Recording iTunes from Mac sounds terrible + audio mixing q's

[Scott549]

Hello,

I'm a podcaster, and just got a new Mac. I had been using Windows XP. With my old setup, I was running the sound output from the computer to a mixer so I could mix two voices and iTunes audio and send everything back to the computer for recording with Audacity.

Now I've got the new Mac and I'm trying to figure out the setup. When I play a song in iTunes and try to record it in Audacity, I'm getting terrible quality sound. The only sound input choices I get are "internal microphone" and line in. I'm not running a line in right now; just trying to get Audacity to record iTunes. So it's using the internal microphone and the sound quality is terrible. When I turn up the volume on my speakers it makes the sound level go up, which seems bizarre to me. Do I need to do the same thing as before, run the computer's audio out to the mixer instead of the speakers, and then send all the audio back to the computer through the mixer? It just seemed like a convoluted setup before and I thought there might be a cleaner way to do it.

If anyone has ideas, please let me know.

Thanks.

[Scott549]

Update --

I figured out that what was happening was that the speaker output was simply being recorded by the built-in microphone on the Mac. I thought perhaps the Mac would have a mixer like the Windows mixer so that the iTunes output could be sent to Audacity instead of the computer speakers.

Let me know if there are other ideas. Thanks.

[kozikowski]

Audacity doesn't have recursive sound pathways like Windows does. However you can add it by either downloading SoundFlower and installing it...

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/a ... lower.html

or buying and installing WireTap. SoundFlower gives you the recursive audio pathways and have a happy day. WireTap is a full on scheduler/recorder.

Koz

[Scott549]

Thank you for the tip. I am going to try Soundflower.

[Scott549]

Soundflower did not work. I am using Leopard with an iMac. After installing it, I did not get the Soundflower choices for input and output in the system preferences as the instructions said I should.

Audio Hijack, maybe?

[kozikowski]

Worth a shot. I'm surprised SoundFlower didn't work. Do you use either Vonage or Skype? They mess up the sound pathways really good.

Koz

[Scott549]

Update -- The Soundflower that did not work was not the most recent version. I have since located and downloaded the latest version and it does work. I got it to route iTunes audio to Audacity. However, I am getting very low levels. I have the settings on iTunes, Soundflower and Audacity all at their maximum levels and I'm getting a signal that is OK but not quite as high as I would like it to be. I also need to connect my mixer to the computer's line-in and see if it will let me input both the line in and the iTunes audio at at the same time.

[Scott549]

Another update. I have now tested the method I was using with my old Windows computer and it works fine. No need for Soundflower or any other fancy software. Here's the easy way to record audio from the computer, whether it's iTunes, something on the web, etc. -- run the headphone/speaker output on your computer (where you normally plug the speakers in) to the input of a mixer. Then connect the mixer's output to the line in on the computer. This will allow you to record any audio coming from the computer with Audacity or another audio program. On playback, you can listen through the headphone jack on the mixer. I have a $50 Behringer mixer that does this.

So this is the answer to my own question, basically.

[kozikowski]

<<<So this is the answer to my own question, basically.>>>

See? Self-help forums work!

Koz

[kozikowski]

<<<with my old Windows computer>>>

Your old Windows Deskside. Chances of this working with a Windows Laptop are a good deal less likely as many of them don't have Line-In or any convenient way to get one.

Koz