Recording both mic voice and output audio for podcasting (s)

Audacity Help Forum Windows
1

Hello,

I think that this topic should go into the podcast section, but I post it in case of there is someone else who wants to write here.

The reason for this post is that, I’ve been reading some of the latest topics and there are ones talking about recording mic audio, output and such. So I came with an idea: why not to make a question that has been floating through my head a long time ago? So as Riana Sais; “this is what I came for”. Haha.

Well, sometimes I podcast about some little things, ranging from simple gameplays to more complex tutorials about doing things. The way I do this is using voice recordings, and in order to achieve this is thanks to my built-in microphone as well as the stereo mix feature, although sometimes I rather decide to use the loopback function; whatever is the case, to record both input sound and output sound at the same time, I have to repeat the mic’s signal from the control panel in Windows using the “listen this device” option.

Fortunately the final sound quality is not that bad, but I don’t like it that mutch because I always must use headphones and listen my voice; it’s not too ugly but simply there souldn’t be need to monitor myself at recording :wink:.

So, you guessed right: I’m looking for a program that can record both signals without earing to myself. In YouTube that’s possible to do because they use Camptasia and this program makes the job, but since I’m blind it’s hard to use due to its unaccesibility.

Or if that’s a lot for asking, at least can someone give me a good setting for Virtual Audio Cable? You know, that program that simulates different digital cables. Probably it’s the best solution, however I’m unable to do too mutch withouth a good setting.

Thanks! Best regards.

2

simply there souldn’t be need to monitor myself at recording

I can think of a really good reason. We get too many posts from people who perform a show and don’t find out it was trashed until way later when they listen to it back.

Then they post here looking for Disaster Recovery. The show could have been OK had they been listening to it.

What usually happens is the folded back voice is delayed or with an echo. I can only listen to that for a while to make sure everything is OK, then turn it off.

That’s why I use a sound mixer rather than trying to get the computer to do everything.

Although I don’t know of a mixer you would be able to use.

I like your note about Simple Gameplays. There’s nothing simple about it. We usually tell people to go with a third party application like FRAPS.

When people ask us to record everything, we usually go hide under a rock.

Koz

3

Thanks for the memory jogger.

I know one engineer who will be listening to his recordings in future. He made it through a network radio transmission capture with perfect on-time connection and correct audio levels. He carefully packed and delivered … the wrong show.

“Didn’t you listen to it?”

“Ummmmm.”

That one did not go on his CV.

Koz

4

“What usually happens is the folded back voice is delayed or with an echo. I can only listen to that for a while to make sure everything is OK, then turn
it off”.

I know that the previous phrase should be correctly quoted, but now I’m too lazy for adding such BBCode besides of I have a long time without doing this. :smiley:

I agree about what you say: putting it in a simpler example, let’s think that we work in a restaurant as the chefs. There’s a lot of working around; people are asking for their special food, and, why not? The most fussy people is there also. So we don’t worry about how it is going to taste; we simply care that every food is on the tables, and simply we add the ingredients and stuff on the fly.

And what happens? There’s a so nice surprise waiting for us out of the kitchen for our valuable efforts. But what is it? It’s a wonderful mad croud who is not happy after its meals!

Yet, if it really doesn’t make sense at all for you, this is more or less what happens when recording without monitoring; the final results are used to sound awful and sometimes the damage that is made is irreversible or hard to restore. In fact I’m not against checking the thing we are about to record, simply I don’t like to listen to myself all the time. On the other hand, obviously if I turn out the “listen this device” feature, my voice will be lost on the final mix too; that’s what we aren’t expecting to happen; aren’t we?

“That’s why I use a sound mixer rather than trying to get the computer to do everything”.

I’ve heard that people who do this also mean the mixers as a good solution, however I never have owned one. Once I searched for it into an audio store or whatever is called the thing, but my chances for achieving this were almost null. I don’t know if the sellers didn’t know a lot about their products or what, but when I asked the showcase man for a mixer, he just talked me about external sound cards. So he said to me; “Well, I don’t think that if your soundcard is working fine you will not need this”. Therefore I didn’t want to go in further details, so I gave up that day. And the only things that I could find were expensive, at least for my current budget, unless that’s their real price to pay.

Thanks for your answer! I couldn’t catch the latest message however it looked to be interesting :smiley:.

And please sorry if the example was a little bit exaggerated, just I wanted to play around with my english; forgive please any possible misspellings on the current message, too.

Best regards.

5

I don’t like to listen to myself all the time.

There are performers who work that way all the time.

Do note that in addition to checking for vocal effects or quality, it’s also handy for maintaining volume balance. There is a narrow range of vocal volume between so low that you can have noise problems, and so high that you cause overload and distortion. If you read for a long time, it’s easy to drift.

Koz

6

OK, I think that I will keep doing this after all since this seems to be the most simple but efficacious method.

This discussion is solved for me, unless someone else wants to add his opinion concerning the topic.

Again thanks for all your answers!