New Toshiba - won't record except thru mic

[completejohn]

Just bought a Toshiba A505-S6005. Downloaded Audacity to record streaming audio. First attempt = terrible sound, was coming into the mics from the on-board speakers -I could even hear my breathing! Shut off speakers - no stream audio level on Audacity. SHut off mic - now no sound at all. So I've tried recording with headphones on and off, speakers on and off, nothing.

So I bought a little USB sound device with headphone output and mic input. When I insert it, the headphones work just great, but still no levels on Audacity. Could it be that there's not a true "sound card" that I can grab audio from in this new expensive computer? I can stick in a mic and record perfectly. But I jsut want to get sound from whatever my computer is hearing. This is so totally frustrating.

[kozikowski]

Which Windows?

Koz

[completejohn]

Wondows 7. I've been all over the net looking for answers - this might be some sort of protection that MS built into 7. There's GOT to be a way around this!!!

[kozikowski]

<<<There's GOT to be a way around this!!!>>>

No, there doesn't. Different versions of Windows lock out or enhance different functions depending on who they think their target audience is. Most Windows machines are business computers. Even Microsoft gave up telling everybody they're "Entertainment Machines."

Have you been through the Windows part of the wiki service?

Windows Control Panel
http://audacityteam.org/wiki/index.php? ... trol_Panel

Koz

[completejohn]

Yeah, and as a novice I just get lost. I think Windows 7 is really the problem. I wonder if buying an external sound card would solve the problem.

What angers me is years ago I downloaded a small program that works perfectly on my slow computer at work. I only have to select 2 buttons and poof- instant mp3. The program, Audio Maestro Lite, was free, and of course, it's not available any more. Plus it probably wouldn't work on Windows 7. Audacity is probably just too much of a program for what I want (just to make mp3s from streaming audio) but it got such great reviews that I figured it was the solution.

Do yo think the external sound card could be the winner?

And by the way, thanks for the help!!! I'm no computer genius (that's pretty obvious) so it's nice to have you responding to my questions!

[whomper]

win7 has been very troublesome for a lot of people wanting to do music type audio

there are win7 settings
soundcard driver settings
and audacity settings
sometimes more
especially if you use usb
and you need the latest drivers
which if you have realtek might put back what toshiba left out
other sound chips less likely but worth a try

how are you connecting to that pc?
sounds like it has a mike in but not line in
if you connect via usb you have more settings to get usb to work

see the specs for Toshiba A505-S6005 below
it looks like you will have to have an external audio interface
to do anything more than mono mike in or stereo playback on phones
http://laptops.toshiba.com/laptops/sate ... A505-S6005

if you want to record skype or internet shows then you will have more problems -- if it can be done at all

one review said this
if you do any kind of line in recording you will have to buy an external cause the mic-in is well, that's it, mic in. no line-in option. when you try to record it sounds like a dial-up broadcast or real muffled with low quality. tried many and all adjustments as well as new SC drivers to no prevail. Guess its a music-copyright issue. Being a broadcast DJ, it was devastating, ...

toshiba says this -
-- and i dont see no stinkin inputs other than mike in their specs
Audio
S/P DIF output port (shared with headphone port), Headphone jack (stereo), Microphone jack (mono), harman/kardon® stereo speakers
HDMI
HDMI-CEC (Regza Link™)

[kozikowski]

Capturing on-line audio can be interesting because, well, without putting too fine a point on it, why would you want that? Oh, to steal music or on-line performances? Remember, Windows machines are corporate business computers and corporate businesses aren't particularly interested in you stealing music, so each Windows version makes it harder and harder to record internet audio directly.

That recording internet audio thing, "Mix-Out" or "What-U-Hear" is a combined effort on the part of the sound hardware inside the computer, the operating system (Windows, etc) and the software -- the glue that sticks everything together. If any one of them drops the ball (or is forced to drop it) that's the end of your fun. You click your way down the menus and the ones you want are either gray or outright missing.

Some computers have the ability to plug the headphone connection back into the computer and record music that way. Windows Laptops are not those computers. There is no good place to plug the cable back in. We keep snapping back to "Business Computers." Windows laptops are designed to connect a headset with microphone on it and Skype or conference into your Corporate Office in Miami. That pretty much shoots music production in the head. You can generally only do one or the other.

The problem is usually local to Windows Laptops, too. Large Windows Deskside machines and Macs all have ways around this problem (some methods more graceful than others).

So the machine most people buy is the exact machine least likely to succeed.

You can throw money. I think Total Recorder software package can record internet music, but that's money-based software. There may be others.

Koz

[completejohn]

The plan was to 1. upgrade my laptop cuz the last one died, and 2. to use this one in my business, to record audio via mics and internet files for commercials. I am probably more copyright concscious than most because of my job. MUST stay on the right side of that discussion. But I need to constantly download stuff from the internet for radio and TV commercials, and this one doens't let me. I can still use the one in my office, but it's slow and doesn't let me multitask cuz it's so old. No big deal, I was just hoping to do more work here at home rather than having to go to work where the phones keep ringing.

That being said, I'm just disappointed that I can't find an EASY way to do what i need this to do. As you said - so many factors go into this. I was just hoping that I wouldn't have to constantly run a thumb drive of material back and forth and do it all here. Maybe should'a opted for a Mac, but Consumer Reports called THIS the best machine on the market for the money.

[whomper]

consumer reports uses odd criteria to rate most products
i rarely agree - unless they point out a major defect/safety issue

but they may have been right - maybe that is the best machine on teh market for the money for the *average* user. you are not apparently the average user though.

before i buy anything i make sure it will do what i want to do
and have gotten a lot of grief about that from people who think that i should just buy some stuff and try it and then buy some more stuff if the first kit didnt work and keep doing that with hardware and software until i hopefully stumble on a working audio system
and dont pay no nevermind to the wasted time and money.

possibilities:
buy a cheap (they are dirt cheap now) pc just for this home audio use -- you dont need a big fancy one for your commercials type work - make sure it has a sound card with stereomix or whatuhear before you buy it. but may not even need that capability. jsut run the laptop headphones out to the new pc line in and record with audacity. edit and burn on the new pc.

or get
an external sound card connecting via usb should work with the laptop. moderate cost. cheaper than another laptop. slightly cheaper than a new low end pc.

[kozikowski]

...or run Total Recorder on the machine you have.

Koz