Windows 10 current latest version.
Audacity version 2.4.2
I use Audacity to record Zoom meetings using a setting I found on line, “Windows WASPI”. My input (microphone icon) is set to “Digital Audio (S/PDIF)” which is the main audio out put from my PC. The next setting, “Channel” is set to: 2 (Stereo). And the output setting (speaker icon) is also set to my “Digital Audio (S/PDIF)”. The recordings are excellent. However any of my own comments during the Zoom meeting are omitted. I assume this is because Zoom does not send my audio out to the Digital Audio port as that would cause feedback. Is there any work around for this that would allow Audacity to include my microphone in the recording?
You can get both Skype and Zoom to record both sides of the conversation on their servers in the middle. Go in later and retrieve the sound files. It is alleged that you can get Zoom to split record the host and the guests. Try this before you commit a show to the process. Zoom Recording is recommended whether or not you’re recording the show locally. That’s the desperation backup.
That can be the whole show if the quality is good enough.
If you’re performing the podcast with headphones or earbuds as you should be for the best voice quality, set up your phone to record your voice. You can mix it all together later in post production editing.
If everybody is wearing headphones, the overall voice quality may be good enough that the Zoom Server recording may be all you need.
To specifically answer the posted question, no. There’s no unconditionally reliable and stable way to locally record everything on one machine. If you have two machines, then we can talk about it. That’s how the broadcasters do it.
Koz
Funnily enough I discovered this yesterday - but only after I thought I’d been carefully using Audacity to make a recording of an important Zoom meeting
Peter
One of the gotchas of convenient home recording on one machine is the service update process. It is to the service’s advantage that you not be able to record the work on the same machine hosting the conference.
They’re not being evil. Getting hands-free to work well on a multi-point conference is insanely difficult and having one or more participants mucking about with the sound pathways keeps them up at night.
So that gives you: “I got a bad recording. I don’t know why. All this was working last week.” That has the fingerprints of a Zoom background update.
Skype, Zoom and one other we know about cheerfully offer recording services. Anything to keep your fingers out of your computer.
Put all your effort into getting everybody to wear headphones or earphones. That one step will clean up your voice for everybody else and the service recording.
Koz
Thanks very much for all the good explanations to my problem. It does make perfect sense that it would work that way. It might be best to just dedicate another machine to the job. Possibly a Raspberry Pi project in my future.
One way I do it is with a stand-alone sound recorder. I have a Zoom H4 and a Zoom H1a. I had zero trouble fighting with the computer setups, configurations, and adjustments because there was no computer.
The other way is with multiple computers.
I got insanely lucky because I have two older Macs and a sound mixer. The older Macs have stereo line recording and stereo line playback. They plug into the sound mixer directly with no adapters.
The one on the right is running Skype. Full stop. Nothing else. The one on the left is running Audacity to record the show. There is one sound channel left over, so I used the left-hand machine to play music into the mixer. This is highly edited for time. It’s an engineering test, but it really did sound like that.
There is a caution here. We’re both broadcast professionals and wearing headphones.
https://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/clips/DenisePodcastVer5.mp3
Why are you going to buy a computer when your problem is recording your voice? If you set up a computer, you’re also going to have to come up with a microphone, preamp, interface, and cables. You can’t make your existing microphone feed both computers.
If you have a reasonably quiet room, I would totally set up a phone on the table with its butt facing you and see how well it does recording your voice. That’s how I shot this restaurant interview. In your case, you must wear headphones.
https://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/clips/Interview-Cafe-SampleClip.mp3
Koz