Recording sounds 'distant' and 'tinny'

[Paul4]

Hi, when I record an online stream, the voices sound distant and tinny. I have used a trial version of NCH Wavepad, and the recordings sound rich and fine, the same as the online stream. But with the same settings on Audacity, I have poor quality. I have checked my settings in Audacity - unclicked all the options etc. Used the same device input settings (Stereo Mix Realtek), but I still get the same poor sound. Any suggestions? Many Thanks

[DVDdoug]

Make sure Windows “enhancements” are turned OFF. They can mess-up the sound in lots of weird ways. And sometimes the soundcard or motherboard manufacturer adds another utility for EQ or other alterations.

I have used a trial version of NCH Wavepad, and the recordings sound rich and fine

Have you tried them back-to-back? Stereo Mix should be sending the same audio to both applications. Sometimes a Windows Update or another audio application can change the settings. (Audacity doesn’t mess-with the Windows settings and it doesn’t apply effects while recording.)

[Paul4]

Hi Doug, thanks for your reply. I turned off Windows Enhancements but it didn’t affect the recording.
However I have found the solution!
The issue was the ‘Host’ in the Audacity ‘Audio Settings’.
I needed to change the Host option to ‘Windows WASAPI’
Then change Recording Device to ‘Headphones (loopback)’
(I have external speakers connected. If I disconnect them then I would need to choose ‘Speakers (loopback)’ instead)
Streamed recordings are now perfect!
Thanks again for replying
Paul.