Okay Koz, thank you. I will get on it and let you know how it works.
Many thanks!
Bingo! That’s the weak link in the chain.
What he said.
Koz
There are other devices that will do this job, but there are many of these in the family (I own two) and they have always worked very well. If you fall in love with Something Else, post here first before you write a check. For example, the Startech ICUSBAUDIO seems to be able to do this job, but it really only duplicates the laptop connections you already have.
When you get all this together repost a voice sample and we may be able to help you avoid at least one pass through ACX Rejection.
Koz
Thank you. I certainly will check with you on anything we purchase and also pass a sample through the forum, before we try to upload to ACX again.
George
The first thing to try is to turn off the Windows sound enhancements and see what the recording sounds like. (see my previous post for details).
I plan on trying that this evening. I looked at the controls this moring, before work. But the computer has to be connected to the mike in order for it to show up.
Last night I couldn’t get the wife over there, to work on this, as she’s preparing to travel to her parent’s by plane. Hopefully we can do it this evening. She has the Windows computer and carries it with her, including on this trip. I did order a Behringer U-CONTROL UCA202, as I suspect we’ll eventually use it in our other business as well.
You understand that makes you The Producer (upper case intentional), right? The Producer takes steps and does whatever is necessary to cause the show to exist. So if you’re going to have a “credit roll” at the end of the show, that’s your title.
Koz
Well, thank you… I suppose 
I couldn’t get her to record last night. She got home something like 4 hours late and still had to pack. BUT, I did get her to leave her Windows laptop home with me. She took a Linux laptop instead. I received the UCA202, in the mail today. I will go over the instructions and give it a try, so I can send you a sample. Now I have to go over the directions for the mixer too. I am completely inexperienced with this sound equipment. She, at least, used to be a disk jockey and has a minor in broadcasting.
The UCA 202 is very easy to use. The one really important thing is don’t overload the inputs. Keep the mixer “in the green”. If the mixer goes into the red it will overload the inputs of the UCA 202 and the sound will be distorted. The UCA 202 has no input level control, so you have to control the input level from your mixer.
Okay, I decided I better give it a go tonight, so as to get ahead on this. Here is a file I recorded using the onboard sound card without any Windows enhancements.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6bpeool5hrimygz/Chp15_internalmike_no_enhancements.wav?dl=0
Here is a link to a file I did using the UCA202. I could not figure out how to get the volume up.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/c9b370w8xx0jsay/UCA202.wav?dl=0
Moderator note: please don’t shout by writing your message in large letters. It’s considered bad netiquette and only serves to annoy the Forum elves. Thankyou.
One at a time. I applied a very gentle noise reduction to the first clip and the attached is a clip from that. Before, after and then before again. You can hear the background noise go up and down. I don’t think there is any longer a technical problem. You can hear the before and after voices are almost identical. I can believe that sounds pretty much exactly like you.
As we go.
Koz
I’m not going to post a clip until we correct the level problem in UCA202. I did some rescue work and I like the sound better and I can’t tell you why.
You have the loudest SHUFFLE SHUFFLE pants and shirt RUSTLE RUSTLE I have ever heard. Do the next one naked.
You should perform a Noise Reduction Target track. At the beginning of the first few shows, say “Noise Reduction,” sit totally still and hold your breath for three seconds. That short clip is golden if you need to reduce the room noises with Effect > Noise Reduction. You can cut it off later in post production. If you never need noise reduction, you can stop doing that.
I think you’re just running the mixer wrong. Ummmm. The mixer doesn’t have microphone overload lights. That’s awkward.
Follow the procedure on page 11 of the instruction book to set the microphone preamp control (red knob). I’m betting your earlier painful experiences with the computer connection made you gun shy to turn things up. You should be able to “WOOF” very loudly into the microphone and get the mixer PK (peak) level lights to flash.
Now run Audacity, select USB Audio Codec, set the recording level all the way up and it should be easily possible to get voice levels peaking at -6 like this.
The background noise level should all but vanish when you get the volumes right and you won’t need much correction at all.
~~
My furrowed brow at the missing preamplifier overload lights effectively means you can’t set that control during the show and it’s easy to get crisp, crunchy overload sound and not know where it’s coming from.
Attached, my mixer has two sets of overload lights and I can tell whether the left or right halves of the mixer are in trouble or adjusted wrong.
You are not shooting Nine Inch Nails playing in Disney Concert Hall with this thing, so once you get the levels working, it should stay that way show after show.
Let us know where you get stuck.
Koz
Well, I worked on this for a couple of hours this evening. Somehow I can’t find the volume for recording on the mixer. For a good while I couldn’t get anything to record. Now we’re back where we started. I can record. But I can’t change the volume of the recording.
Here’s a picture of the settings on Audacity’s screen.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4bc8m3wo1f939r2/audacity%20set%20up1-11jpg.JPG?dl=0
Moderator note: Shouting removed …
I think I’m getting a dizzy headache. There are two similar jobs going through the forum at once and I can’t keep track of which is which.
Forget Audacity for a minute. See Attach. Do you see the red PK and yellow AVG lights on the mixer?
The microphone is plugged into the far upper left connection, right? Set the mixer up according to those notes in white.
3:00 o’clock
Mid
Mid
Zero (0)
Center (C)
3:00 o’clock
Over on the right set the master at 3:00 o’clock. Talk into the microphone in a normal voice. The AVG lights should flash. Now yell “WOOF!” into the microphone and the PK light should flash.
Let us know if you get it that far.
Koz
I believe I set all the knobs as you instructed. The volume is still quite low. I never managed to get any lights to blink on the mixer. Could it be that I didn’t “woof” right?
Another idea: there are two RCA plugs coming out of the mixer, but only one going into the UCA202. Could it be that I need two?
Unplug all the audio cables except the microphone. Shut down Audacity. If you can’t get the lights on the mixer to flash, then the mixer is delivering a substandard show. We need to resolve that right at the top. Nothing you do in Audacity or with adapter cables is going to solve that.
The two yellow and two red lights are there to guide you in setting the volume controls. During a show, the yellow AVG lights should flicker and flash. If you get a red PK light, then your volume is too high. If you get no lights, the volume is too low. It’s not fancy, but it gets the job done.
You got the green Power On light, right? But no flashing yellow or red lights?
I need to read back through this thread.
Koz
You could have a broken or incorrect adapter cable from your illustration. Unplug Everything from the mixer except the microphone.
Ko
Ok. I will get on it a little later this evening. Thanks!
Ok, I unplugged all cables from the mixer, except the microphone and the power. Then I tried woofing into the mike loudly. The board showed a green light, indicating power. But that’s all.