So I got a little Sonywalkman MD recorder/player yesterday and am trying to record some MP3s as easy as possible. Sound is only coming out of the left channel when I listen to the recording? What am I doing wrong? (Yes, I check the balance) Heres what I got: I have a mixer with 3 OUT and 3 IN lines: 1OUT-the master, which goes to my amp 2 OUT-a booth line, i never use 3 OUT- a Record OUT line which I use going into my computer to record streaming stuff with my Total Record or to make a mix tape. The other 3 IN-lines are just the usual Phono for record players and Line for anything else, One of which is my computer OK, So I simply took the Record outline and put it in the Line-In of the MD player (which records both digital and analog), it should work right? It doesn't?! I'm playing digital MP3s from my Winamp, but that shouldn't matter because its going into the mixer 1st then coming out as plain old analog stereo sound...or is it? The MD player came with this digi-link thing and USB cord that you have to install the driver and all that crap THEN use to record MP3s from your computer out of any media player but I don't wanna mess with it. I figured as long as I have a mixer, it would just be easier to plug and record out of that just like making a mix tape? Any help is VERY much appreciated.
What kind of cable are you using to run from the REC OUT to the Sony and what is the input on the Sony? Is it a mini 1/8" connector like you would see on headphones or are you using a digital cable? It sounds to me like you are using a stereo cable going into a mono jack on the MD or coming from a mono source on your stereo. When you plug a stereo cable into a mono source (like plugging headphones into only the left channel of a stereo), the sound will only come out of one side. You can pull the cable out of the jack just slightly to get both sides to work, BUT you still won't be in stereo. At that point, you'll just be getting the mono sound through both sides of your system. You recorder or signal source will just split the mono signal in two. Check the specs on your MD. If you have the option of using a digital in (like an SPDIF in/out) from the computer to the MD, you should do that. Not only will the sound quality be better, but you won't have to worry about mono/stereo. If you can't go that route, check the specs on your MD and determine whether or not your input on the MD is a stereo jack. Also make sure the REC OUT of your stereo is stereo - look at the specs on it as well. Oftentimes, REC OUT lines are mono lines used simply to monitor the REC signal coming from the machine. You may need to use some type of adapter to run from phono outs to a stereo 1/8" cable. Let me know if any of this makes sense.
Thanks a bunch Jeff, Yeah, I'm using a stereo cable that is two (one red, one white) from my mixer turning into one plug (yes I think 1/8th, like headphones), goes into the back of the computer or a walkman tape deck that records or in this case my MD recorder. Hmmm, but the instruction book said, to record from a component source, like a CD player or tape deck this is what I would need, the two into one thingie. But I guess the issue is that its a digital source from my computer and into a line of the mixer then out to a recording, is it still digital when it goes out the mixer? I thought the mixer is analog no matter what is coming out? In which case I can't record digital MP3s that easy and must use the Digi-link thing that came with the recorder w/USB connection and all that stuff. I just thought it might work easier through the mixer, but I guess not.
Try a basic setup. Hook your MD player up to your soundcard and see if you can hear both channels (1-1). If not, then the problem is with your cable or setup. See if there's a function that will allow you to listen to the MD player input without recording. I have an old school Sharp that can do that. I used to have a (2-2) cable and had the same left channel, right channel problem but 1-1 works great.
