I hope this hasn’t been asked and solved earlier so as not to waste your time here. But I have been looking around for a solution on the internet for the last week and now I’m pulling my hair. The problem is I have all the settings done for audio recording in Audacity such as:
All sound is on the left, and nothing on the right.
Also, some people said that it may be due to the recording device I use which means the microphone could be mono and I could be trying to record stereo. However, I’m using an audio-technica ATR6250 STEREO Condenser Video/Recording Microphone, which you can check here: http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wired_mics/28664cc1715de436/
So guys, that’s been troubling me for the past week and I would appreciate any kind of help to solve this. Thanks in advance!
Thanks for all the detail but what are you actually trying to record - computer playback or the mic? Stereo mix is for recording computer playback without any inputs connected to the computer.
If you want to record the mic, you would look in Device Toolbar (or Devices Preferences) and choose the recording device the mic is connected to.
But the mic description seems to say the recording cable is stereo to two 3.5 mm (1/8") mono plugs. So you would need an input device with separate left and right channels to connect that to. Where are you trying to connect it?
Thanks for the answer. I’m trying to record only the mic and, as the mic is stereo, expect to see both bars (Left and Right) full in Audacity. The two cables coming from the mic (as you can see here as right and left: http://winmar.pl/aukcje/mikrofony/ATR6250_1.jpg) are connected to the mic (red slot) and line in (blue slot) of my motherboard. What I understand from your answer is that I should not have “Stereo Mix” selected in Audacity, so that’s settled.
I’m trying to use a single microphone, a stereo microphone that is (with left and right sides: http://i.imgur.com/WtATxFA.png), and get a stereo recording in Audacity. So, by “separate left and right channels” do you mean that (a) I need another mic along with this one or, (b) my current microphone is not actually stereo, or (c) it’s not possible for me to use it as stereo in Audacity or, (d) I’m doing something terribly wrong?
You have a stereo input jack (line in - blue) but that expects a single 1/8 inch plug carrying both left and right channels.
Given you have a stereo line-in, the mic input will be mono, so the mic input won’t help you at all.
So as it is now, if you choose the line-in to record from in Audacity, you will only get whichever single channel (left or right) you connect to the line in. If you set Audacity to record in stereo from the line-in, you’ll probably get that single channel duplicated to both channels of the recorded waveform.
You could try buying a splitter adaptor that converts from two mono 1/8 inch plug to one stereo 1/8 inch plug, but you may find the input level is too quiet and expects mic-level amplification. If you connect the single channel to the line-in, set Audacity to record from that and find the level is loud enough, then you may be OK with a splitter adaptor.
“but that expects a single 1/8 inch plug carrying both left and right channels”: Do you mean that the plugs in each of two slots (Line In and Mic) must be stereo?
Actually I have the following connectors/adapters:
So should I put the “splitter adaptor that converts from two mono 1/8 inch plug to one stereo 1/8 inch plug” into the Line In or the Mic? Or do I need another sort of connector?
Audacity can only record from one input source at a time. So if you want to input the recording into the built-in sound card that comes with the computer, you will have to find a way to feed both the left and right that are on separate plugs into the line-in that only accepts one plug.
Probably neither would work properly. Both convert from stereo, not from mono, and the Hosa one is meant for duplicating an output not for joining two inputs into one.
Into the Line-In, and set Audacity to record from Line In, if that gives you sufficient input level.
The Mic In is 99.9% certain to be mono, as I said. Mic Ins only (sometimes) double as compatible stereo line level inputs when that input is the only one provided.
That sounds like I have a lot to learn. Thanks a lot for bearing with me on this. I’m ordering an adapter like the one you said. I’ll let you know if it works.
