Audacity Forum

So we are having a bit of trouble here. First off, lemme give you a picture of our setup:

2 amps
1 USB mic
1 guitar
1 keyboard (music )

Basically, we're using a splitter in the output of amp number 1; one goes to the computer (Audacity), the other to amp number 2 (so we can hear ourselves). If we plug in the output of the amp into the computer we can record the keyboard and guitar, and if we plug in the USB mic we can record vocals.

Questions:
1. When we have both plugged in, it only records from the USB mic. We can't even select "Line-in", much less record from it. Help?
2. Is it possible to record multiple tracks on Windows XP? Perhaps a plug-in, non-stable version, or really... anything?

If you need any more information, please ask .


-Pandemic

You have an unfortunate choice of equipment. Because of the USB microphone, your choices are the USB microphone or Anything Else You Can Think Of Doing. "OR" not "AND."

The simple answer is Audacity will only recognize one Sound Device -- usually stereo, sometimes mono. There are USB sound devices out there now that will package multiple channels of sound and present the package to Audacity. One device showed up as part of another post and I can't find it. Just as well because it cost a bazillion dollars.

Everything else you have on the list can be managed by one of the fine USB or other capture devices we reviewed earlier. But again, you have to unplug your USB microphone to do it.

http://forum.audacityteam.org/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=9477

You can record everything but the vocal, switch the equipment and then play back the instrumentation while you record the voice over it. That can be done.

Actually, you have four high level Line Level signals and one USB microphone, so you already need a fairly sophisticated production mixer. Basically, you mix the show down to one stereo performance in the external mixer and then get Audacity to record it like a stereo tape machine. Alternately, you can get Audacity to record it instrument at a time, layer by layer. That should only take you about six weeks.

Since you're on a Windows machine, the options are almost always restricted. Line-In connections, when they exist, are usually terrible, so that puts you in USB land. If you're on a laptop, chances you have no Line-In at all.

Koz