Thank you for such an awesome website and forum, i am loving this software.
May you please assist with this issue that i am suddenly having.
I have been using Audacity version 2.0.3 to record Sunday services messages and it has been working great. My lil brother friend changed some settings and now the software does not record any sound coming from the mixer.
I connect a cable, it has 2 jacks that i connect to the mixer- FX Send and the to the laptop into the mic port.
i am not getting any sound to the Audacity software as it is just lines telling me that there is no sound going to the laptop.
Laptop i am using is running windows 7.
Below are the errors that i get when opening the software:
9:36:20: Audacity 2.0.3
19:36:23: Trying to load FFmpeg libraries…
19:36:23: Trying to load FFmpeg libraries from system paths. File name is ‘avformat-52.dll’.
19:36:23: Looking up PATH environment variable…
19:36:23: PATH = ‘C:Program FilesCommon FilesMicrosoft SharedWindows Live;C:windowssystem32;C:windows;C:windowsSystem32Wbem;C:windowsSystem32WindowsPowerShellv1.0;C:Program FilesLenovoBluetooth Software;C:Program FilesWindows LiveShared;C:UsersBISTOAppDataLocalSmartbarApplication’
19:36:23: Checking that ‘’ is in PATH…
19:36:23: FFmpeg directory is in PATH.
19:36:23: Checking for monolithic avformat from ‘avformat-52.dll’.
19:36:23: Error: Failed to load shared library ‘avformat-52.dll’ (error 126: the specified module could not be found.)
19:36:23: Loading avutil from ‘avutil-50.dll’.
19:36:23: Error: Failed to load shared library ‘avutil-50.dll’ (error 126: the specified module could not be found.)
19:36:23: Loading avcodec from ‘avcodec-52.dll’.
19:36:23: Error: Failed to load shared library ‘avcodec-52.dll’ (error 126: the specified module could not be found.)
19:36:23: Loading avformat from ‘avformat-52.dll’.
19:36:23: Error: Failed to load shared library ‘avformat-52.dll’ (error 126: the specified module could not be found.)
19:36:23: Error: Failed to load FFmpeg libraries.
19:36:23: Error: Failed to find compatible FFmpeg libraries.
The FFMpeg libraries have to do with advanced sound formats, techniques and files. That may be broken, but that’s not your problem. I suspect your friend changed the Audacity recording settings in order to record YouTube or some other internet sound. Yes, that will seriously mess up a “straight” recording.
Audacity > Edit > Preferences > Devices > Recording.
That should not say "Stereo-Mix. That should point to the Mic-In of your computer.
I’m sorry I can’t give you chapter and verse of how to set that. I’m a Mac elf and Windows tends to name things the obscure manufacturer name of the soundcard.
That may not help a lot, either, but it’s what we got. Maybe a Windows elf will drop in to help.
I know you said it used to work fine, but typically, it doesn’t. Most Mixers produce a signal too powerful for the Mic-In of a laptop. That and it’s mono, not stereo. We usually recommend a high-quality, stereo USB sound adapter like the Behringer UCA202.
So feedback regarding my issue, I removed my sound drivers and after restarting.
The laptop automatically detected the drivers, re-installed them and the microphone was restored.
Things seems to be back to normal, although i would like to ask if investing in an external sound card with more features.
For recording from a mixer you probably don’t need many features. You will need:
Stereo Line Level input
Stereo Line Level output
A headphone output may also be useful but probably not essential if your mixer has a headphone socket.
Input and output level controls on the device may be useful, but probably not essential as you should be able to control the levels on the mixer.
If you’re short of bux (and who isn’t) and your current shows sound OK to you and the clients, then you may not need anything further. Some laptops put up with high power sound from a mixer and some don’t.
That external interface thing is our automatic recommendation to people who have your configuration and it fails – it produces low-level, crunchy, harsh, gritty, distorted sound.
I know I’m talking you out of a shopping trip, but you may not need it.