Audacity Forum

Hi all
I don't know whether i'm overlooking something obvious, probably am.. but whenever i want to record something off a website
through Stereo Mix it records too high, the levels start right at the top peak and i'm not sure why.
I wanna record a few sounds off a webpage but at the same volume i hear it through my speakers, i'm used to using stereo mix and
i'm pretty sure it's set correctly under my sound card managing device because it's fine on other things... just recording too high on
Audacity. I'll include a picture of the waveform so you can see what i mean, also just to let you know the sound itself from the webpage
is of good quality and sounds clear, just when i record under stereo mix in Audacity it comes out crummy :/
Thanks in advance.


Best way i can describe it is that it sounds like umm.. like as if you speak too close to a microphone? the sound has a lack of depth and pretty tinny, no idea why.

"Stereo Mix" will record what your sound card is playing.
Open the sound card mixer (on Windows this is usually available from a loudspeaker icon near the time/date - if not there, look in the "Sounds" section of the Windows Control Panel) and lower the playback volume and/or the recording volume. For best results, mute the playback for all inputs that you are not using (for example, the microphone input).

stevethefiddle wrote:"Stereo Mix" will record what your sound card is playing.
Open the sound card mixer (on Windows this is usually available from a loudspeaker icon near the time/date - if not there, look in the "Sounds" section of the Windows Control Panel) and lower the playback volume and/or the recording volume. For best results, mute the playback for all inputs that you are not using (for example, the microphone input).

Thanks Steve but i've already tried and tested this and wasn't the problem, i'm still not sure what it was.. it doesn't seem to be an issue for other things i've just recorded, very odd.
It was from a good quality clip played over a shockwave player / recorded via Stereo Mix in Audacity, gave up in the end a moved onto other things and has been fine thus far.. just that clip.. weird huh?
Anyways, seems to have resolved itself.
Thanks

The other thing that can cause it is if "Software Playthrough" is enabled.
"Software Playthrough" should not be enabled.

It looks like your recording level is far too high. The waveform you posted is being cut off flat at top and bottom - which means everything beyond that cut is not being recorded. The result is 'clipping' .
You need to read up on how to adjust your line-in recording levels using the slide control on the mixer bar. Basically the recording level meter should not be going beyond the right hand ZERO - if it does it produces a red bar. Your playback meter is all in the red - meaning that you are recording at too high an input level. I think.