I recently installed Audacity 2.0.5. Prior to that I was using Audacity 2.0.4.
At the start of the installation process, I first saved Audacity 2.0.5 in a folder
located in My Music which also contains Audacity 2.0.4.
The next step was to open My Music and a pop up box instructed me to Run
Audacity 2.0.5. I followed the prompts and as far as I can tell so far the installation
was a success. The installed version of Audacity 2.0.5 is saved as
C:Program FilesAudacity.
The question is can I delete now both Audacity 2.0.4 and Audacity 2.0.5 in the folder in
My Music without any ill effects in operating Audacity 2.0.5 ?
I don’t know the purpose of saving Audacity 2.0.5 in a My Music folder after it is installed
and located with the program files
Thank you,
blairhansler
This is often the hardest part of the overall task, being dependent on your computer operating system and sound card. Many manufacturers are making it increasingly difficult to record streaming audio by deliberately removing or hiding this functionality due to copyright concerns. Sometimes, older sound card drivers can be found on the web site of the sound card or motherboard manufacturer that still allow recording of computer playback.
Software Playthrough must be turned off when recording computer playback. If playthrough is on, the sound card will try to play what it is recording then re-record it, creating an increasingly loud series of echoes that may damage your equipment.
Before recording for real, try to set sound levels by playing similar material from your intended source and monitoring it in Audacity, so that the input level will be neither too soft nor so loud as to risk clipping.
Make a test recording to refine levels if necessary.
Start the audio playing on the computer then click the Record button Image of red Record button in Transport Toolbar. Record for long enough to find the loudest likely part, then click the Stop button Image of yellow Stop button.
There should be no clipping visible. Clipping is bad - this is when the volume of the source sent to Audacity is louder than Audacity can record. The result is that the tops and bottoms of the recorded wave are chopped off (“clipped”). The illustrations below show about 0.004 seconds of a properly recorded waveform then a clipped waveform. You’ll need to zoom in to inspect the waveform as closely as this, but extended lengths of clipping will also be visible at lower zoom levels.
Yes, you can delete the “download” once it’s installed. It’s basically the same file you’d get when buying a program on a CD… You use the installation CD to load the program, and then save the CD in case you have to install it again, or install it on another computer. But with Audacity, it’s not necessary to save the installation program, since you can always download it again.
But personally, I usually like to keep it. I either save it in a “downloads” folder, Or on my systems that have a separate “music” drive, I have an “Audacity” folder where it’s saved, as well as folders for a couple of other music-related programs (such as Winamp)
You can also choose this input device at Recording Device in Devices Preferences.
Note that on many devices the Mixer Toolbar input volume slider will be grayed out when selecting the Windows WASAPI host, and even if not grayed out, the device may not support Audacity or the system input slider adjusting its volume. So to control the recording level, adjust the output level of the audio. This is best done in the application that is playing the audio, for example the video or audio player on the web site you are recording from. Even if the Audacity output slider is able to control the volume of the audio you hear while recording, it will not affect the level you record at.
Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 computers almost always only have microphone inputs enabled by default. Earlier Windows systems may also need the input for recording computer playback to be made visible before Audacity can use it. To show or enable inputs, launch the sound device control panel from the Windows Control Panel or from the system tray (by the clock).
If you still have no stereo mix input in Windows, sometimes this input can be enabled in the sound card’s own control panel, especially with older RealTek devices. The sound card’s own control panel can be found in the Windows Control Panel.
An alternative method of recording audio playing on the computer is to buy a cable with 1/8 inch (3.5 mm) stereo connectors at each end. Suitable cables are available from almost any audio retailer. Connect one end of the cable to the computer’s audio output (green) and the other end to the line-in input (blue). Then choose the line-in as input device in Audacity.
You can use other programs to record computer playback that do not rely on the computer sound device having this ability. These programs will make an audio file which can then be imported into Audacity for editing. All the options below grab the audio digitally from the application producing the sound. This has advantages over stereo mix recording. Lossy digital-analog-digital conversions are avoided and also unwanted system beeps and alerts are not captured.
A further alternative is an external USB sound card with a “Stereo Mix” type of option. An example known to work on all versions of Windows is “Trust Sound Expert External”. Not all USB sound cards offer a Stereo Mix option, so read the specifications carefully before purchasing.
Your quote from the Audacity manual is about Recording audio playing on the computer. It has nothing to do with blairhansler’s question. This is a waste of everyone’s time. Please stop doing this. This is your second warning about this issue.