Audacity 2.1.1 Windows 7
Suddenly, Audacity is only recording in mono. What can I do?
What are you trying to record?
Internet audio. It records only one track.
Set the number of recording channels to “2 (stereo)” in the device toolbar.
The setting is already 2 (Stereo) Record.
I can open or import existing files and they are 2 tracks, but all audio now records as only one track.
Exactly what sound device are you recording from in “Recording Device” in Device Toolbar?
You may have to set the sound device to stereo in Windows. See How can I record in stereo? .
Gale
The device is Stereo Mix (Realtek High Definition Audio) - Properties says it is ready and operating properly.
But all I can record is one track. All I’m trying to record is streaming internet audio.
When you choose Stereo Mix Properties and click on the Advanced tab, does Default Format have a stereo option selected? What exactly does the selected option say right now?
Does that track say Stereo to left of the blue waves in Audacity?
What audio? If it is YouTube you can download the video (search online for how), install FFmpeg, then drag the downloaded video into Audacity. Then audio at that point will be as good or bad quality as it is when streamed online.
Note also you can record using Windows WASAPI loopback, which is digital so does not have conversion losses between analogue and digital: Audacity Manual.
Also, is the audio you are playing stereo? Is your playback device set to stereo in Windows Sound?
Do you have correct drivers for this Realtek device? See: Updating Sound Device Drivers .
Gale
Thank you for the information.
Advanced reads “2 channel, 16 bit, 44100 hz”.
Mostly I record internet radio streams, various forms of audio. But it makes no difference. Youtube or whatever audio is streaming shows only one track of blue graphic. It does say stereo at the left.
I do download Youtubes, but then open or import in Audacity. I didn’t know you can drag it.
“Then audio at that point will be as good or bad quality as it is when streamed online.”
I have read elsewhere that if you set the Youtbe quality to the highest available for the particular video (clicking cog wheel icon), then the stream will be one level higher than the download. But also it is hard to know what the audio level is because what is rated is the video, and the two don’t always correlate as they used to. That’s what I read. But at least for the video, when the download goes to 720, the stream setting goes to 1080.
Yes, the playback is set to stereo, but I’m going by what shows in Audacity.
The driver is “up to date and working properly”.
Also, I just got a notice urging me to download a new version of the K-Lite Codec Pack. Would this affect Audacity and my audio and should I do the update? I’ve learned to be cautious of updates!
That has nothing to do with Audacity. Audacity does not use K-Lite Codec Pack.Personally I don’t recommend installing “code packs” because in most cases you have no idea what is in them or whether it will mess something up.
I agree. Installing codec packs can conflict with already installed codecs and lead to some formats not playing or playing incorrectly.
If you are missing a codec that you need, install that codec only. VLC can play most formats without messing up codecs for already available formats.
Gale
A stereo track is one track with two separate channels:
Are you actually hearing a problem with the recorded audio, if so what is the problem exactly? Are you saying the recorded audio is the same in left and right channel? Does the audio sound like that when you play the stream without recording it?
If the problem is that you want to edit left and right channels of the stereo recording separately, click in the name of the track and choose “Split Stereo Track”. See Audio Track Dropdown Menu - Audacity Manual.
The audio stream cannot be of higher quality than in the file itself.
Download tools will show you the various qualities that are available. The highest audio qualities will be in the highest resolution videos.
That does not necessarily mean that you have correct audio drivers. You would see that message if you had generic Microsoft drivers that were not properly matched to your audio device. Please see this link for explanation: Missing features - Audacity Support.
Gale
I missed the fact that the thread went to a new page. I have some catching up to do…
A stereo track is one track with two separate channels
I don’t understand. Does that mean it isn’t real stereo I was recording before? When it recorded 2 tracks, they were slightly different, so I assume I’ve lost something.
Are you actually hearing a problem with the recorded audio, if so what is the problem exactly? Are you saying the recorded audio is the same in left and right channel? Does the audio sound like that when you play the stream without recording it?
The graphic shows one track being recorded and one when played back. Only one of the computer speakers plays now, whether the source or the recording.
If the problem is that you want to edit left and right channels of the stereo recording separately, click in the name of the track and choose “Split Stereo Track”
I can’t do that because there is no second track.
The audio stream cannot be of higher quality than in the file itself. Download tools will show you the various qualities that are available. The highest audio qualities will be in the highest resolution videos.
The highest resolution the downloader offers is lower than the highest level setting available to stream, as shown for each video under the cog-wheel icon. That’s why I wondered whether recording the highest stream would be better than downloading the lower level. But the audio may be a separate rating, and I can’t necessarily know what that is.
Click the link “User Control Panel” at the top of any page on the Forum.
Click “Board Preferences” at the top.
Click “Edit Display Options” at the left.
Change “Display post order direction” to “Descending”. Then the most recent posts in a topic will be at the top.
Gale
In what way were they “slightly different”? Do you mean they sounded slightly different?
If the internet broadcast contains audio where the left and right channels are the same, and your speakers are correct, then it will record like that and it will sound as if it is mono, even if you tell Audacity to record in stereo.
If one of your computer speakers is muted, that is what you need to fix. That is not Audacity’s fault. Either the speaker connection is loose, or you can go to Windows Sound, Playback tab, and adjust the balance of the channels or unmute the channel that is silent.
For example, are you saying your recording looks like this, with the top or bottom of the stereo track a flat line?
You said the track said “Stereo” to left of the blue waves. If so, as I said, you can click in the name of the track and choose “Split Stereo Track”. Look at this picture:
Then I suggest you are not using the best possible downloader tool.
Gale
My explanations must not have been clear.
For example, are you saying your recording looks like this, with the top or bottom of the stereo track a flat line?"
Yes, that is what is happening: Blank bottom track, when recording and playing back the recording.
Yes, it says “stereo” at the left, but there is no track to split if I wanted to, but all I want is both tracks like it was. All my settings are stereo.
If one of your computer speakers is muted, that is what you need to fix. That is not Audacity’s fault. Either the speaker connection is loose, or you can go to Windows Sound, Playback tab, and adjust the balance of the channels or unmute the channel that is silent.
Nothing is muted. My problem is that only one track is recording and only one is playing back. One speaker, I presume, is not playing for that reason. Or maybe both Audacity and the speaker are missing the track for the same reason, whatever that may be.
In what way were they “slightly different”? Do you mean they sounded slightly different?
Before I lost the bottom track, the graphics were different to one degree or other, sometimes a lot. I frankly never inspected the sound of each speaker closely enough to determine how different they may be.
If the internet broadcast contains audio where the left and right channels are the same, and your speakers are correct, then it will record like that and it will sound as if it is mono, even if you tell Audacity to record in stereo.
I just want both tracks like I had before, regardless of whether they may sometimes be the same.
The highest resolution the downloader offers is lower than the highest level setting available to stream
Then I suggest you are not using the best possible downloader tool.
I use “Download Youtube Videos As MP4” Firefox addon. It offers MP4 resolutions 360p and 720p if both are available. If 720 is available, then 1080 is also available to view (via cog-wheel icon), but not offered for download. What downloader will do 1080?
I read somewhere that generally Youtube used to correlate higher video resolution to higher audio, but now it is usually separate, so it may make no difference what the video resolutoin is. There is a site that analyzes videos for audio levels, but I’m not sure how to interpret it. I tried to post a link to the web page, but apparently that’s not allowed. The page is called “Youtube Info”. There, you can paste a Youtube address and hit enter. After the www, it reads h3xed (dot) com (slash) blogmedia (slash) youtube-info. followed by php
Please use the Quote button when quoting text, otherwise it makes long posts very hard to read.
Gale
Yes that is what you have to fix. It is not an Audacity problem but a problem on your computer.
To troubleshoot the problem I suggest you listen to the broadcast before you record it (if that is possible) then listen while you record it.
It could be an audio driver problem or it could be to do with some software or codec pack you added just before the problem started.
You can use the Audio Track Dropdown Menu to Split Stereo to Mono then click the top left of the silent track to close it. This will be a mono track but when you play it, you will hear it through both speakers (if both speakers are working and not muted or unbalanced). This is the best solution for recordings you have already made where one channel is silenced.
If you want such a mono track to be stereo, Edit > Duplicate it, then click in the name of the upper track and choose “Make Stereo Track”. It will sound the same as the mono track.
You can post a link if it is to do with audio and not blatantly selling something where the sales or click-through will benefit you.
Gale