Monitoring a Recording

Audacity Help Forum Windows
1

Audacity Version: Windows 2.0.5
Operating System: Windows Pro x64 SP1
Equipment Being Used: brand new Dell laptop, Inspiron 15, 6GB RAM, 1TB HD, one USB Blue Snowball microphone

My question pertains to the Software Playthrough feature. When I am monitoring the recording with the Software Playthrough feature, can someone please advise whether or not what I am hearing is what has already been recorded or is it what is being recorded at that particular moment? In other words, does the software record the sound first and then play it back to you through the Software Playthrough feature? If so, that would be ideal for my purposes. I do need to know, if possible, what exactly I am hearing in the headphones.

The reason for my question and concern is that when I have paused recording, I can still hear everything that is being said around me at that point through the headphones, just like I do when it is recording even though the “monitoring” has not been turned on in the recording section of the meter bar.

I do appreciate that the wave signals on my computer screen indicate that recording is taking place, however, it doesn’t tell me what I am hearing through the headphones, i.e. sound that has been recorded or sound that is currently being recorded.

Thanks your any assistance you can give.

2

It’s the live sound through the computer delays and processing. The only time you get “real” Playback and Record at the same time is during musical overdubbing, and that requires an already existing sound file.

That and the bouncing sound meter should give you terrific confidence. If you have a slight headphone delay, that’s even better. That proves the computer is chewing on that particular part of the show. That’s how many grownup sound systems work. The only place left likely to die a fiery death is the actual hard drive or storage medium. And this can die. Audacity doesn’t much like recording to Network Connected Drives, for one example.

“How come my recording has holes and stuttering in it?”

Don’t let us stop you from playing back your work immediately after recording. Also, you might want to Export the work as a WAV file right after recording. That process is slightly more robust than saving an Audacity Project.

Koz

3

Thanks very much :slight_smile:

4

One other stability point. Never reuse filenames. If you edit a clip, export it as a whole new name. Do Not try to save the edit in place of the original file. If anything happens to your computer during that replacement process, you have no show. Both the original sound file and the replacement are trash.

Koz

5

Excellent advice. Thanks again. :slight_smile: