Audacity Forum

When i play to a backing track with my guitar whilst recording, the track that's recording my guitar has no blue stuff, why? It won't record.

the settings are wrong, or the cables are wrong, or .....
now tell us ALL about your equipment and software and how its connected and all the options you have set and maybe we can help you better.

Which version of Linux are you using? Is it a standard or customised installation?

Ubadood wrote:When i play to a backing track with my guitar whilst recording, the track that's recording my guitar has no blue stuff, why? It won't record.

By blue stuff I'd guess you're talking about the waveform...
What recording device have you selected in the preferences? What recording device are you using? Are you using a mic connected to the computer? Some preamp in the middle? USB? Line-in? Without knowing any of these will be hard to provide you any help...

stevethefiddle wrote:Which version of Linux

This expression always gives me tickles...

"Linux" as a single word, correctly refers to the kernel (the core part of the system). "Linux version" would refer to the kernel version (latest stable is 2.6.33.2). The linux kernel by itself alone does not make a working system, you'll need some other utilities, most of them developed by GNU, hence the more correct "GNU/Linux" expression to refer to a fully working system based on the Linux kernel.

Then you have an huge amount of the so called "distributions" (often referred in the short version "distro"), such as Debian, Ubuntu, Redhat, etc... These are not linux versions These are linux distributions - a compilation of several other pieces of software (such as Audacity), beside the linux kernel. These distros will (usually) provide an easier way of installing and managing a fully working system.

I often see ppl saying things like "I have installed Linux version 9". Well there is no such thing as linux version 9. They probably mean to say something like "I have installed Ubuntu version 9", which has a completely different meaning!

There was a time when we (linux gurus) would download the linux kernel directly from kernel.org and compile it (how painful that could be in old systems...) because we needed that recently added driver to make our sound card (or some other part of the hardware) work. Nowadays almost nobody really cares much about linux kernel version and many distros provide their own patched versions of the "vanilla" kernel and are smart enough to automatically manage all that without bothering the user about it...

Sorry for the off-topic

Hi, thanks for the reply's I've noticed that this problem only happens when I use a specific backing track, weird.

I'm using my guitar going like this: Guitar -> Boss ME-25 (Has phones/line out) -> Laptop line in.
I'm using Ubuntu.
This problem hasn't been there since I first started using the specific backing track.
And I'm recording my guitar over the backing track (So the backing track is playing whilst I record)
No effects used in audacity.

How do you play the backing track? Do you open it in Audacity and then record with the overdub option on? Or are you playing the track on some other player while recording in audacity?

It's all audacity, I use overdub.

I'm assuming Audacity 1.3.x here.

On Audacity go to preferences -> devices and tell us what interface/playback/recording devices you have selected there.

Try this: with no backing tracks open in audacity try to record, does it work? If so, then delete de track you just recorded and from the file menu -> import -> audio, select the backing track that gives you problems. Try to record again. Does it work?

Also in View Menu -> Toolbars, if not already enabled, enable mixer and meters toolbars. Then on the meters toolbar, click on the arrow next to the mic icon and select start monitoring. You should start seeing some action in the meter's bars. Make some sound near the mic. You should see the bars going up. If not check the input volume level in the mixer toolbar (btw is this one locked to max and grayed out?). Keep an eye on the meters before, after and while recording (with and without the backing track).

Try to describe the exact steps you take to reproduce the erroneous behaviour.

Hello,

I am using Audacity 1.3.12 on an HP dv2710 laptop running PCLinuxOS 2010 Gnome 2.30.2. I had the software running OK for one session. Now, it neither detects the onboard microphone, nor does it detect the line in for the wireless mic we connect to record audio. I can't seem to find any way to get Audacity to detect either one. No waveform in the panel when we click on record, nothing. What am I doing wrong? Any insights would be appreciated. Thank you.