unable to record

[rick g320]

I have a Dell core2duo running xphome with a sigma tel audio codec (onboard 5.1). I cannot record music playing on windows media player through my speakers. the input drop down only lists "line in" "Mic" and "rear Mic". none will generate a recording. I have updated the codec from Dell. any ideas?

[kozikowski]

The newer Windows versions made this process a little rough to do, but it's possible.

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

Some new machines quietly deleted the tools you need to do that. I've never needed those tools because I use Total Recorder.

http://www.highcriteria.com/

Koz

[rick g320]

I did all of that stuff before ( the pdf directions) and installed the latest driver. the only inputs that come up in the volume are the line in, microphone, and rear microphone. I think I need a 4th input which would be the internal feed.

[kozikowski]

Then you may be one of the machines blessed with the missing 'Mix Out" or What You Hear."

PCs tend to get doubly shafted because unless you're on a Desktop machine, you have no "Line-In" connection. If you are, then put a 3.5mm male to male between Line-Out and Line-In and see if you can trick the machine into recording itself. It's not the highest quality and you have to worry about noise floor, clipping levels and all the other analog problems, but it can usually be forced to work.

If that's a laptop, chances are you are headed for the value-based software solution.

Koz

[steve]

Some on-board sound cards simply do not have this feature.
There are software solutions such as "Total Recorder", or the hardware solution of upgrading your sound card.