6 channel recording card

Audacity Help Forum Windows
1

My entire Windows system is 5.1 compliant. I listen to 5.1 music via Foobar2000, play 5.1 games, watch 6 channel films etc. If the media is not in 5.1, some software is able to duplicate stereo channels (2.0→4.0 conversion).

Audacity has the sound card output recording function. It works fine with to channel sounds. But it doesn’t allow me to choose more than 2 channels at a time. It basically means that if I record 5.1 system sounds (like playing a video game), Audacity doesn’t even dowgrade to 2.0, it simply skips rear / central channels and subwoofer.

If I understand correctly, it’s not an Audacity’s problem, I need a specific audio card with appropriate drivers. How do I find such a card?

2

Many multi-channel soundcards make their work available as sets of stereo channels. Audacity will only recognize one set at a time.

http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Multichannel_Recording

Koz

3

How do I change the set?

4

Restart Audacity to make sure it’s seeing everything available (or Transport > Rescan).
Audacity > Edit > Preferences > Devices > Recording > Device

That’s the list of everything Audacity can see.

It’s up to the drivers and devices to make sound available or not. Audacity is a complete slave to what the machine is doing.

Koz

5

It gives either mono or stereo options, I can’t choose to record a specific channel. It means there is no way I can record what I can hear in rear channels? Which part is the culprit? Windows? Drivers? The audio card?

Edit: I’ve just figured out. It was the driver. Updating the driver solved the problem. Audacity can now record up to 6 channels simultaneously.

6

Thanks for posting that you had solved it.

Can you help us by telling us the exact make and model number of the sound card that records multi-channel in Audacity with updated drivers? We like to list such devices on Missing features - Audacity Support .

For many multi-channel sound cards on Windows, Audacity won’t record multiple channels simultaneously unless you compile Audacity with ASIO support .

For some cards, choosing Windows DirectSound host instead of MME in Device Toolbar will allow multi-channel recording without ASIO. For other cards, choosing WDM-KS or WASAPI host may do so, but current release builds of Audacity don’t support WDM-KS and only support WASAPI for recording of computer playback.

Note that you still won’t be able to record specific channels only. For example to record channels 5 and 6 you will probably have to set Audacity to record 6 channels then close the silent tracks after recording. This is an Audacity limitation.


Gale

7

Can you help us by telling us the exact make and model number of the sound card that records multi-channel in Audacity with updated drivers?

It’s an integrated Realtek High Definition Audio, driver version: 6.0.1.7083

For other cards, choosing WDM-KS or WASAPI host may do so, but current release builds of Audacity don’t support WDM-KS and only support WASAPI for recording of computer playback.

After the driver update, the “WASAPI” option did appear.

For example to record channels 5 and 6 you will probably have to set Audacity to record 6 channels then close the silent tracks after recording. This is an Audacity limitation.

Not a big deal. It’s usually easier to remove something that is than to add what’s not existing.

8

Oh I see, so you are recording computer playback, and you have Audacity 2.0.5 (you don’t have a 2.0.6-alpha development build ) ?

Hmm, for most built-in sound devices (even two channel devices) the WASAPI host should appear in Audacity’s Device Toolbar . It may only let you record two channels without having the correct drivers for the sound card.

Thanks for the reply.


Gale