[audacity4blind] Re: Recording Skype conversations.
- From: Gale Andrews <gale@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: audacity4blind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 01 May 2012 19:15:40 +0100
| From "Gene" <gsasner@xxxxxxxxx>
| Tue, 1 May 2012 06:59:32 -0500
| Subject: Recording Skype conversations.
> Regarding Audacity selecting a source, as you say, you can select a source
> in audacity but I don't know if the source will be available if it is
> disabled in the sound card settings.
Audacity *cannot* see a sound input that is disabled in Windows.
And if you don't change the Audacity default of "Microsoft Sound
Mapper - Input", Audacity will continue to use the Windows default
input device.
And on some machines (probably due to sound driver issues), stereo
mix won't record unless it is Windows default device.
> Audacity is not designed as it should be regarding
> source selection. The first time you run it, it should present a dialog
> both asking which source you want to use and explaining that the choice
> you make in Audacity will change the volume control setting and thus
> change the source for every recording device that uuses that setting on
> the computer.
Audacity does not change the volume control setting for each
input if you don't change the input level yourself. But if you have
each input set at a different level in Windows then the level will
of course change when you switch inputs in Audacity.
There is a possible Audacity bug that appears on some Windows
Vista machines that if you change the input volume in Audacity
and then record, the volume is reset to its original level:
http://bugzilla.audacityteam.org/show_bug.cgi?id=12 .
But almost no-one now seems to report that.
> If you choose Microsoft Sound Mapper, Audacity will honor
> whatever setting you have made in the Windows Volume Control itself and
> this should be explained in the dialog.
The developers would not accept all the dialogue verbosity you
are suggesting. :=)
> If you select something else, then every time you run Audacity, it will
> change the volume control
> setting to the Audacity selection you specify, regardless of whether you
> want this to be done. If, for example, you have changed the source in the
> volume control interface, then the next time you run Audacity, the source
> will be changed in the Windows Volume Control back to the settting you
> specified in Audacity. Of course, you can change the selection in Audacity
> to cyhange the volume control setting but you may want Audacity to honor
> whatever selection you make in the actual volume control interface and not
> change it. If you let Audacity automatically change the volume control
> setting, you may have problems. I believe that there should be one way
> that you use consistently to set the source and that no programs should
> automatically change this setting.
I am unclear if you are talking about changing sources or changing
volume level of the same source.
The Audacity input and output level sliders should (if it is working
correctly) move the Windows input and output sliders for that device,
and the Windows input and output sliders should move the Audacity
sliders. Audacity controls the hardware directly. The Audacity and
Windows sliders are linked.
Gale
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Bailes" <david_bailes@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <audacity4blind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2012 3:38 AM
> > Hi Gene,
> > just to clarify a couple of points.
> >
> > Gale was suggesting using the listen option, if the sound card hasn't got
> > hardware playthrough, so that the microphone is included in the stereo
> > mix. In practice, I've found that using the listen option for this purpose
> > isn't very satisfactory as there's a delay and you hear what you say a
> > little bit after you've said it, and this is very distracting.
> >
> > Which recording device Audacity uses for recording is set within Audacity,
> > not by setting which recording device is the windows default. The only
> > time that Audacity pays any attention to which device is the windows
> > default is the first time you run audacity.
> >
> > David.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Gene <gsasner@xxxxxxxxx>
> > To: audacity4blind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Cc:
> > Sent: Monday, 30 April 2012, 14:54
> > Subject: [audacity4blind] Re: Recording Skype conversations.
> >
> > The listen option has no bearing on whether you can record. It is for
> > listening to the input through your computer, like monitor used to be for
> > tape recorders. It makes no difference whether it is on or off. What you
> > want to look for in the Windows audio settings is the equivalent of a what
> > you hear option, which may be called stereo mix or something else, sound
> > card manufacturers have many names for it. To complicate matters further,
> > many computers are sold with Microsoft sound card drivers that don't
> > support such an option. Installing the driver provided by the
> > manufacturer of the sound card may provide such an option. But some sound
> > cards these days don't provide such an option at all, though some can be
> > used with older drivers that do. You may be able to use an older Vista
> > driver instead of the manufacturer provided Windows 7 driver. But if you
> > are going to do any of this sort of thing, that is, change the sound
> > driver, you should have sighted help available or you should have the
> > steps memorized to do a system restore or roll back the driver, if that is
> > necessary.
> >
> > The first thing to do is to see if your sound card provides a what you
> > hear option, regardless of what it is called.
> > In the system tray, right click the speakers icon.
> > Down arrow to recording devices and press enter.
> >
> > Open the context menu and see if the item named show disabled devices is
> > checked. If it isn't, press enter on it to check it. The menu will close
> > and the setting has been changed.
> > You are in a list of items you can record with. Choose the appropriate
> > one.
> > Open the context menu for that item and press enter on set as default or
> > similar wording. You have now set what you hear to be used for recording.
> > If you later want to switch to something else such as line-in, then find
> > line-in in the list I described above, open the context menu, and set that
> > item as the default device.
> >
> > I may have left out details such as to activate the ok button or buttons
> > as you back out of the dialogs after making changes.
> >
> > If your computer does not provide a sound card with a what you hear
> > option, you can purchase a USB sound card that does. But you should try
> > to be sure the sound card you are purchasing does provide such an option
> > before you purchase it.
> >
> > Gene
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Robbie" <tickleberryfun@xxxxxxxxx>
> > To: <audacity4blind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Sent: Monday, April 30, 2012 1:26 AM
> >> Hi gale!
> >> I can't manage to record streams or other stuff coming over the
> >> speakers.
> >> I selected Microsoft Soundmapper as input device, microphone being the
> >> only other option. However I'm recording only silence. Got any advice?
> >>
> >> Thanks, Robbie
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: audacity4blind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >> [mailto:audacity4blind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Gale Andrews
> >> Sent: Sunday, April 29, 2012 10:50 PM
> >> To: audacity4blind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >> Subject: [audacity4blind] Re: Recording Skype conversations.
> >>
> >>
> >> | From sandra gayer <sandragayer7@xxxxxxxxx> Sun, 29 Apr 2012 21:34:49
> >> | +0100
> >> | Subject: Recording Skype conversations.
> >>> Thank you very much for the information Gale. When you say you have to
> >>> unmute the microphone playback, do you mean you have to do that
> >>> physically from the perspective of the external soundcard? That would
> >>> be easiest. Where do you find "listen to this device". In the control
> >>> panel?
> >>
> >> "Listen" only exists on Vista/7. Open "Sound" in the Windows Control
> >> Panel, choose the "Recording" tab, select the headset or microphone and
> >> choose "Properties" then choose the "Listen"
> >> tab. It's software playthrough, so might create too many echoes.
> >>
> >> If you had a way to unmute the microphone hardware, that would be on the
> >> "Playback" tab, select the headset or mic, choose "Properties" then the
> >> "Levels" tab. But most Vista/7 machines do not have this.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Gale
> >>
> >>
> >>> On 4/29/12, Gale Andrews <gale@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >>> >
> >>> > | From sandra gayer <sandragayer7@xxxxxxxxx> Sun, 29 Apr 2012
> >>> > | 13:18:01 +0100
> >>> > | Subject: [audacity4blind] Recording Skype conversations.
> >>> >> I read somewhere that Audacity could be used to record Skype
> >>> >> conversations. Is this correct? If so how? Does it depend on the
> >>> >> conversation being rooted through the computer's internal sound
> >>> card?
> >>> >> Is it possible to record both ends of a Skype conversation if they
> >>> >> are being rooted through an external soundcard and external
> >> microphone?
> >>> >
> >>> > Yes you have to unmute the microphone playback (or use "Listen to
> >>> > this device" on Windows Vista/7) then record stereo mix in Audacity.
> >>> > You must use headphones or a headset. A USB headset usually won't
> >>> > work on Windows XP or earlier because there is no way to unmute its
> >>> > playback.
> >>> >
> >>> > Instead of Audacity, it is usually better to use something like:
> >>> > http://voipcallrecording.com/ .
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> > Gale
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