How to record from Rythmbox?

I can record from line-in after configuring my soundcard for input. That works fine.
However, when I play internet radio via Rythmbox, how can I get the sounds I hear into Audacity?
I tried the recording device menu, without success.

Thanks for any help,

ulrich

To record sounds that are playing on your computer, see in the manual here: http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/tutorial_recording_computer_playback_on_linux.html

To record sounds that are playing on your computer, see in the manual here: > Audacity Manual > … linux.html

I tried to follow the advice there, but there are two (possibly related) propblems:
When I click the recording device button in audacity, I see a list of devices, seemingly all microphones, NOT just pulse.
When I start pavucontrol, I see under “Recording” just the line “GNOME Volume Control Dialog” and cannot switch to “Monitor of CM 106 Like Sound Device Analog Surround 5.1”,
which is the current output device.
I try to attach two screenshots.


I presume that you have some version of Ubuntu? Which version?

Does your computer have an internal sound card? If so, it does not appear to be listed in the recording devices, which is strange.

Please try rebooting your computer, then (without opening any other programs), launch Audacity and select “Help menu > Device Info”.
Copy the contents of the information window (it may take a few moments for the information to appear), then open your web browser and paste the information into your reply.

Yes, I am running Ubuntu 12.04: Linux honolulu 3.13.0-44-generic #73~precise1-Ubuntu SMP Wed Dec 17 00:38:38 UTC 2014 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux

There are two sound cards: An internal one and a USB soundcard.

The device list:
==============================
Default recording device number: 9
Default playback device number: 9
==============================
Device ID: 0
Device name: HDA Intel: ALC269VB Analog (hw:0,0)
Host name: ALSA
Recording channels: 2
Playback channels: 2
Low Recording Latency: 0.011610
Low Playback Latency: 0.011610
High Recording Latency: 0.046440
High Playback Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    44100
    48000
    96000
    192000
==============================
Device ID: 1
Device name: USB Sound Device: USB Audio (hw:1,0)
Host name: ALSA
Recording channels: 2
Playback channels: 8
Low Recording Latency: 0.011610
Low Playback Latency: 0.011610
High Recording Latency: 0.046440
High Playback Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    44100
    48000
    96000
==============================
Device ID: 2
Device name: sysdefault
Host name: ALSA
Recording channels: 128
Playback channels: 128
Low Recording Latency: 0.042653
Low Playback Latency: 0.042653
High Recording Latency: 0.046440
High Playback Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    8000
    9600
    11025
    16000
    22050
    32000
    44100
    48000
    88200
    176400
==============================
Device ID: 3
Device name: front
Host name: ALSA
Recording channels: 0
Playback channels: 2
Low Recording Latency: -1.000000
Low Playback Latency: 0.011610
High Recording Latency: -1.000000
High Playback Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    44100
    48000
    96000
    192000
==============================
Device ID: 4
Device name: surround40
Host name: ALSA
Recording channels: 0
Playback channels: 2
Low Recording Latency: -1.000000
Low Playback Latency: 0.011610
High Recording Latency: -1.000000
High Playback Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    44100
    48000
    96000
    192000
==============================
Device ID: 5
Device name: surround51
Host name: ALSA
Recording channels: 0
Playback channels: 2
Low Recording Latency: -1.000000
Low Playback Latency: 0.011610
High Recording Latency: -1.000000
High Playback Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    44100
    48000
    96000
    192000
==============================
Device ID: 6
Device name: surround71
Host name: ALSA
Recording channels: 0
Playback channels: 2
Low Recording Latency: -1.000000
Low Playback Latency: 0.011610
High Recording Latency: -1.000000
High Playback Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    44100
    48000
    96000
    192000
==============================
Device ID: 7
Device name: pulse
Host name: ALSA
Recording channels: 32
Playback channels: 32
Low Recording Latency: 0.011610
Low Playback Latency: 0.011610
High Recording Latency: 0.046440
High Playback Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    8000
    9600
    11025
    12000
    15000
    16000
    22050
    24000
    32000
    44100
    48000
    88200
    96000
    176400
    192000
==============================
Device ID: 8
Device name: dmix
Host name: ALSA
Recording channels: 0
Playback channels: 2
Low Recording Latency: -1.000000
Low Playback Latency: 0.042667
High Recording Latency: -1.000000
High Playback Latency: 0.042667
Supported Rates:
    48000
==============================
Device ID: 9
Device name: default
Host name: ALSA
Recording channels: 32
Playback channels: 32
Low Recording Latency: 0.011610
Low Playback Latency: 0.011610
High Recording Latency: 0.046440
High Playback Latency: 0.046440
Supported Rates:
    8000
    9600
    11025
    12000
    15000
    16000
    22050
    24000
    32000
    44100
    48000
    88200
    96000
    176400
    192000
==============================
Selected recording device: 1 - USB Sound Device: USB Audio (hw:1,0)
Selected playback device: 7 - pulse
Supported Rates:
    44100
    48000
==============================
Available mixers:
==============================
Available recording sources:
0 - Headphone Mic:0
1 - Internal Mic:0
==============================
Available playback volumes:
0 - Master:0
1 - Headphone:0
2 - Headphone Mic:0
3 - Headphone Mic Boost:0
4 - Speaker:0
5 - PCM:0
6 - Internal Mic Boost:0
==============================
Recording volume is native
Playback volume is native

PS to my last reply:
The sound system is set to use the USB-card
CM106 Like Sound Device
Analog Surround 5.1 Output

You seem to have the built-in device listed in the Audio Device Info ( HDA Intel: ALC269VB Analog (hw:0,0) ).

Are you showing “Applications” in the “Recording” tab of pavucontrol?

Did you install pavucontrol recently? Sometimes you need to reinstall pavucontrol or pulse to make it behave, especially on old versions of Ubuntu.


Gale

Solution

Reinstalling pulseaudio and pavucontrol did not help.
However, when in pavucontrol → configuration I switch the internal sound card off, I can record from the usb-sondcard as intended.

However, Audio Device Info in Audacity → help still shows
Available recording sources:
0 - Headphone Mic:0
1 - Internal Mic:0

and the Audacity Recording Device pulldown shows only microphones. Is this an Audacity bug?
The version I use is Audacity 2.1.0-alpha-Jan 20 2015

Anyway, thanks for help!

ulrich

I don’t understand why the recording devices are displayed like that in the Device Toolbar.
I also don’t understand why you have an alpha version of Audacity and not a release version.
What is the exact version of Audacity, where did it come from, and how did you install it?

The version is, as I said in my last post, Audacity 2.1.0-alpha-Jan 20 2015.

It was automatically installed by the Ubuntu Update manager. That happens quite offen, nearly daily.

I guess that you must have the “nightly PPA” in your sources list (Audacity Daily Build : “Audacity Team” team)

Alpha versions are not intended for production work. They are intended only for testing and development.

What I would suggest is that you completely uninstall Audacity using your package manager, then remove the PPA from your sources list. Reload the available packages, and reinstall Audacity. That should give you the official Ubuntu release version of Audacity.

Then go to “home//.audacity-data” (note that this is a hidden folder), and delete everything in that folder.

The restart your computer.
You now have a fresh installation of the official (supported) Ubuntu release version of Audacity.

Any difference in what appears in the device toolbar?

I’ve known it happen on older Ubuntu versions even if you merely enable additional sources in “Software and Updates”, without explicitly going to Audacity Daily Build : “Audacity Team” team and adding the Audacity PPA. When you then go to the “Ubuntu Software Centre” and search for Audacity, you get offered the alpha version to install and then you get offered the alpha update with each system software update.

The audio device list “could” be a bug with HEAD used in Ubuntu 12.04. The officially supported Audacity version for 12.04 is only Audacity 2.0.0, which is very old now.

When you said

The sound system is set to use the USB-card

where did you make that change?


Gale

I now removed audacity and audicity-data completely and asked the synaptic package manager to install audacity.
I get an alpha version again.

ulrich

You should open Software and Updates (probably in Settings) and make sure you have removed any Audacity PPA’s that are listed on the “Other software” tab: fballem/Software 12.04 - Ubuntu Wiki.

If you are using Synaptic, mark Audacity for “complete removal” then “Apply”.

Then when you search for Audacity in Synaptic, look at “latest version”. It should say “2.0.0-1”. If you are still seeing 2.0.6-alpha, try Force Version: SynapticHowto - Community Help Wiki.

Or back up your data, remove Ubuntu 12.04 and install 14.04. Then when you go to Ubuntu Software Centre (or Synaptic, if you install it) and look for Audacity you should be offered 2.0.5 release.


Gale