# Audacity not recording properly **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 18, 2006, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/audacity-not-recording-properly/348905 "2006-03-18T15:41:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2006, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/audacity-not-recording-properly/348905/1 "2006-03-18T15:41:22Z")
When I try to record from cassette to Audacity, I can only record when Audacity is in “Mono Out” mode, and the tape gets this weird distortion, as if the tape drags, every few seconds. I was going to uninstall Audacity and try to re-install, but I can’t find an uninstall button. Can anybody help me? thanks, hh ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/audacity-not-recording-properly/348905/2 "2006-03-18T16:32:29Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > When I try to record from cassette to Audacity, I can only record when Audacity is in “Mono Out” mode, and the tape gets this weird distortion, as if the tape drags, every few seconds. I was going to uninstall Audacity and try to re-install, but I can’t find an uninstall button. > Can anybody help me? > thanks, > hh The tape doesn’t get the weird distortion, the Audacity recording gets the distortion. thanks, hh ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2006, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/audacity-not-recording-properly/348905/3 "2006-03-18T19:07:31Z")
Not sure what the problem might be, but if you do decide to uninstall, go to: Control Panel \> Add or Remove Programs Select Audacity from the list and remove it. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/audacity-not-recording-properly/348905/4 "2006-03-19T03:00:00Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > When I try to record from cassette to Audacity, I can only record when Audacity is in “Mono Out” mode, and the tape gets this weird distortion, as if the tape drags, every few seconds. I was going to uninstall Audacity and try to re-install, but I can’t find an uninstall button. > Can anybody help me? > thanks, > hh Before you uninstall it, you might want to check how much hard drive space you have available. If you are running low, it could be causing part of your problems. Also you might want to defragment your hard drive so that the open space you have is contiguous. It would give Audacity a better chance of writing the recording file better. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2006, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/audacity-not-recording-properly/348905/5 "2006-03-20T04:27:29Z")
Thanks mhendo and Dragwyr. Plenty of space. Can’t figure it out. When it’s recording, you can see that it’s doing something wrong, and I’m just sitting there wondering what happened! Thanks again, hh ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2006, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/audacity-not-recording-properly/348905/6 "2006-03-20T05:06:30Z")
On a similar note, make sure you have a lot of memory available too. Basically, close any other programs you have open. Maybe you could also record at a lower bitrate (don’t remember how to do that, but it’s probably pretty easy to find) so the program doesn’t have to work so hard. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2006, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/audacity-not-recording-properly/348905/7 "2006-03-20T16:52:03Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > Thanks mhendo and Dragwyr. > Plenty of space. Can’t figure it out. When it’s recording, you can see that it’s doing something wrong, and I’m just sitting there wondering what happened! > Thanks again, > hh I’ve used Audacity before. It’s a killer program, but it does have it’s quirks. I have had situations where it wasn’t picking up my microphone input, but when I changed some setting (I don’t remember where) to have Audacity record from anything that my speakers would output, that seemed to solve my problems. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/audacity-not-recording-properly/348905/8 "2006-03-22T17:05:27Z")
I think that I found the culprit. My semi-new Dell had musicmatch/musicbox/misicwhatever set as the default. Apparejtly, the MM or whatever will glom onto every sound program that I have whenever I open any audio source, pprogram, etc…When I switch on Ipod and set it as the default, it is good until the next time I touch anything that has been infexcted by the dread MM/MB/MW beast. Pretty lurid behavior by a semi respectable company, imho. thanks, hh