I have received an important voice message that I want to either import or somehow record on my macbook so that I can keep it for posterity. Is there a simple way to do this using Audacity? Thanks very much!
Where is it now? On your cellphone?
You can play the message from your cellphone to the built-in microphone on your MacBook by holding them close.
First you have to find your MacBook microphone. Select built-in microphone in the Audacity device toolbar (microphone symbol). Plug your headphones or earbuds in to the Mac and select Built-In Output in the Audacity device toolbar (speaker symbol).
Audacity > Preferences > Recording: [X] Software Playthrough (select) > OK.
Put on the headphones and start recording. Rub your finger around the keyboard and edges of the screen. Note where the scratching sound is the loudest. My current MBP’s microphone is just to the left of the “fn” key on the keyboard. I had one machine with a microphone upper left of the screen.
Stop the recording. [X] close the track. Don’t save it.
Start recording again. Play the message and hold the phone ear pad next to the MacBook microphone. Adjust the Audacity record volume (slider next to the microphone symbol) until the sound meter bounces up to the yellow zone.
You may have to start the cell playback several times to get the whole thing. You can cut off (edit) anything you don’t want later. The goal is to get the whole dialog or too much.
When you think the whole message is on there at least once all the way through, Stop the recording and File > Export: WAV (Microsoft). Play the recording and make sure everything is there that you want.
Post back when you get it that far.
Koz
Hi Koz,
Thank you very much. Followed your explicit instructions and all worked out perfectly.
Very much appreciate you ‘timely’ response.
Best,
JNS
BTW, in days gone bye, I use to use a program called Voice Candy. It was a great little program but seems to have gone the way of the doe-doe bird. Aside from totally easy to record stuff, it automatically downloaded into my iTunes file. Could not do much on any sophisticated scale but for your basic record and download it was totally easy to use and very reliable.
The question I know we’ve all been waiting for.
Where is your microphone?
Koz