Muffled recording of PC playback, only 1 common in/out port

[senginc]

I have an Asus 1000 PXD Netbook running windows 7 starter
It has only 1 connector (jack) for audio input/ output. I think there is no way to defeat the internal microphone and this is maybe the reason for the strange muffled/ warbly recordings from any internal audio source (Winamp or Youtube, etc.)
I have tried the new Beta version also and still no luck. I have used Audacity many times on my XP desktops without this strange problem.
I have tried all the combinations of inputs and outputs offered through Audacity. And no, I don't have noise suppression or echo cancellation on.
I have tried plugging an audio cable in the lone jack and selected each of the 3 choices (headphone, speaker, mic) and no luck.
Does anyone have a solution.

[Gale Andrews]

I split this to a new topic as the one you posted to was about microphone recording and I believe you want to record computer playback.

Please follow these steps to see if you have a "stereo mix", "what u hear", "wave out" or similar device for recording computer playback:
http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Mixer ... es#vistacp

Neither recording from the internal mic or connecting the audio out to mic (red) port will give you good quality recording. If you do the latter, obviously you have to select the external mic port as the input source in the Audacity Device Toolbar.

Definitely use 1.3.13 Beta, not 1.2.6.


Gale

[kozikowski]

The first thing users want to do is record YouTube and other music sources, and it's the last thing manufacturers and producers want. So they hide it, buried further and further down the menu stack -- and some computers leave it out altogether.

http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Recor ... e_computer
http://wiki.audacityteam.org/index.php? ... trol_Panel

If all that uncovering and revealing fails, you may need actual capture software like Total Recorder. There's another Windows software package we recommend that I need to find.

Here it is. Freecorder, although Freecorder seems to force you to save work in MP3 which makes further production and dubbing much lower quality.

Koz

[senginc]

I split this to a new topic as the one you posted to was about microphone recording and I believe you want to record computer playback.
Neither recording from the internal mic or connecting the audio out to mic (red) port will give you good quality recording. If you do the latter, obviously you have to select the external mic port as the input source in the Audacity Device Toolbar.

Definitely use 1.3.13 Beta, not 1.2.6.


Gale

I am not trying to record with a mic. The point I am trying to make is the Asus netbook is constructed so that the input & output has only one common jack (unlike a desktop and most laptops).
The only choice offered for recording is the mic and it is on by default. If you mute the mic, you also mute the recording input to Audacity.
Therefore with the mic active you get the feedback type garbled recordings. When using my desktops there is no mic plugged into the mic input. I tried plugging an extension cable into the one common jack and this makes the computer prompt you to select what you want to use the jack (audio port) for (mic, headphone, speaker out). Any one of those choices leaves you with a muted input to Audacity.

[Gale Andrews]

I am not trying to record with a mic. The point I am trying to make is the Asus netbook is constructed so that the input & output has only one common jack (unlike a desktop and most laptops).
The only choice offered for recording is the mic and it is on by default. If you mute the mic, you also mute the recording input to Audacity.
Therefore with the mic active you get the feedback type garbled recordings. When using my desktops there is no mic plugged into the mic input. I tried plugging an extension cable into the one common jack and this makes the computer prompt you to select what you want to use the jack (audio port) for (mic, headphone, speaker out). Any one of those choices leaves you with a muted input to Audacity.

I'm sorry if there was a misunderstanding, but I thought you meant there was only one input port and one output port. I had not heard of Windows netbooks before with only one port that becomes an input or output according to what you plug into it (I have a low end netbook with separate input and output ports and looked at many such before buying my current one).

Anyway, attaching a cable is obviously not a solution in your case for recording computer playback. You need to see if there is a "stereo mix" device on the computer for recording computer playback (note, this is not a physical port and doesn't depend on one). Please confirm if you have looked at http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Mixer ... es#vistacp and followed the instructions to open "Sound" in the Windows Control Panel, then shown the disabled devices and enabled all the devices.

Also look in the Windows Control Panel if the sound device has its own control panel. Sometimes there will be a way there to enable recording of computer playback.

Also consider Freecorder as Koz suggested:
http://applian.com/freecorder4/download.php

If you only want to record as MP3 and not edit the recordings it is a convenient solution. Freecorder sits in the web browser. As well as recording anything playing on the computer it can download YouTube videos direct to your computer.


Gale

[senginc]

Oops! I forgot to right click to show Disabled Devices. I found the Stereo Mix, enabled it and then disabled the microphone (since my mic is internal it can't be unplugged).
And yes it now works as it should.
Many thanks!

[steve]

If you have Realtek HD audio manager installed you have just about complete control of all the input and output ports on the rear and front of your PC case.

Sadly that is not always the case. I have seen radically different interfaces for controlling Realtek HD audio. Some have been as you say, easy to use and very comprehensive. Others have been appalling. On the other hand, I have personally never had problems with Creative sound cards (though I've only used their internal sound cards and not their USB devices). I guess that to some extent it is the luck of the draw.