Input Level Slider moves around on its own (SOLVED)

[ryan4sc]

I am on v1.3.12-beta and have been using Audacity for a long time. On my Windows Vista machine I have a USB mixing board connected to my computer where I run my microphone and headphones out of.

One issue I am seeing is my Input Level Slider will move depending on how loud my input is. If I am playing a quiet file on the computer, the slider starts to go up, giving an audio boost. But then if I begin to speak in the microphone, now that the slider is higher my input levels are higher than they were when I spoke the first time.

I searched around and couldn't find an answer to this. How can I set that input slider or lock it so it won't auto adjust like that?

I was using a Windows 7 machine before and it did not adjust itself like this machine is.

[kozikowski]

Windows may be trying to help you out. Windows defaults to conference mode where it tries to echo cancel and auto level set. You can turn that off and the problem should go away.

http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/FAQ: ... hancements

That's the most likely villain.

Koz

[steve]

Another possibility is if you have Skype or other audio conferencing software running in the background.

[Gale Andrews]

I am on v1.3.12-beta and have been using Audacity for a long time.

1.3.13 came out in April so I strongly recommend you to upgrade, and also subscribe to our announcements list:
http://audacityteam.org/#announce .

Please let us know what Windows or sound device setting was affecting this (I think it is a little unusual for the slider to actually move, but different inputs do have their own settings for level).


Gale

[ryan4sc]

I am using Skype in the background. I am recording phone conversations for interviews on a podcast. Would it be some settings on Skype?

I will upgrade to the newsest version also. Thanks!

[kozikowski]

It's difficult or impossible to gracefully record Skype in Audacity. Skype insists on the supervisory role in order to maintain a clear conversation, and that frequently messes up other recording software.

The recommended software for this is Pamela Business or Pamela Professional (not the other two) or Total Recorder.

Many high quality podcasts don't record Skype at all. Each side of the conversation records their own very high quality voice in their own computer and just uses Skype for coordination. Then one side emails or FTPs their voice track to the other and mixes them together into a finished show. It sounds like both people are in the same room having a conversation and not gargling, bubbling and fading with dropouts.

If you do a reasonable job with microphones and a quiet room(s), it can sound very top end.

Koz

[kozikowski]

Google Recording Skype with Audacity. There was a YouTube video going around a while ago that used an odd condition of speakers and microphone to do a recording. I don't think they were after theatrical/entertainment quality, though.

Koz

[ryan4sc]

I think I figured this out. In the Skype settings there is a check box that allows automatic adjustment of microphone and/or speaker levels. I had that box for the microphone checked. Once I unchecked that, I am now not seeing that level slider move.

And for anyone who wants to record with Skype and Audacity, I have been doing it for a long time and I think it works great. I pay $3 a month for skype to phone calls and I end up calling my guests' phones and doing interviews that way.

Thanks for the help!

[steve]

In the Skype settings there is a check box that allows automatic adjustment of microphone and/or speaker levels. I had that box for the microphone checked. Once I unchecked that, I am now not seeing that level slider move.

Excellent, I thought it might be that.
I'll mark this as solved.

And for anyone who wants to record with Skype and Audacity, I have been doing it for a long time and I think it works great.

You are one of the lucky minority. Getting decent results recording Skype conversations with Audacity is very dependent on the hardware - in particular the sound card and sound card drivers. For the majority of users the best option is to use specialist software such as Pamela or Total Recorder. Even for lucky users such as you (and me ) specialist software still has an advantage in that the two sides of the conversation can be recorded on separate channels of a stereo track. This means that you have your voice on one side (left or right) and the other person on the other. The advantage of this is that you can then split the stereo track into two mono tracks and edit/process the two tracks separately (really useful if the person on the other end speaks really quietly).