STEREO makes sound click... but I don't wanna use mono!

[CCEncoder]

Whenever STEREO is ON on my VCR and start transferring video to my PC... when I playback the AVI... in many parts the sound is distorted but this is not the case on the TV! What can I do? I tried mono and it seems to help a lot although not 100% but I still don't want this as the sound has less volume! heeelp! :cry:

[JohnnyMalaria]

Most likely the stereo signals are too high, causing clipping when you digitize the signal during capture. The TV - using analog signals - will be more forgiving.

What I would do is look at the audio signals from the VCR with an oscilloscope and see if there is a notable increase in amplitude for a stereo signal compared to mono.

Alternatively, if you are using the stereo Hi-Fi tracks on the VCR and there is also a standard mono track, it could be the stereo signal has been recorded too high.

Are the videos ones you have recorded on that VCR and can you adjust the recording level?

[CCEncoder]

What good will it do if I lower the rec volume if the tape is already recorded!
An oscilloscope seems too expensive and too fancy for me... is it needed to normalize stereo sound? My dad tends to record everything with high volume onto everything and he just gave me a pile of his tapes he wants on DVD as soon as possible. But sound is fine not perfect when played on the TV (only some spikes) but not as annoying when is digitized.

[JohnnyMalaria]

What good will it do if I lower the rec volume if the tape is already recorded!

I meant at the time of the original recording.

An oscilloscope seems too expensive and too fancy for me... is it needed to normalize stereo sound?

It's just a way of checking to see how loud the signals are....

My dad tends to record everything with high volume onto everything and he just gave me a pile of his tapes he wants on DVD as soon as possible. But sound is fine not perfect when played on the TV (only some spikes) but not as annoying when is digitized.

May be his VCR is out of whack - i.e., the Hi-Fi Stereo is too loud. Can he adjust it - the recording level? (Too late for what he already has given you, though).

The only other approach would be to take the analog audio from your VCR and send it through a mixer to drop the volume before digitizing - it will help a bit (though, if the original sound is simply just too high, you'll still notice some annoyances).

[piano632]

Don't know if this would work, but you could try a couple of "Y" adapters which would split the audio signal in half and weaken it slightly.

Something like this at Radio Shack:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2104065&cp=&pg=2&origkw=y+adapte...entPage=search

Or if you have another piece of equipment with audio in/out connectors, you might try passing it thru there before going to your computer. No guarantees, of course.

[AlanHK]

Lower the output level if possible. (Should be a setting on the menus or maybe a physical dial.) You'll get a lower volume, but hopefully less distortion. You can boost the volume on the PC later if necessary.

Also, have a look at any alternative audio connections from the VCR. For instance, you may actually get better results from a headphone or speaker jack (with suitable connector); and you can definitely adjust the volume there.

[TJohns]

Another thing to try is to record into the PC thru the LINE IN connection rather than the MIC ... the MIC input is designed for the low voltages generated from a real microphone, not that coming out of an self-amplified device that wants to drive speakers directly!

Trev

[CCEncoder]

It all fails! Even recording to a audio cassette the click noise is therE!

[AlanHK]

I tried mono and it seems to help a lot although not 100% but I still don't want this as the sound has less volume! heeelp!

Well, all else failing, record the mono.

I don't know what format your recording software gives you. But whatever it is, you can demux the sound and boost it -- may have to convert to wave (or better, record as wave to begin with if possible) and use, eg Audacity, to boost it. There are also many simple "normalise" apps that may give acceptable results more easily. Then convert to a format your authoring apps can use (eg AC3).

[CCEncoder]

I want STEREO mate...

@JohnnyMalaria
I can now adjust the output volume using a middleman (TAPE RECORDER) that has inputs and outputs but the problem is still there (LIER) you told me analog signals are forgiven but... when I record this audio from the VCR to my TAPE recorder the noise is on the tape!!! and there suppose not be any digital there... ??? :evil:

[JohnnyMalaria]

you told me analog signals are forgiven but... when I record this audio from the VCR to my TAPE recorder the noise is on the tape!!! and there suppose not be any digital there... ???

I didn't say analog signals are forgiven - I said analog equipment (like the TV) can be more forgiving.

But if the original recording is simply just too high (and therefore clipping on tape), then you can't do much about it.....

....Ask your Dad to be less tempted to turn the dial to 11 when recording!

[CCEncoder]

So you're saying I should do what? impossible the TAPES can be re-recorded. Do you think TBC can correct this?

[AlanHK]

I want STEREO mate...

In your original post you said you didn't want mono because "the sound has less volume", not that you actually needed stereo.
Regardless; your distortion is most likely due to volume being too high when transferring it.

Once you get a clean (mono or stereo) stream to your PC, regardless of volume, a million audio tools can boost it and/or normalise it from there.

[CCEncoder]

I heard no tool can fix this on software unless the output signal from the vcr makes good sounds in the first place. I will try another vcr. Do you think a high end VCR with TBC can correct this?

[AlanHK]

I heard no tool can fix this on software unless the output signal from the vcr makes good sounds in the first place. I will try another vcr. Do you think a high end VCR with TBC can correct this?

Audio tools can amplify. So if you get a clean sound, no matter how low, it can be adjusted.

A TBC affects video only as far as I know. But it's always worth trying another VCR.

[JohnnyMalaria]

So you're saying I should do what? impossible the TAPES can be re-recorded. Do you think TBC can correct this?

TBC's are for the video signal only.

Your only real option here is to process the audio on the computer. You'll need to find software that can identify when the signal is at maximum volume (i.e., clipping) and filter that portion of the audio to (hopefully) make the distortion less noticeable.

You might get more advice if you can post a short sample of the audio so that others can look at the file and see exactly what the nature of the distortion is.

I suppose, ultimately, you could capture the mono as well and use it to help "fill in the gaps" of the distorted stereo...but that would be a painful process.

[kimco52]

Interesting!
I don't know what you mean by "clicks". Based on what I think you are saying, it sounds like the enemy of digital audio. When the level is too high, it sounds raspy and distorted. Oh the wonders of digitized audio. If you put headphones on the output of the vcr, what does it sound like? If it is clean, then the problem is when you are recording it into the computer/other recording device. The wonders of cheap equipment where you cannot adjust the input/output levels.

A TBC has nothing to do with audio as mentioned previously. It will do nothing for your sound. It is a Time Base Corrector. It will clean up the wiggles in the video due to timing errors from the video heads. You need to fix your audio.

You say that the mono signal is lower. Interesting. If you take a stereo output and combine it into one mono signal (using a Y connector, let's say) the resulting audio should be louder. If your L and R are the same level, and from the same source, combining them should give you L+R. If the left and the right are primarily the same thing, according to the algebra you were supposed to be paying attention to in school, that you thought you wouldn't need in real life, then ideally the level would be twice the level of the stereo signal. L +L = 2L or R+R=2R. Normally, recording in stereo yields some differences in the left and right so that it is not exactly 2X.
However, Usually when combining L and R into a mono signal, the overal level should increase somewhat UNLESS you have a phase reversal on one channel. Then you will get some cancelling which will lower the level. Usually the output level will go down and you will also notice that it sounds hollow and will also have some distortion. A good X-Y oscilloscope will also show you that. Put L in one channel and R in the other and put it in X-Y mode. A good stereo in phase signal will have a display that is all over the screen as you play the sound. An inverted channel will give a diagonal straight line on the display. Broadcasters have a display like that on the output of their master control line. They also monitor their audio off the air in mono because it is also a dead giveaway. They don't monitor in stereo because you wouldn't hear it but those watching on their cheap mono televisions will sure notice it.

Back to your original question, though. without hearing what you are hearing, it is hard to tell what your result is. That is one thing I like about using Premiere. If you use their audio meters, make sure your audio does not exceed their 0dB points or you will get distorted output for sure. In stereo or mono. Digitized audio can be very unforgiving. You need to make sure you are not overdriving anything in the audio chain. If you have a decent cassette recorder with audio level controls, run the audio from your vcr through it then go into your computer. Adjust the audio input on the cassette recorder to lower it. Since you said your dad likes to crank up the volume when recording anything, it sounds like you have some excessive volume. You need to get it reduced. Even if it sounds good coming out of the VCR, that is analog and you won't necessarily notice the distortion even if it is high volume at that point. Putting it into the computer may overdrive the circuits on your card, even using the line inputs on your card. Using the level controls on your "recording mixer" on you pc may not help because it goes through an amplifier on the card before you can reduce it. You need to reduce the level before it goes into the card.

If you are using your sound card as your input device, make sure you are going into the line input, not the microphone input, as mentioned by TJohns.
Yes, there are software applications that can raise and lower the volume. But those are after the conversion to digital in your computer. You need to reduce the input level to the computer before it is digitized to use those applications. Otherwise, you will be reducing a distorted signal and that accomplishes nothing to solve the problem.
........ if that is your problem.

[JohnnyMalaria]

You say that the mono signal is lower. Interesting. If you take a stereo output and combine it into one mono signal (using a Y connector, let's say) the resulting audio should be louder.

I suspect (without additional info, who can say!) that the stereo signal is the Hi-Fi track and the mono is the linear track.

Most stereo VHS decks record Hi-Fi Stereo as part of the helical scan (quite cleverly it shares the same space as the video signal but is recorded deeper into the magnetic layer). Since not all VHS decks support Hi-Fi Stereo, the audio is also recorded on the conventional linear track by a separate head.

I expect that the Hi-Fi Stereo signal was recorded too high but the linear track wasn't (often the linear track had auto gain control, too).

[kimco52]

Normally, most HI-FI VHS decks will play the HI-FI stereo track first and will only go to the linear track when it cannot track the embedded helical track (for whatever reason). A good deck will also have a switch where you can manually force it to go to the linear track. The linear track is also a stereo track (two individual linear tracks). It is just not a hi-fi track. Except in older or mono only decks. They split the old mono track into two linear tracks. It would automatically record to both the linear and hi-fi tracks.

My old beta hi-fi decks would allow you to put separate audio on the linear tracks and the hi-fi tracks. Just another reason I preferred beta..... that plus the quality was better and the mechanical was better. I am still running my beta decks and have gone through three vhs decks in that same time. The beta decks have had more use, also. But I digress.

You are correct. We don't have enough information. We are all putting forth good different information. Until we have more specific descriptive info/test results, that is all we can provide at this time.