Topic: Another iRiver h120 (Rockbox) Question...

[divamum]

The saga to date:  upgraded my iRiver to a more recent RB build (November 14th) so that I can run digi-in. For the most part that's working great give or take the odd sample-rate confusion

However, I also run my CMC8s straight into the iRiver fairly regularly.  To date, this has been GREAT using RB. However, since I've installed the new build, I am getting TERRIBLE hard drive noise. I thought yesterday's experience with the Boeing revving up in my ears was user error, but I've just sat here making some tests and even with the mics a foot away it's picking up tons of hdd noise as the machine buffers and writes to disk.  When I stealth with it, sometimes they ARE that close, hence why I'm trying to figure it out.   I have to assume it's the firmware since it's never been this kind of problem before (sure, it would pick up hdd noise if hte mics were right next to the unit, but nothing at all like th is).  Any ideas ? It's really annoying to say the least and went as far as to ruin a tape yesterday

Edited to add: it's DEFINITELY something to do with RB - just ran the same test using iRiver firmware and it's barely audible.

So the question is... what to do about it?

[petur]

I've asked a rockbox dev with a h120 to test and be very critical, but he couldn't hear a thing. He only has some basic cheap mic though.

Can anybody else confirm this?

Peter

[divamum]

Problem solved, and I get the "forgetful idiot" award.   

I ran it on "mic" (thihnking "mic in") instead of line-in having TOTALLY forgotten that in RB "mic" means "internal mic" (I hadn't touched the source settings at all since I set it up last marchh, since I was ONLY using it on mic in). So, completely and totally the wrong setting which explains every problem I had with it.  Duh.

I posted on the RB forum too Petur, but I add my request there here which is: for future builds, would it be possible to label the"mic" choice as "internal mic" to avoid this confusion? (or alternatively,  the line-in as mic/line-in) For those of us who use mutilple recorders (and also very occasionally the iRiver firmware - won't be neessary now since this new RB build can rec mp3, but I hvae been using it to date for that) it's hard to remember which recorder uses whihch monikers....

So, ultimately it WAS user error. Oy.   

[petur]

Now this is strange.

I assumed this would not have been the problem because even I can hear the quality difference between the internal mic (being mono even) and any external mic.
Was (together with another dev) already looking at far more complex possible causes and didn't see this obvious one...

Pardon me for ROFL a bit.... I'll try to remember to give the source selection a clearer name

[divamum]

yeah, I know - I feel like a total idiot.

If I'd been recording opera I would IMMEDIATELY have clocked that, but it was my 8 year-old daughter's choir concert, we we were way up in the balcony and thus the balance/quality was already kinda funky.  The tests were then just done with ambient noise, so no particular spl pressure there either.  I was perplexed by the extra handling noise and slight muffling but didn't even begin to make the connection since my mics were plugged in etc etc etc. 

<backpedalling furiously>

Bottom line - DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.  Total idiot mistake.  I am clearly betraying the fact that i am first and foremost a singer rather than a taper (at least i"m not blonde or I'd NEVER live this down... )