monitoring multi tracks

Audacity Help Forum Windows
1

I’m using Win 7 with the latest version of Audacity. Can I independantly and simultaneously monitor the input levels of each instrument in my 5 person rock band? I guess I’m saying does a meter appear for each track as it’s being recorded? I’ve used Audacity quite a bit and combined a few tracks but these were done one at a time and not simultaneously. I’m guessing maybe you can’t even do this because how would you input the separate mics/inputs ? Would you need something like a mixer board and then run that into Audacity? Or you’d have to have a recording device for each person then put these into Audacity one at a time, then mix down. The idea is that we’d be jamming in the studio and recording keeping the various inputs as separate as possible but then be able to go back and make adjustments to any instrument using Audacity.

2

You need an external sound card/audio device that supports five inputs, then somehow rig Audacity to record all five simultaneously. I have a PreSonus Audiobox, but Audacity won’t take more than two inputs simultaneously…

3

See here: http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Multichannel_Recording#Suggested_devices for devices that might record simultaneous multiple channels into Audacity as shipped on Windows, with the correct drivers.

To make multi-channel recording devices work more generally in Audacity on Windows, you have to build Audacity yourself with ASIO support.


Gale

4

Thanks to you all for your help. A tech at Sweetwater or Mackie thought that with Mackie i series mixers that connect by firewire Audacity would open up showing all the tracks being input to it along with the volume meters and other options. Any opinions on this?

5

The Wiki page above relies mainly on user reports of what devices can record multiple channels into Audacity as shipped. Given there is a report that this works with Onyx 1640i I would assume (but not guarantee) that Mackie mixers could record multi-channel with Audacity as shipped.

However you will definitely need the specific Mackie drivers for your mixer from the Mackie site.


Gale