Hi, new here. Thanks, in advance for anyone’s help. I am new to voice-over with Audacity. I have spent the past 2 weeks…can’t figure it out…read everything, etc. I am trying to complete a trailer for my upcoming podcast show on YouTube. I have the music, with no vocals on it…great “film score” type music. I have written the voice-over for the trailer. I can NOT do the trailer without hearing the track while I speak. I have a new 32 gb ram HP Windows 11 laptop, with a Mackie ProFX6v3+ audio mixer attached to the Laptop via a USB cable. When “trying everything” to fix my problem, I disconnected my USB to the mackie mixer and used the laptop’s internal mic…I imported the 1st audio track, my film score song, and pushed record…using the internal laptop speakers/mic…audacity worked fine, but sounded like shit. I didn’t spend all the money on the gear, I have a nice expensive SHURE condenser mic plugged into the Mackie board on channel 1…sounds great in my headphones and when I’m NOT in audacity. I connected this Mackie Mixer back into the laptop via the USB Cable. Checked the meters…enabled the mic…saw the “green meters,” so it recognized my mic…did the “Shift and Rec button.” And what happens? NOTHING! Get the dreaded inverted Red diamond…Audacity locks up, etc. “Already did the turn it off, reboot, etc.” Still does nothing with the nice mic set up I got…has to be some conflict with the audio card or ???
Please help…I am willing to pay someone at this point to come to my office in Orlando, FL area to come over and diagnose…what gives? Why does audacity work with the cheap laptop speaker/mic…but even when I see it recognizing my mic…once i try to overdub on a new track below my film score trailer music…it locks up with the red diamond? I have searched everywhere…no results!
Has any of this ever worked with any version of Audacity?
I’ve already been burned with 3.6.1, so I think the first thing I would do is step the machine back to 3.4.2.
When you get the replacement install, Tools > Reset Configuration.
I think first test before full-on overdubbing is make a simple voice recording with your formal microphone system. If you can’t do that, you could be there until the sun cools off.
3.4.2 —I am computer savvy, but do not know how to revert back to it. I’m not cheap…thinking on bailing on Audacity…it takes time to learn any video or audio software…I only want to invest my time once with ONE program that works! If it’s audition…then so be it…any other advice? This system seems as cumbersome as the others—but would prefer “no bugs” as this is a free system. I came to it not because it was free…I am just not doing complicated stuff and am not a sound engineer type…just have a need to not be spending $300 an hour for studio time.
– I’m not a Windows person, so we may need to wait for someone who is to help you set up the machine. Have you ever had to remove a program from Windows? Audacity program installers are available back to the Dark Ages. So that part isn’t a problem.
– As I mentioned, the Developers are having a swell time with Audacity updates, corrections, bug fixes, and in at least one case, crashing internet connections. I discovered a serious production problem in 3.6.0, so I’m recommending rolling back to at least 3.4.2 until we figure it out.
– If you have good familiarity with a different sound editor, go for it.
I’m on record insisting that if you have a quiet, echo-free room, you can produce perfectly competent voice tracks on your phone.
In your case, play the backing track into one of the headphones and record on your phone or whatever else is handy.
I have several stand-alone sound recorders, too. That H1n will handle overdubbing all by itself, although I’ve never tried it. That’s a furniture moving pad back there.
Thanks, again, for the suggestions…appreciate it…have to make a decision today…think I’m leaning to bailing on Audacity…I don’t have the time to not just go learn Audition…I don’t need all the “Bells and whistles” of either program, but for the life of me, I don’t know anyone that could do a voiceover without listening to music at same time…done wasting time…spent the last 2 weeks…got nothing to show for it.
I don’t know if I can help you but I’ll try, I may have a suggestion,
1- You said that the microphone sound is very distorted while recording, there is a microphone recording level setting under the AUDACITY RECORD button, if it is too high it can cause distortion, can you check it?
2- I didn’t quite understand your other general problem,
can you write it briefly?
Will you talk, listen to music and add and record audio tracks at the same time on your HP PC?
It’s an overdubbing job, talking or singing to a backing track, but Step One is getting the plain ordinary microphone to work right. No fancy tools. If you can’t get that, then there is no job.
Hi, everyone…thanks for responding…I do appreciate your time. I gave up on Audacity…forum responses will take too long…again, not blaming anyone…it’s free help. I chose Adobe Audition…$21 a month…I have to learn it just like audacity, but “Holding down the record button with a shift and hold, etc.” There is a better product! I have to invest in my time…not trying to be an audio engineer and audition is full blown overkill for anything I will ever do with it…but I just need a reliable program and audacity hasn’t worked for me and at some point with anything…you got to cut your losses…So, I did. Thanks, appreciate your responses happy audio to everyone!