Recording OTA FM Broadcasts

Audacity 3 Help Forum Windows
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Hey all. Newbie here. First, I want to say that I have used Audacity in the past, successfully, on my old WinXP computer, but not trying to record Over-The-Air FM broadcasts. I now have a “new to me” computer with Windows 7 Professional. I have downloaded and installed the latest Audacity onto my Windows 7 computer. The computer I am using to record is an HP 6735B and the soundcard only has the mic input. The soundcard is a “SoundMax Integrated Digital HD Audio” according to the listing in Device Manager.

There is a local public FM jazz radio station which I would like to record tunes from in Audacity and burn onto CDs for garage listening for when this part time station is not on the air. I have a Behringer UCA222 which I used previously on my WinXP setup. I am trying to record from an analog receiver, through the UCA222 and into Audacity. It seems I am able to record but I can’t seem to playback any of the recordings. To be completely upfront, I am not at all familiar with Windows 7. I think my problem is possibly in some setting in Windows 7 but I have no idea where.

One of my questions is: Is my problem with playback due to attempting to playback back through my analog receiver and through my stereo’s speakers? Do I have to playback through a DAC into my analog receiver?

Also, can I make a CD quality recording from OTA FM broadcasts? Can someone give me some tips regarding settings, etc please?

Thanks

2

I am trying to record from an analog receiver, through the UCA222 and into Audacity. It seems I am able to record but I can’t seem to playback any of the recordings.

So, you’re seeing the blue waveforms, right?

One of my questions is: Is my problem with playback due to attempting to playback back through my analog receiver and through my stereo’s speakers?

Where are we starting from? Can you play back through the computer speakers? Can you play WAV, or MP3 files, or a CD, with Windows Media player?

If you have the UCA 222 connected you can play-back through that, or from the built-in soundcard. In Audacity you can select the playback device from the [u]Device Toolbar[/u]. In Windows you can select the default playback device by right-clicking the Windows speaker/volume icon.

Do I have to playback through a DAC into my analog receiver?

Your soundcard has a DAC. The computer’s headphone-output will work into an “'AUX”, “Line”, or “Tape” input on the receiver. The Berhinger also has a DAC and you can use it’s line-output.

Also, can I make a CD quality recording from OTA FM broadcasts? Can someone give me some tips regarding settings, etc please?

Of course, the “quality” will only be as good as the FM… :wink: “CD quality” would be a 16-bit/4.1kHz WAV or FLAC file. FLAC is lossless compression, so the files are almost half the size of the uncompressed WAV. But, the bigger advantage is that metada tagging (artist, title, album, artwork, ,etc.) is better supported on compressed formats. The downside is that not everybody can play FLAC.

MP3 and AAC are lossy, but at the higher-quality settings they can often sound identical to the uncompressed original (in scientific-blind listening tests) and anybody (with a computer, phone, or iPod, etc.) can play them. If you do make lossy files, do all of your editing in a lossless format and compress ONCE as the last step. (And keep a lossless archive if you wish.)

3

Hey DVDdoug.

Yes, I can see the waveforms while recording. I’m only recording a few minutes of some random song just to mess around with.

It will playbak through the computer speakers, but it sounds terrible…tinny.

I tried playing back through the uca222 into my “Aux-in” connections on the back of my receiver, but nothing. I connected the L+R outputs on the uca222 to the inputs L+R of the Aux-in RCA plugs on the back of the receiver. I moved the selector switch on the receiver to AUX and then pressed the Play button in Audacity and it was playing in Audacity (evidently) but no sound through my receiver and out my speakers.

I repeatedly tried the different settings available in the Device Toolbar. I couldn’t get sound with any combination.

When I right-click the speaker/volume icon, there is only one playback device available. Show hidden devices is checked as well as show disabled devices. The only device listed is the sound card I mentioned in my OP

Well, if the computer sound card has a DAC AND the Behringer has one, then I have no idea why I can’t get sound through my AUX-in of my receiver??? I tried both of them to play back what I recorded. I checked for “muted” out devices. I don’t know what else to check. I never had these problems when I was “streaming” Sonicwave channels from my DirecTV receiver,through the UCA222, and into my older-version Audacity on my WinXP computer. I really only want to play back what I record after I apply filters and such to hear what the changes are before I save.

I won’t be able to save the files as MP3s because my CD player won’t play them. I’ll have to save as standard WAV files, I guess. If I ever get that far.

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Oh, I forgot to ask in my previous post do I have to “save” my recorded material to some certain lossy or lossless format BEFORE I try and playback the recording back through my analog receiver OR can I just play it back “as-is” as I recorded it?

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It will playbak through the computer speakers, but it sounds terrible…tinny.

Yeah, we don’t expect great sound out of laptop speakers. But that’s good because we know you are recording.

When I right-click the speaker/volume icon, there is only one playback device available. Show hidden devices is checked as well as show disabled devices. The only device listed is the sound card I mentioned in my OP

That’s weird because the Behringer is obviously working as a recording device, and it’s got output jacks and it’s supposed to work both ways… I don’t know how to fix that…

The computer’s headphone jack should work (if you have the adapter cable) and the odds are the quality will be just as good. (Frequency response* and noise are usually better than human hearing, so if you are not hearing excessive noise there’s probably nothing wrong with the sound.)

…I don’t think your computer has this, but If you have a single-combo mic/headphone jack a regular headphone-plug will work. You need a special 4-condutor TRRS plug to make the microphone connection.

I won’t be able to save the files as MP3s because my CD player won’t play them. I’ll have to save as standard WAV files,

Right. In that case you might as well make an audio CD. As you may know Audacity can’t burn CDs, but [u]this page[/u] should get you started.

Although your CD player might play a disc with WAV files on it, a normal audio CD doesn’t have WAV files. The underlying CD format is PCM, which is the same as the underlying WAV format. But, it’s in a different “package”.

If I ever get that far.

You can make a CD without connecting your computer your stereo. :wink: …That’s assuming you have a stand-alone CD player and you’re not using the computer as your main CD player.





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  • When you plug-in headphones, the headphone-impedance (which isn’t constant over the frequency range) can “interact” with the source impedance of the headphone amplifier and cause frequency response variations, but it’s not a problem with a high impedance line-level input.
6

OK. I couldn’t find my adapter for the headphone jack in order to run the rca cables to my receiver. I’ll look again tomorrow.

I did manage to play an audio CD in the laptop’s DVD player and run it through the Behringer back into my receiver. I could sound, BUT…the volume was really, really low and it was playing slower than what it should. I looked all through the computer for volume slides and cranked all of them to full max, but it was still low volume and it just didn’t sound right.

It does not have a single combo mic/headphone jack.

“Although your CD player might play a disc with WAV files on it, a normal audio CD doesn’t have WAV files. The underlying CD format is PCM, which is the same as the underlying WAV format. But, it’s in a different “package”.”

Now, this I did not know. And I didn’t know I couldn’t burn an audio CD with Audacity, either, but I’ll read the link you provided tomorrow, too, and see what that is.

I tried playing what I recorded again and still no sound through my receiver. I’ll look for the adapter for my headphone jack tomorrow. I may have a mini plug to RCA cord also.

I’m not using my computer as a CD player, but I need to use my computer to make a CD as it’s the only burner I have. My CD player is just a CD player. I just want to hear the quality of the recording BEFORE I do any burning. I assume I have to normalize it and all that.

I’m looking to make sure my sound card driver is fully updated. I think it is, but its an HP and they’re not all that great on support. This laptop started out with Vista and has been upgraded to 7 professional. Not by me, but a college where I purchased it. It was supposed to be fully updated. I’m going through it right now.

I’ll be back tomorrow (later today for me) and update on any progress I make.

Thanks for your help thus far and the tips you provided.

7

I’m looking to make sure my sound card driver is fully updated. I think it is, but its an HP and they’re not all that great on support.

The internal soundcard isn’t the problem. :wink: The Behringer uses Microsoft-supplied drivers* and it’s supposed to “just work”. Maybe somebody else can help with that… If it was me, I’d “try some things”, but I don’t want to “help you” mess-up your computer.

I just want to hear the quality of the recording BEFORE I do any burning. I assume I have to normalize it and all that.

OK, I get that… But if all you are doing is (automatically) normalizing, that’s just a volume adjustment and it doesn’t affect quality. If you are using noise reduction or EQ, or volume adjustment by-ear, then yeah, you need to hear the results. And I know you want to fix the problem!

OK. I couldn’t find my adapter for the headphone jack in order to run the rca cables to my receiver. I’ll look again tomorrow.

If you can’t find it and you’re going to order one (in the U.S.) try [u]Monoprice[/u]. The have good heavy-duty cables at great prices… (I usually order a few cables so I’m not paying more for shipping than for the merchandise.)



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  • Behringer does offer the ASIO4ALL driver, but don’t bother with that. Audacity is not an ASIO application.