Microphone testing and adjustments using Audacity ?

Special Interest Groups Recording Techniques
1

Hi

Thanks for any help in advance.

I need to set-up various microphones + eq combinations.

So, simply Microphone plugged into EQ - EQ into pre-amp - pre-amp into line in on soundcard on PC. Sounds straight forward so-far. Headphones on the PC so I can listen to the audio from MIC and EQ.

However, what I want to do is to record on the PC from the mic - and play it back (automatically) through the headphones but here is the question. It needs to be played back automatically so I dont need to adjust anything on the PC - and playback with a delay - say 2 or 3 second delay.

In other words, I want to be able to speak into the Microphone ‘123’ as example, and it to automatically play back the recording to the headphones but with a delay after I have spoken it.

Is this functionality in the Audacity software ? I couldnt find it anywhere. Or mayeb a plugin I need ? Or something else ?

Reason I want to do this is so I can make adjustments to the EQ whilst listening to the delayed playback (delayed simply so I dont hear my voice at the time of speaking) as it is an 18band EQ and lots of setting up is needed - and I find it impossible to listen to my voice at the same time as speaking)

Hope that makes sense - and wonder how I could get it to work ?

Many thanks - Simon

2

Audacity doesn’t support real-time processing. Neither you can play and record at the same time. If you’re in record mode you can’t play at the same time. I can’t think of any way of achieving what you want with audacity, wihout user interaction. If you can have the keyboard near you and the Eq. you can start/stop record and playback using keyboard shortcuts. Using the default keys:

  1. R to start recording
  2. Spacebar to stop recording
  3. Spacebar again to start playback
  4. Spacebar once more to stop playback
  5. Ctrl-Z to undo/delete the recorded track
  6. Repeat from step 1 to 5

What operating system are you on? There might be some other sort of “audio buffer” software available which let you control the latency between the system’s input and output channels.