Sony DCR-TRV340 audio issues?
 

I have a Sony DCR-TRV340 that I use with Elgato to transfer tapes to digital (.mp4). I went to convert a tape for a client and the sound came in and out. I then put in a tape I had transferred previously, and even without connecting it to the Elgato, I no longer hear any sound. Video is working fine. Are there any repair possibilities or is it toast? I have downloaded the manual, Googled, etc. No luck.

Welcome. Have you run a quality cleaning tape in the camcorder as per instructions?

I did try one but I'm not sure how old the cleaning tape is and am thinking I should buy a new one, or take it apart for a proper cleaning. Is there a cleaning tape you would recommend?

I'd probably check that wiggling the connectors around doesn't cause the sound to come back. Most camcorders also have a built in speaker that you can hear live audio from during playback - the TRV340 should. If you hear sound coming out of the built in speaker, then it won't be the heads that have a problem - it could be dirty output connectors though. The other thing that likes to happen on those camcorders are that the internal ribbon cables often just need to be re-seated. That usually leads to video problems more than audio problems, but there's really no reason why it couldn't affect audio. You do run a bit of risk opening things up, but there's lots of tutorials on YouTube and if you do try everything else and get nowhere, then it's probably worth a shot in my opinon.

Could also be the elgato - might as well hook the RCA outputs to a TV and see if you can hear sound through that too. Probably wouldn't hurt to try to capture some other audio that you know is good with the elgato and see that it picks that up. Go for something like a DVD player that'll have those output jacks.

A cleaning tape is all the manufacturers recommended owners use. Really you should have always one on hand. I cant recommend anything in particular because as a tech I can manual clean which is more effective. Cleaning tapes can only clean light fouling of video heads. For an even moderately dirty tape path they're inadequate. Owner manual cleaning with these small camcorders isnt recommended. It can be difficult enough for a skilled tech.

I cant say a cleaning tape would fix your problem but they're at least one thing an owner can do if there's a picture or sound problem after the unit suddenly develops a problem after working fine. Often the video heads will foul after playing a tape that's physically damaged such as creased or crinkled.

I doubt that the issue is dirty heads. If I understand the recording technology of 8 mm video, the same heads read and write both the video and audio information to the tape within each helical scan written to the tape. Thus, if the video “is working fine”, the audio is probably being read fine as well. Somehow, this audio is not getting to or through the capture device. See attachment below from a Sony camcorder manual describing the Video8 recording standard.

The first thing I’d check are all the external audio connections from the camcorder to the Elgato. Try connecting the cables to some other device with an “audio in” function (computer speaker, stereo receiver, etc.). Note that the audio output cables from Sony (and Canon?) camcorders are not wired like many other 1/8” A/V cables for TVs, etc. The “pin outs” are different so make sure any replacement cable you try is compatible.

If you have the needed hardware (FireWire equipped computer), another possible diagnostic would be to try to transfer a tape via the FireWire output of your TRV-340. The audio would most likely be included in the digital data transferred if it was being read from the tape. You haven’t said whether you are capturing digital (D8) tapes or analog (Video8 or Hi8) tapes. It’s possible these might behave differently, especially via FireWire output.

As aramkolt suggests, Sony camcorders are notorious for internal ribbon cable connector issues where minor oxidation/corrosion between the cable and the connector causes various types of failures and error codes. 12voltvids has numerous videos showing how to repair this problem. Sometimes this failure mode can be temporarily overcome just by “whacking” the camcorder with the palm of your hand. This impact must cause the ribbon cable to flex just enough relative to the connector to re-establish the connection at least for a time. Use this method at your own risk, but it does seem to “work” for many. Search “error code C:31:42” to find some background on this.

Hope this is helpful,
BW37

The OP needs to physically check the audio line out of the camcorder if there is audio coming from it, without this step you are spinning in a void and your "customer's tape" will never get done.

Agree 100%. That’s the place to start.

Thank you for your reply! I'll probably still purchase a new cleaning tape, hoping I can get the speaker issue resolved first. Some of the other responses say that if there is video, there should be audio even without capturing it through a transfer device.

Thank you all for your great replies! Since it was mentioned that I should be hearing audio even without being connected to the transfer device (very helpful info), I will try finding a few YouTube videos and see if the audio/speaker can be fixed. I did try connecting it to other output devices but still not hearing anything.

Still learning how to use this forum correctly but appreciate your advice.

Off course you should be hearing audio even without being connected to the transfer device, Just connect it to an audio device, such as A/V receiver or amplifier, TV, headphone amplifier, just to name few. Even if it's built in speaker you shouldn't take that as a valid test, because you are capturing from the audio output not the speaker.

Don't forget to try the head phone jack. It should also provide audio output during playback, subject to a volume control.

Note that the A/V output is a 4-contact 3.5mm mini phone jack (tip, two rings, and sleeve). While the i-Link (aka firewire and IEEE-1394) should carry the audio, the s-video does not and you must use the correct A/V cable for audio.

Do you know any of the history of the problem tapes? How were they recorded? stereo or not? camcorder mic or external mic, etc. While not common for most home tapes, improper connection of external mics can introduce issues as well.