I currently have three different OS’s (different computers) for recording/editing/exporting all using Audacity (version 2.4.2).
I have no problems with Windows XP desktop and Windows 7 desktop.
However on my laptop running Windows 10, I get poor / muffled sounds when recording.
The laptop is an HP Envy, Windows 10 and it came with Beats Audio enhancement. Nice sounding actually. (Updated and turned it off but problem remains). However the sound card is IDT High Definition Audio CODEC
In the recording mode, whether recording from the internet (YouTube etc.) or even when doing a test recording of a known good mp3 audio file on my laptop, sound is muffled with poor dynamics.
For comparison, I’ve attached the first 10 seconds of an Audacity test recording.
One thing I’ve noticed is that I have only one setting that can be used for recording:
Windows WASAPI / Speakers HP IDT High Definition Audio CODEC (Loopback)
And two settings (since windows recent update) for Playback:
Windows Direct Sound / Primary Capture Sound Driver
or
MME / Microsoft Sound Mapper (Input)
I have searched the forum for similar issues to no avail.
I’ve tried everything (drivers are up to date). I can and want to get a Windows 10 desktop but this audio problem as me hesitating.
Both Playvback settings render the same poor audio quality.
I’m not new to Audacity…been using for nearly 10 years…although I’m not the most tech savvy person…I’m pretty good.
Easy to understand responses are greatly appreciated.
Many thanks!
Dominick aka Psychedelic Relic
Nowhere in there did you make a simple recording. What you actually did was create a fold-back sound pathway with both playback services and record services running and connected them together. The down side of that is being able to pick up distortions and damages in either system or the connection. If you really offend the sound deities, all three.
Without any more analysis than a quick listen, I would say you played to the laptop speakers and recorded the laptop microphone. That would sound awful. Pretty much what you have.
I don’t know how to fix that in Windows. I use Macs.
Microphone array is disabled…did that a long time ago.
Enhancements are disabled. I will note that the enhancement choice only exists (for me) on the recording tab.
On the playback tab, there is no enhancements choice. There is a spatial sound tab that is off.
The distortion does sound like that caused by an “enhancement” designed for VOIP. (i.e. speech, not music).
Audacity is not capable of doing that: it does not apply effects in real-time.
The two options are Windows audio-enhancement or Beats audio enhancement.
The recording-side of the Beats audio-enhancement has “Noise Cancellation” & “Acoustic Echo Cancellation”, either of which could be the culprits …
Updating/re-installing drivers can reset disabled enhancements back to their default of enabled.
Is the machine ever used for Zoom or Skype or other chat or communications recording? All of those apps use sound processing while they’re working, and they are working even if you leave them in the background or waiting for a call. Sometimes the effects stay even if the app is turned off.
I’d feel a lot better about this if you did a simple recording and then a simple playback. Divide the system in half to see which half is broken. Trying to troubleshoot both at once is really difficult.
I agree…the sound quality does sound like an enhancement is on.
I’ve attached a screen shot of my Beats Audio Control Panel.
All Beats enhancements are off…actually sound was no different with them on.
This is weird…I think I’ve tried every combo. Even disabled ‘stereo mix’ in the ‘sound’ / ‘recording’ tab.
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The distortion does sound like that caused by an “enhancement” designed for VOIP. (i.e. speech, not music).
Audacity is not capable of doing that: it does not apply effects in real-time.
The two options are Windows audio-enhancement or Beats audio enhancement.
The recording-side of the Beats audio-enhancement has “Noise Cancellation” & “Acoustic Echo Cancellation”, either of which could be the culprits …
I did have the Beats Audio box checked. Unchecked it and audio quality was even worse.
Here’s the first part of Steppenwolf’s Sookie Sookie after Beats Audio (Listening Experience) was unchecked.
I had to amplify the audio…Audacity’s suggested amplification was 4.6 db.
Your mp3 sounds good to me: loud without being distorted, (I had to turn my volume down).
It is a wide stereo mix, if you are somehow* mixing it down to mono that will make it quieter.
(* wrong type of ⅛" headphone jack-plug ?, a short-circuit in headphone cable ?)
I’m not understanding what you mean by a simple recording then a simple playback.
Split the system into pieces and make sure each piece works OK.
Play a known, good, working sound file into your speaker or headphone system and make sure it sounds OK. It may not. I got a production computer once with “Cathedral Effects” running in playback. There is at least one Windows laptop out there with “Special Enhancements” to make the crappy built-in speakers sound “much better.”
Recording is harder, but record from a simple device such as a built-in microphone or a USB adapter such as a UCA-202. This is one recording my production sound mixer.
This is the one most likely to create problems because this is the pathway that can have Auto Level Set, Noise Gating, Noise processing, Echo Suppression, Direction Switching, etc, etc, etc. Skype/Zoom are famous for this. Also see music production software with recording enhancements.
Once you have it down to which direction is causing problems, you can take steps to find and fix it.
If you’re recording on-line works, both of those pathways need to run at once and distortion could happen anywhere in either pathway. Nobody wrote you can’t have more than one problem. That why this is turning into a confusing laundry list of fixes and solutions.
When I compare that test recording to the original the sound is degraded compared to the original.
The original is an mp3 that I have on my pc. I played the file via VLC and recorded it on Audacity.
The issue is not present on my Windows 7 or XP machines.
To my ear the dynamic range is greatly affected. Sounding like the midrange levels are increased on an equalizer setting.
Regarding your comment on headphone jack, I’m only using the pc to record and playback through the laptop speakers.
Hence no cables, jacks, headphones etc are used. Tested on my Win 7 and Win XP machines duplicating the same recordings.
It’s only an issue on my Win 10 laptop.
BTW, I’m using Firefox to play content form the internet.
Could it be a problem with the type of browser?
I’m not likely to think it’s the browser as the test recordings I’ve posted are only form recording a known good mp3 on my laptop to Audacity.
For an A/B comparison, I’m getting the same results whether I’m recording from YouTube or a track on my pc.
Here’s Sookie Sookie recorded from YouTube and the YouTube link to the same source song.
This might be better for comparison.
Recorded using Win 10 laptop using Firefox, which is successful on WIn 7 and Win XP. No amplification, no checked enhancements.
I can post a test recording from my Win XP desktop if you’d like, where there’s typically no discernible difference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKsdwIr0nWc
Clean off all the crapware.
And check EVERY default setting win 10 hides so you wont know about them.
So called enhancements is one of them.
If there is a ’ how to clean win 10 for audio’ tutorial like they used to have for all the earlier versions of windoze then read it carefully and do ALL of it.
