Recorded tracks FADE OUT automatically

[Daustenian]

I'm using a new Gateway 64 bit Vista Prem. laptop. Wanted to see how Audacity worked just using my built in webcam mic before I shell out for an M-Box 2 setup and new XLR condenser mic. I have the speakers muted when I record. When it starts there is a little noise at the beginning, which is easy to get rid of but after a few seconds everything I record through the mic starts slowly fading out automatically during playback. I can sing a constant note and just watch the meter thin out without me doing anything. I've tried 16,24 & 32 bit - no difference. I tried recording as an AIFF, then as a WAV - no difference. I uninstalled and reinstalled - no difference. Now I'm afraid to buy any more hardware. - Any ideas? Otherwise, the program looks awesome and I'm anxious to do more with it but I'm disappointed with it right now. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.

[kozikowski]

Audacity doesn't do real-time special effects. Many people would kill to be able to apply effects filters during a recording, but it doesn't happen.

It sounds like you have auto sound leveling services for your microphone. You may find that if you talk instead of humming or whistling that the sound level is OK. Maybe not. Dig in sound setups for the computer and Windows.

Windows used to have a program called Windows Sound Recorder. See if it's still available and try to do the recording with that. I bet you get the same problem.

Windows Sound Recorder
Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> Entertainment

Koz

[Daustenian]

Thanks Kozikowski for the reply. It happens while I'm talking normally or I hold a constant note. I did find out it is a Conexant High Definition 221 Smartaudio device. I had Windows check to see if there was a newer driver - there was not. Also, the only thing that I thought might be causing the problem was the sound enhancements check box, which I unchecked and re-booted. I still get an automatic slow and gradual sound dampening after about 5 secs that just continues. I've only gone about 20 seconds so far, but it seems like it would just continue until inaudible. Any other suggestions ... anyone?

[kozikowski]

And it does that with Windows Sound Recorder, too, right?

Koz

[kozikowski]

I went back to the Systems Office on the ground floor and found a Vista machine. We keep them locked up down there against anyone trying to actually use one.

Windows Sound Recorder is in the same place it was on earlier versions. Start > Programs > Accessories > Entertainment > Sound Recorder. I think in the native version, it will only record thirty seconds or so, but that will tell us what's going on.

Koz

[Daustenian]

Well, I tried Sound Recorder and it did the same thing with it's native WMA file as Audacity did with AIFF. Turns out...the only way I can record using the built-in mic without the fading is just using Gateway's audio recorder which is bundled with the webcam - you can record stills, video or just audio (WAV). Only with that, did I not get the fading. When I tried saving as a WAV in Audacity, though, I got the fading again. That built-in mic just does not want to be controlled by anything other than the Gateway webcam software apparently. I tried updating the webcam driver (Chicony) and had to use System Restore to get the webcam back.

Next, I tried using my Altec Lansing USB headset mic and lo and behold I get NO FADING in Sound Recorder or Audacity and the quality is not too bad either. Certainly much better than the built-in mic. I got a bit of high-end hum that I might be able to isolate out but I will probably go ahead and upgrade now to a good mic and pre-amp now that I know it's not software related. One other problem I've been having all along is that Audicity crashes about one in every five takes and it's usually on the longer ones (24 secs or longer). When it's been saving in my temp folder it's breaking down single recordings into ... I think, 12 second segments. Is that normal? I was able to export a recording as an AIFF file and that worked but I think it crashed once just doing that. Thanks for your help, Kozikowski.

[kozikowski]

We have people complaining bitterly that they can record nine hours straight but not ten, so your 24 second thing isn't normal.

Audacity will go toes up if it can't find enough hard drive space to work in--or it can't find whatever is there fast enough. There's no such thing as "Hold that guitar note while I try and find some blank hard drive space to put it." Doesn't happen. Audacity will fill up its allotment of physical memory--rapidly--and then goes back to bed.

Do you know how to defragment your hard drive? Do you have stuff running on your computer at the same time as Audacity? Doing email in the background?

Koz

[madisonintrouble]

I have the exact same problem. But I think I have found the problem...not the solution though! My sound fades out (without fail) when the sound hitting the mic is of a very very low level. I can sing a constant loud sound and the sound will not fade. If however I sing a very soft sustained tone, the sound will die away quickly to complete silence. Any ideas on why? This happens in every recording program I have tried.

[steve]

I can sing a constant loud sound and the sound will not fade. If however I sing a very soft sustained tone, the sound will die away quickly to complete silence. Any ideas on why?

Your sound card has a noise gate effect enabled.
I came across this on a machine recently - instead of just having one loudspeaker icon in the sys tray for the sound card, there were two icons. One was the familiar loudspeaker icon, but I'm not sure what the other one was supposed to be, however, the other one had controls for effects such as noise gating and automatic gain control. These effects seem to be increasingly common with on-board sound cards.

[mad1about2music3]

I had the same problem - playing a loud constant note into my microphone gave me a loud constant wave form for five seconds or so which then faded.

As with the previous post, I noticed an icon for my Realtek card in the systems tray next to the volume control icon. Opening that, I found that a 'microphone' tab. Selecting that displayed various options, one of which, 'Noise suppression', was selected. I de-selected it, and got no fading.