Audio crackles on capture

[NewHomebrew]

I am having a problem with crackling audio on capture.

The signal path:

JVC HR9800U hi-fi playback > RCA cables > Canopus ADVC-100 > Firewire > Vegas Video

I have been going through a list of causes to fix and haven't hit on the right thing yet. I hear the crackles while monitoring the capture and on playback as well. There are no dropped frames on capture. There are no other programs or background processes running. I have 100GB free hard drive space, 1GB RAM, 2.4GHz processor. I captured the audio again using a different signal chain JVC > RCA Cables > Soundcard and the crackles were still there. A new, different VHS tape had the same crackles. When I zoom in on the waveform you see a little sharp upstroke... they sound kind of a like a vinyl record.

Does this mean that the audio head in my VCR is dirty maybe? Suggestions are welcome.

[lechtin]

Try 2 things:

1. Connect your VCR to an amp and speakers if you have that and play the tape. Are the crackles still there?

2. Try another VCR with the same 2 tapes.

That should tell you if it is the VCR.