This is my first post here so be gentle.

I occasionally have visitors that came over and they like to sing on my karaoke machines and I hook up the output from my reciever to my laptop and record their singing just for fun using MP3 Recorder or just the sound recorder right from Win XP. However I can never tune the recording level perfect enough to get clean loud audio yet no clipping..... way back when I was able to do this by accident. I wasn't sure if it was the sound card driver/utility that I had at that time but I haven't been able to figure it out again.... I'm sure there is something out there but I've tried numerous trials from different companies with no success. perhaps one of the experts here can point it out for me.

To make a long story short. I want to be able to record any sound come in and out of my computer/laptop with the loudest and highest quality possible with no clipping and not have to worry about fiddling with the volume adjustment.

well, did you try reducing the levels from the windows xp mixer? sounds to me that it's too high and that's why whatever you record from line-in gets clipped. also, if your guests just happen to sing to the microphone too closely and loudly the recording can still overload and clip.

and also there is no way to create clean loud audio without risking clipping, at least not with windows sound recorder or anything similar because peaks are unpredictable, unless you leave plenty of headroom you just can't predict where it will clip, unless you have a limiter in the chain and that's something you can with programs like wavelab or maybe samplitude.

I've adjust the mixer recording level down to almost the lowest playing around watching the bars etc... i've gotten it to the point where it doesn't clip but the sound quality is just gone at that point.

The facts of the physics is that you need to provide the proper signal level at the soundcard input. Adjusting the level down in the digital domain is destructive, as you have observed with your mixer fiddling. Anything beyond a very mild reduction is unlikely to be very satisfactory.

A 24 bit soundcard makes recording significantly easier because adjusting the input level (external to the soundcard) to produce normal peaks at -12 to -24dB down allows a good general capture and provides enough headroom for most of those extra loud peaks.

Even with a 16 bit soundcard you will be better off adjusting for 'normal' peaks at least -12dB down. You are not trying to capture a full orchestra and are not likely to lose much of what you are recording by keeping your peaks lower. This will give a fair amount of headroom, so that clipping isn't overly likely. Amateur singers are always going to be unpredictable, however.

Any compression, recording, EQ, or other manipulating is much better done post recording, in the digital domain. Once upon a time that wasn't true, when all the equipment was analogue, but if you are recording directly to digital, don't fudge around with anything except input level until you have it all on the computer.

I'm using a Dell 700m laptop with the intergrated sound card. I'm guessing this is not a good idea. I guess I'll just drag my desktop to the entertainment room and hook it up there. :-) perhaps the crappy sound card was what killing it.

Did you even read AndyH-ha's post?

Dear dannieboiz,
Try the program, "HarddiskOgg" from http://www.fridgesoft.de . This program has automatic leveling function and clip preventer. I am using this program for homerecordings and it works like a charm for me.
--Rigapada

Most soundcards do not have amplification prior to the DAC. If your recording is clipping it is because the external input signal level is too high. You must match the input signal to the card's capabilities for things to work well. Nothing you can do on the computer can repair that damage. Recording programs simply capture what the soundcard delivers.

There are some differences in how high an input level different soundcards can handle but, except for the basic difference between -10dBV (consumer level) and +4dBu (professional, generally balanced, level), most cards expect about the same maximum input. Therefore, if you are getting clipping with one, you will probably get clipping with the other -- unless the first handles only -10dBV and the second is for +4dBu.

Many of the better cards can be switched between -10dBV and +4dBu. That, when the card supports it, is the extent of your valid internal adjustment choices. Beyond that you must fix things at the source with a mixer, preamp, or some other attenuator between your receiver output and the soundcard input.

According to the Dell website, the 700m has only a mic input. (This is a common restriction with many modern laptops). You're feeding it from your receiver (presumably the tape output?), and so will be feeding a line level signal into it, which is probably overloading the mic input. (Mic inputs are much more sensitive than line inputs).

The simplest option (if you want to use the laptop) is probably to get a USB audio interface device (eg. M-Audio Transit, Soundblaster MP3 Live, etc).

Or else use your desktop, and be sure to hook up to its line input.

Well, i have already solved this problem when i was programming a full duplex effect of mine. I could extract the recording and processing part of it which features a decent parametric auto-gain as well as DC offset removal (everything with smooth transitions) and make it a standalone Win32 Application. All you would have to do is set the recording volume low enough so that no clipping occurs at the ADC itself.

The problem is that i have barely any free time (the end of the semester is approaching) so the app will be available approx. after a month. If you're interested, let me know.

If it is indeed a microphone input you are using then, unlike a line level input, you usually do have input gain control. Using that you might be able to avoid clipping. However, no special recording program or post recording processing program is ever going to make something decent from a recording made that way. When your source is line level, such as your receiver output, you definitely need a soundcard with a line level input.