How to record "all computer sounds" with this version

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Audacity 1.3.x is now obsolete. Please use the current Audacity 2.1.x version.

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jpk70
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How to record "all computer sounds" with this version

Post by jpk70 » Sat Feb 26, 2011 11:22 pm

When I used the older version 1.2 I could record all sounds using "Mix stereo" recording setting. And it was located near the menu. With this 1.3 version it has disappeared and I cannot find how to do it. Anybody knows? What is the "mix stereo" in 1.3 version?

Basically I want to play my C cassette player and record it. But sometimes also other sounds like from the videos etc.

steve
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Re: How to record "all computer sounds" with this version

Post by steve » Sun Feb 27, 2011 5:53 am

jpk70 wrote:When I used the older version 1.2 I could record all sounds using "Mix stereo" recording setting.
And you are still using the same computer or a different computer? the same operating system?
jpk70 wrote:Basically I want to play my C cassette player and record i
What is a "C cassette player"?
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jpk70
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Re: How to record "all computer sounds" with this version

Post by jpk70 » Sun Feb 27, 2011 2:07 pm

steve wrote:
jpk70 wrote:When I used the older version 1.2 I could record all sounds using "Mix stereo" recording setting.
And you are still using the same computer or a different computer? the same operating system?
jpk70 wrote:Basically I want to play my C cassette player and record i
What is a "C cassette player"?
"What is a "C cassette player"?"

Its the old way to store music :). Maybe I am getting too old... Here is one:
http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page ... uct_ID/785

It is the same computer, Windows XP. I want to record all the sounds which are currently coming from my computer. From Videos, microphones, internet radio, maybe a CD player attached to computer...etc. In 1.2 version "Mix stereo" used to do that - whatever sound I heard from the computer, it recorded it. So what is the corresponding "option" in 1.3? I cannot find "Mix stereo" -recording option on 1.3. I tried all the options on "Device toolbar" but none of them worked.

steve
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Re: How to record "all computer sounds" with this version

Post by steve » Sun Feb 27, 2011 4:35 pm

"C cassette player" - I wasn't sure if you meant some special device, but you just mean "cassette player" do you?
jpk70 wrote: I want to record all the sounds which are currently coming from my computer. From Videos, microphones, internet radio, maybe a CD player attached to computer...
There's a distinction to be made here:
Internet radio, Windows Media Player, and such like, = "sounds playing on" / "sounds coming from", your computer.
Microphones, attached CD players and the like = external devices. These may play through the computer, but the sounds do not come from the computer.

It may be possible to record external devices using "Stereo Mix", but that is not the best way to do it.
When recording external devices (such as microphones, CD players, cassette players) the sound card should be set-up to record from the input that is being used. Typically on a full size computer this will be the "Mic" input for microphones and the "Line" input for cassette players and similar equipment.

For recording sounds that are playing on your computer (such as internet radio and other audio applications that are running on the computer) it may be possible to record these by setting the sound card to record "Stereo Mix". Not all computers support the stereo mix option, but most XP machines do.

The first part of setting up the recording input for Audacity is to select the correct recording and playback "devices". Usually these will be correctly selected automatically, but can also be set manually in "Edit menu > Preferences > Devices".

Depending on the sound card drivers there may be an option in the "Mixer Toolbar" to select the specific recording input that you want to use. To enable/disable the "Mixer Toolbar" go to "View menu > Toolbars".
If no recording input options show in the Mixer Toolbar, it's because your sound card does not support the method that Audacity uses to access the sound card features, in which case you need to just set the correct recording device ("Edit menu > Preferences > Devices"), then use the sound card's mixer/control panel interface to select the specific input source. The sound card interface is usually accessible on XP via a "loudspeaker" icon near the time/date on the desktop.
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