Recording device

[DiegoJames]

Hi: I'm sure like many others, after upgrading to Leopard I find Final Vinyl doesn't work. So I'm navigating Audacity for the first time and have a VERY basic question. I'm trying to find out to get the device menu in preferences to show my iMic. It only offers built in mic for input devices. What am I doing wrong? Thanks - Diego

[kozikowski]

It doesn't exist?

Apple > System Preferences > Hardware > Sound > Input.

Assuming that pathway still exists in Leopard.

Oh, wait. I remember now. iMic is that little cheap USB device that has problems. Mine is out in the garage which is the best place for it.

Koz

[DiegoJames]

I'm not speaking of a device input menu on Lepoard, I'm speaking of the device menu on the Audacity program. When seeking to set the incoming device, it only offers the built in mike on the computer, as though it can not see that the iMic is connected to the computer via usb. So it appears that the Audacity software is not recognizing that there is an iMic connected to my system. So my question is, does Audacity indeed recognize iMic? or in shorter terms, can I use iMic with Audacity?
Thanks.

[kozikowski]

<<<I'm not speaking of a device input menu on Lepoard>>>

I am. Audacity is standing on the sound services of whatever operating system it's running on. If OS-X can't see the iMic, then that's the ball game.

Do you have QuickTime Pro? Excellent $30 investment. You can launch QuickTime Pro and record video, audio, or both. I bet you can't find the iMic in that, either.

Does GarageBand have a recorder? I never installed it on my machines.

My iMic did actually work--it did mount, but it was pretty awful. Did you try the second USB port if you have one? Try it on you mom's iBook? This wouldn't be the first problem with USB audio, and Leopard just made it all worse.

Koz

[DiegoJames]

Yes, I've had Quick Time Pro for a long time but the purposes I saw in purchasing it years ago I was unable to bring to fruition and I was frustrated by a lack of tech support and by written manuals sorely mismatched to any level of the novice so I kind of stopped thinking about Quick Time Pro. Can I use it to capture tape cassette and vinyl input? As much as you do not like iMic, my inquiry is based upon my immediate history of having no problems with iMic and getting fine quality digital files of my cassettes put into my iTunes, but which because of Leopard upgrade I can no longer accomplish. (The iMic worked fine on os10.4, but on Leopard it is awful as it is presently officially not supported which I found out since starting this thread). Can I use Quick Time Pro to capture vinyl and cassette input? What kind of input device would I use? I've never seen anything but the iMic.

[kozikowski]

Since you're using the iMic to pull in line level work, you may be working too hard.

We need to find out more about your machine. If you read over your postings, you'll find that you told me you have a built-in mic and you're running Leopard. That's it.

If you have a relatively modern Mac, then you have a Line-In connection somewhere on it. The really modern Macs time share that connection between Optical Digital Audio and conventional analog. Most cassette machines and other line level equipment will plug directly into this port.

Switch the Mac Preferences to Line-In, change Audacity to Default Audio and you're flying. I recorded all the high quality voice tracks for a theatrical short using a sound mixer, quiet room, and my PowerBook.

Koz

[DiegoJames]

oh......!
Well, I have a brand new iMac intel, 20". I took my iMic off, plugged the cassette deck line into the Line-in and got a sound file right away on Audacity. Thank you. Maybe I wasn't getting an answer because my question was too simple! I look forward to figuring out how to use Audacity now. I can't look at it right now, but I won't be doing difficult things at first. Just zeroing in on where to divide tracks into separate song files and then save them. Thanks. Later......... I am playing a track into Audacity from cassette deck. I have in preferences it set to playback when recording, tried both in combination of the hardward and software playback while recording buttons but I am unable to get any sound. The volume control pops right back to off after dragging it up for sound. This afternoon I was able to get sound after I stopped recording and then played back, but I'm not getting sound while recording. Any thoughts.

[DiegoJames]

Hi Koz:
I found the tutorials and manual online and will look at these before sending more questions. Thanks

[kozikowski]

<<<I'm not getting sound while recording>>>

That is what the "playthrough" selections are supposed to do. I've never been able to get that to work. You can monitor volume levels using the flashing lights in Audacity and plug headphones into the cassette deck. Many of them (both of mine) have local monitoring.

I might send you back to the Mac Preferences and check where the playback is going. USB services tend to affect both record and playback which catches everybody off guard.

Koz

[DiegoJames]

Koz: I have question that probably regards Audacity or any recording software. I am doing a voice over, reading a poem (The Lark Ascending) to the musical piece of same name by Ralph Vaughan Williams. I imported the file to Garage Band. When I do the voice over on a separte track, with the orchestral track heard through my head phones, the quality is nice during playback, but the voice sounds distinctly separate and not mingled properly withe the orchestral track. I tried recording the music and my voice together live through the built in mic and also an external mic, but of course it picked up the room ambience and it was poor quality, though the mingling of voice and music was more proper. In Audacity or Garage Band is there a way to record the spoken vocals on a new track while bleeding, so to speak, some of the other track in so that there is an effective melding of voice and orchestral track?