The Problem – I cannot seem to get Audacity to work. Let me explain further. When I first downloaded the program into my computer it appeared as though I was recording through the set-up microphone, using my open office as the studio, and all recorded properly, so I thought.
I have a mixer with a built-in interface. I had connected, as I had been taught throughout all the YOUTUBE tutorials I have watched. I have matched them wire by wire and connected everything they have, yet once I started to use the mixer inside a sound studio I found out what was really happening. In truth Audacity was recording through the internal microphone in my laptop, bypassing the microphone and the mixer entirely.
Let me set the scene properly. I had moved into my newly built sound studio, set up all the equipment as it is supposed to be set up (again as I had seen and followed in the tutorials) and we were starting to record a short story as a test. A reader/narrator in the sound studio on one side of the glass and me on the control room side of the glass. It was then we came to understand what was truly happening. I set up to record, pressed the record icon on Audacity, the reader/narrator started to read, and we recorded a 12 and half minute test.
Upon playing back what we had just recorded there was no sound recorded from the sound booth, however what was heard was a clearing of the throat, the rustling of papers, me coughing, my voice clearly heard as I sent direction or said anything and any sound within the control room over that entire 12 and half minute period.
That very first recording test we recorded 12 and half minutes of control room sound and nothing from the sound booth where all the microphones were set up.
It became clear that the internal microphone within the laptop was engaged and overriding and ignoring the microphones within the studio and the sound mixer entirely.
My son said, “go into settings and turn off the laptop’s internal microphone.” One would certainly think that would be easy. In doing so, however, we shorted out the laptop’s internal speakers. I have had to replace them with a set of Bluetooth speakers, which work okay, but only for the laptop and do nothing for the mission at hand, which is to record. Shutting down the internal mic did nothing in that vein. In truth, I am not certain the microphone even got shut off.
I have replaced the computer, but still cannot record. It is obvious that the computer (I have switched out many computers and none record) is not being recognized or paired appropriately with the equipment. It is not the mixer; this is mixer number 3, having replaced 2 of them thinking that could be the problem, with the same results. We can speak, through the mixer between the booth and the control room. We have further tested the mixer through a PA system, so we know it is not faulty. Still nothing is recorded from the sound booth. All the wiring between the booth and the control room has been checked, there is nothing array. The wiring is sound, we meter-tested continuity for every plug and we found it to be perfect throughout.
My question is this, who do I call to get assistance with this problem? There must be an answer to this dilemma. We have been working on the problem for a few months thinking we would fall upon the answer (even if by mistake), we have not. My inclination is that it is a settings problem, but where? We have fooled around with it, even removed Audacity and reinstalled it. We have searched every possible internet platform and have not found the right answer.
I would pay a professional to come in and fix it or set it up properly – IF I KNEW WHO TO CALL!!! This is baffling and upsetting.
