it doesn’t appear to matter whether using MME/WASAPI/etc, it simply won’t let me record both as separate tracks. Why not?
also, I’m no longer able to open separate Audacity instances. I can use file->new, but that the MME/WASAPI settings are tied. harumph.
In short words, you’re trying to record Skype or other conference call.
Those are best recorded with software designed to do that. Even if you succeed, it may not stay succeeded. Skype likes to mess with sound settings on its own whether you want it to or not.
Normal computers only have two sound channels Record and Play. So you can’t play to the computer speakers and Record in Audacity at the same time, or, if you do manage that, you can’t also grab a separate copy of the record channel and record that. It’s already busy. If you play your cards right, you can get a feedback loop.
The specialized recording programs create special, separate sound pathways in the system and record from those rather than mess with the main ones.
Koz
Because Audacity only records one source at a time.
All you can do is right-click over the speaker icon by the system clock, then choose “Recording Devices”. Right-click over the mic then choose “Properties”. Then click the “Listen” tab, turn on “Listen to this device” and send the mic input to the device you are listening on. Then record from WASAPI (loopback) input.
You do not want to do that, as Koz says. If it’s Skype, use an application meant for recording Skype. If it’s gaming commentary, you can use FRAPS.
Or you can use products like Orange to aggregate different inputs into one.
Audacity has not allowed that for years. You can use Audacity 1.0.0 to record one source and 2.1.0 to record the other source, or use two computers, or record one source into Audacity running on one user account and the other source into Audacity running on another user account.
Especially if you use two computers, you can expect the two recordings to drift apart over time.
Gale
restating an implicit when I asked ‘why’ said implicit exists is not answering the question. Is there a good technical reason for this?
I can send the mic back to my headphones and record the headphones but there’s a bit of audio latency, and it also makes it difficult to separately edit, though I won’t actually need that feature.
And no, it’s a Chrome hangouts session not Skype. I am aware of Skype’s goofiness in this matter but, for other reasons (forced updates, bloated software, difficult to prevent from adding itself to startup programs), no longer use Skype.
well, I’ve been a user for about 10 now. I don’t usually update for reasons like this.
I’ll look into the VoiceMeeter product you recommended, thanks; but clearly you understand by now that recording both as separate feeds shouldn’t be complicated.
clearly you understand by now that recording both as separate feeds shouldn’t be complicated.
So write something. This is a forum where uses share, not a help desk. We’d be delighted if you wrote something that easily worked around this problem.
And we’d just as soon you didn’t dive headfirst into the Dreaded Registry. We had one poster do that with the claim that it was a snap. All he had to do was change this list of Registry entries.
Eww.
Koz
It is probably tied in with the way we use the PortAudio API and because we would need to make the two parallel recordings threadsafe. You can ask on audacity-devel if you want extended technical reasons.
If you want an app that records multiple devices you can try Reaper.
Gale
And even in Reaper it’s considered legacy and not recommended because there is a lot that can go wrong.
ok. Just making sure it wasn’t some reason to get my panties in a bunch over like ‘we have decided it’s not necessary’ ‘most users don’t want it’ or something similar. I would like the feature, and will look forward to the update I take in 5 years