Good Music

[Neil Green]

"Good Music" wrote in message
...
PC recording question:

When I'm recording realtime analog audio, how can I
buffer the audio so that when my PC becomes
preoccupied with other activities (popping up
license renewal reminders, etc), it doesn't result
in a "skip" (missed information) in the resulting
music .WAV file?

I keep having to re-record cassette tape transfers
due to this problem ("skips" in the .WAV file).

How can such buffering be achieved? I would really
like to find & purchase some sort of USB 2.0 device
with L & R analog line-level RCA inputs on one end,
and a USB plug on the other, which will perform the
buffering for however long needed (let's say, up to
1 second) at CD-quality audio recording. Is there
such a thing? If so, what are they generally
called?

If that's not possible, then what are some
reasonably priced, decent, reliable sound cards
which give the user the ability to perform this
buffering?

My system: I'm currently using a Windows XP (SP2)
Dell PC, about a year old, with USB 2.0, and with a
"SoundBlaster Live! 24 bit" soundcard. I tried
going to the sound card "properties" to change
buffering time, but it only offered one so-called
"advanced" option, with two radio button positions:
"Use sound card features", or "Don't use sound card
features". Weird.

Thanks,
- Good Music

There's a problem somewhere with your PC which needs
to be addressed apart from any "buffering" issue.
I record vinyl and cassette on a regular basis while
running other applications simutaneously and don't
experience any skips or faults in the resultant .wav
file, and this is on a PC about four years old.
You need to find out what's causing the problem, but
it's most probably software based.

[Laurence Payne]

On Sat, 13 Jan 2007 02:33:30 -0500, "Good Music"
wrote:

When I'm recording realtime analog audio, how can I buffer the audio so that
when my PC becomes preoccupied with other activities (popping up license
renewal reminders, etc), it doesn't result in a "skip" (missed information)
in the resulting music .WAV file?

Don't HAVE other activities running. Is your System Tray full of
utilities? Can you kill most of them? If necessary, kill the
Internet connection while recording. Try setting processor priority
to Background Services in System/Advanced/Performance/Advanced.

[Arny Krueger]

"Good Music" wrote in message

PC recording question:

When I'm recording realtime analog audio, how can I
buffer the audio so that when my PC becomes preoccupied
with other activities (popping up license renewal
reminders, etc), it doesn't result in a "skip" (missed
information) in the resulting music .WAV file?

You have to face the fact that some of these events can tie up your whole PC
in ways that no reasonable amounts of buffering can help. Instead, you have
to make these events rare or non-existent.