Record system sounds and mic

Information:
Audacity version 2.1.1
Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1

Now my problem, I want to record my voice and the system sound at the same time, I tried the steps from the wiki for like 2 hours and I’m still stuck.
I’m using a Logitech G430 (connected via USB Dongle, because of 7.1) and a Realtek onboard soundcard (don’t know the name, but have screenshot).
If I got everything right, I’ve to record my voice with the G430 and the system sound (voice of a friend and sound of a game) with my onboard soundcard?
If yes please tell me how, I really have no idea…
I need to record the sound with Audacity, because the voice of other people in OBS is like an echo.
So is there a way to record my voice and the system sounds at the same time?
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I think if you were using your soundcard for everything, you had a fighting chance to make this work. But you were using your USB microphone and the Sound Card which are different sound devices. Audacity will only record from one device at a time, so I think you’re stuck.

Koz

1.Is there maybe a way to record my voice with OBS and the system sound with Audacity? I mean in OBS I can simply mute the speakers, but I don’t know if I can do the same in Audacity, haven’t found something like that yet.
2.My second idea would be disabeling the soundcard, but then I couldn’t record the system sound right?

I think what kills you is the insistence on using one computer for everything.

You could record the system and game sound with any of the tools that allow “recording from the internet,” but then capture your voice with your stand-alone voice recorder or second computer.

I’ve done that. I have an older computer with a bad screen (and perfect sound) and I have an Olympus sound recorder.

You may have to jockey to marry the two for the final production, but once you straighten that out, it’s a standard correction.

Use headphones. Having the game sound leak into your voice is deadly for sync and sound quality.

Koz

It could also be said that the person at the far end running the game should be recording The Whole Thing with FRAPS.

Koz

What steps were you following?

Where is the voice of a friend coming from - Skype? Do you hear that voice now in the onboard sound?

You could record your voice separately such as mic into Audacity and system sound into some other app, or vice-versa. If OBS can record your USB mic to your satisfaction and the mic is not in the system sound, then yes, Audacity can record system sound using stereo mix or Windows WASAPI (loopback).

Audacity can only ever record from one input at a time, so if you want Audacity to record voice and system you have to use “Listen to this device” for the USB mic in Windows Sound to route the USB mic into the system sound then record system sound into Audacity using the same stereo mix or Windows WASAPI (loopback).

Or use VoiceMeeter to do the routing and record into Audacity from VoiceMeeter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6rp9lkiFBU.


Gale

The only easy way to avoid using two computers, is with fairly expensive external hardware. The bigger audio interfaces support internal routing, mixing and gain control. These allow you to patch any channel to any channel and even to create mixes and route them to the computer.

Think about it as a microphone amp with many channels in and out and switches to patch ins and outs together without creating feedback.

One of the least expensive ones is the iConnect Audio4+

http://www.thomann.de/uk/iconnectivity_iconnect_audio_4.htm

You could even connect that one to two computers at the same time. It’s almost 400 €. A second computer could be less expensive…

There is hope for VoiceMeeter. That program actually produces custom sound channels and bundles them into a single device.

As I recall, the only down side is the single show file. If you miss the sound balance for any reason, you’re stuck. No way to pull the show apart into individual voices and fix it.

Koz

First of all, thanks to all of you.
I thought about the ideas that you wrote and ended up with VoiceMeeter, it’s great, but is there a way to activate my 7.1 sound while recording the system sound and the voice using VoiceMeeter?
I followed all the steps in the video, so I set VoiceMeeter to default device, for hardware input 1 I set my mic and for hardware out the speakers of the headset.
Is there maybe an option to turn it on? I didn’t found anything.

Well I do have an old computer, but my parents don’t allow me to use the second computers just for recording my voice. And I think it’s not worth for now, as I just want to begin to record.

You don’t need a second computer and all the other stuff to record a voice. Attached a voice test I did with an Olympus WS-823.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=1026108&gclid=CJfU7OW6mMkCFU1cfgodGVIBLw&is=REG&m=Y&Q=&A=details

I clamped it to my mic stand for this test, but you can sticky-tape it to a box of corn flakes and set it so the top of the recorder points toward you. That’s the sweet spot. It will produce a stereo, 44100, 16-bit sound file and it will do that for several hours on one battery. That’s Audacity default sound standard.

Of course as with any live recording a good, quiet room is important. This unit has a “zoom” microphone and you can use that to suppress room noise if needed.

Everybody insists on using a computer because they already have one. If you don’t, then the task is to match the job to the equipment. I have stopped hauling out my laptop every time I want to record something quick and simple. The quality of this thing is more than enough.

There are some waveform shape problems, but I suspect that happens when I convert from stereo to mono. Experiments to follow.

Koz

Sorry I don’t know. I suspect not, but if you go to “Contact” at the bottom of Orange the software author may be willing to give you a definitive answer. Let us know if he answers.

Generally I think to record surround sound playback you need to use specialist gaming recorder apps. Perhaps VoiceMeeter could take the output of such an app.


Gale

First, Voicemeeter virtual input (playback device) must be configure in 5.1 or 7.1 in Windows control panel / Sound dialog box
in order to receive 6 or 8 channels audio on Voicemeeter virtual input.
see user manual page 13: http://vb-audio.pagesperso-orange.fr/Voicemeeter/Voicemeeter_UserManual.pdf

then you can mix your 5.1 game or DVD audio with your MIC for example…

For recording, the Voicemeeter Virtual output (Recording device) will deliver 8 channels only on WIN XP (after Vista, there is a limitation on recording device for stereo only - apparently)

so to record 5.1 audio, you have 2 possibilities:

  • To use the integrated Recorder in Voicemeeter Banana Version (able to record up to 8 channel audio files)
  • or to use an ASIO Audio application. Voicemeeter virtual output offers also an ASIO interface with the effective 8 channels… and then any ASIO DAW will be able to get the multichannel signal there.

Thanks, Vincent.

I understand you strongly prefer a donation for Banana, is that so?

Audacity as shipped does not support ASIO as you know, but can you employ “Hi-Fi CABLE & ASIO Bridge” in standard VoiceMeeter to let Audacity see the ASIO 8-channel recording stream?


Gale

well, no, i just explained technical constraint: audio recording device are limited to stereo (2 channels) since VISTA. So, if you are not under Windows XP, you have today 2 ways to record 5.1 or 7.1 audio coming from Game, DVD or others…

  • Using Voicemeeter Banana integrated recorder.
  • Connect an ASIO DAW to Voicemeeter (or Banana) to record upto 8 channels

My question there was just if the second option (ASIO DAW) was ruled out for Audacity, even with ASIO Bridge. You seem to say yes.

I had not heard of that limitation in Vista and later, so I am not really clear about it. Is the limitation that DirectSound lost multi-channel recording under Vista, but WASAPI and ASIO still suport it? This post suggests WASAPI can record surround sound playback, but I don’t know if this is possible in Audacity given its playback is stereo only.

This device http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hdpvr2plus-gaming.html claims to record multi-channel audio under modern Windows.

Gale