No Sound Card? Setup Help!

[Optical Explosion]

I've read through a lot of posts & sites & haven't found my answer.

I know this program pretty well but haven't used it in a few years, let alone on my new laptop. SO. All I'm trying to do is record audio from youtube. I understand all the directions I've been given and I've done it before on a desktop. But in the preferences/audio I/O/ Recording all I'm seeing as my device selections are Microsoft Sound Mapper- Input, Microphone, and microphone. No sound card. And I know that's what I need to select in order to do this. I see nothing to select record "what u hear" or the like.

So I go to Control Panel/Manage audio devices and in the recording box all that is listed is Microphone and Microphone (I'm not even going to ask why there's 2 as I only have 1 built in microphone & it's besides the point). I right clicked to show disabled devices but still can only see 2 microphones! Is it possible I don't have a visable sound card I can select? Microphone cannot be my only option. If that's the case I'm going to have the crappiest recordings ever.

I just upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate. And only using what came with my laptop already built in. No external anthings.

Please help!

[waxcylinder]

See: http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Recor ... e_computer

And for Windows 7 you really should be on Audacity 1.3 (1.3.12 is current & 1.3.13 is due out next week hopefully). You can get 1.3 from here: http://audacityteam.org/download/

WC

[Optical Explosion]

Ok cool, thank you! Done

[Optical Explosion]

OK So I've downloaded 1.3 beta & in the Preferences- Interface- Host.. Either MME or Windows DirectSound. Playback is Primary Sound Driver & Recording is Primary Sound Capture Driver. Hopefully that will work?

[Optical Explosion]

And it's not working... I've read all through that link waxy & it doesn't really help because in my computer's sound/recording selections are still only microphone & microphone. I'm not seeing a listing for sound card. There has to be another option?

[steve]

it doesn't really help because in my computer's sound/recording selections are still only microphone & microphone. I'm not seeing a listing for sound card.

Windows 7 does not list the physical sound card. It lists each available input as a separate "device".
Often Windows 7 will hide inputs that Microsoft think you don't need, and that's why it is necessary to "show disabled and disconnected devices".
When you have enabled "show disabled and disconnected devices", then Windows will show all of the inputs. Anything that's not listed, you haven't got.

For an input to exist, it depends on (a) the existence of the actual hardware, and (b) that the Windows 7 drivers support the hardware.
If you're looking for "Stereo Mix" and it's not listed, then either the hardware does not have that feature, or the Windows drivers do not support that feature.

Am I right in thinking that you want to record sounds that are playing on your computer? If so, what exactly do you want to record?