Audacity 1.3.12 beta on Ubuntu

[tenaru87]

I just downloaded Audacity...but can't get it to hear my microphone. I've been following the tutorial...and have tried every possible combination in the preferences...but still no luck. Hopefully this is a simple question that someone can answer! ..I assume it's simple, anyway.

[steve]

Do any applications hear your microphone?
Do you have PulseAudio Volume Control installed? (pavucontrol is available in the repository)

[tenaru87]

Yes, I do hear the mic on my speakers..and I do have the pulse audio volume control installed. (thanks for the reply!)

[steve]

Yes, I do hear the mic on my speakers..

How do you do that?

[bgravato]

Which host/devices have you select in Preferences -> Devices ?

[tenaru87]

Thanks for the help. I can hear my mic in the speakers when I tap on the microphone. But it doesn't register on Audacity when I hit the record button. By the way, I have an e-machines computer, running Ubuntu..I think 10.3 (?) (a purple sign-on screen). As for the mic..it's a Power Module by audio-technica..professional lavalier (sp?) mic I've used over the years when conducting interviews. The options for preferences and combinations I've used: from the Audacity edit/preferences/devices,besides "default," I've used each of the options for Recording Device, i.e. pulse, and both HDA Intel options (hw: 0,2) and (hw:0,0)...and run through each of the options in Playback Device on each of the Recording Device options. I've even tried the OSS option on Host. But, to no avail. And I've tried both stereo and mono ('though I believe it should be mono).

[steve]

Set the recording input device in Audacity to "pulse", then press the record button.
It should start recording, but I presume the "recording" is just a flat line?

If so, press the Pause button, then open pavucontrol.
Look in the "Recording" tab and you should see Audacity listed. Is it there?

If Audacity shows up in the recording tab of pavucontrol, which device does it say is being used?
What are the other options?
Ensure that the mute button is not selected.

While you have pavucontrol open, go to the Input Devices tab.
Is the sound card that you want to use listed?
If it is, is the volume turned up?
Does the meter below the sliders move when you tap the microphone?

[bgravato]

If so, press the Pause button, then open pavucontrol.

I'd like to put the emphasis on Pause... as in not-stop...
If you press stop audacity connections to pulse will be closed and it won't show on pavucontrol.
If audacity is in pause mode that the connections will remain active...

[tenaru87]

Well, thanks, Steve. In Pulse Audio, the volume control shows nothing under Recording, but I selected Microphone 2 under input devices..and that did the trick. It's showing up well, though the volume does seem rather low. (could be a weak battery?) But that seemed to do it. Thanks so much!

Rick

[bgravato]

Try to adjust the input volume of the mic on pulse volume control. Some soundcards have an option to "boost" the mic volume (usually by 20dB). Though it will boost noise too...