Export in wav only includes certain tracks/stereo-mono probl

[MississippiAcoustics]

Hello
I'm a new user so thanks for your patience. I am using Audacity 2.x on Windows 7. I have been recording using a DMX 6 Fire Wire sound card/premix linked by USB cable to my SONY portable computer.

When I record drum rythmns in real time from my Yamaha Clavinova 407 using a cable going from the LR connexion to the Fire Wire, I automatically get two perfect L& R signals on a stereo channel.

When I record my voice using an XLR cable from the Mic and choosing stereo, only one channel shows - the other is empty. When I choose mono, it creates a normal voice channel, but I can't adjust the stero balance anymore. This is also the case when n recording on the guitar and bass guitar.

I am able to hear all of my tracks (drum, voice, guitar, bass) when my headset is connected to the Fire Wire. I can only hear the voice and drum track when using the computer playback.

When I created an export WAV file, only the voice (from a mono track) and drums (from a stero track) can be heard. The guitar and bass recorded in stereo showing only the R speaker have disappeared from the WAV file.

I did check my computer sound card which enables FireWire and Audacity to kick in when I am using them, and I also have enabled stereo and been careful to make sure that 44 100 HZ and 32 bit is systematically chosen on all my hardware and software.

Probably something obvious that a beginner misses?

thanks

Anne

[Gale Andrews]

Please always tell us your version of Audacity (all three numbers, see the pink panel at the top of the page). If it really says 2.x then it is a bogus version. Always download Audacity from our official site: http://audacityteam.org/download/.

When I record my voice using an XLR cable from the Mic and choosing stereo, only one channel shows - the other is empty.

When I choose mono, it creates a normal voice channel, but I can't adjust the stero balance anymore. This is also the case when n recording on the guitar and bass guitar

Where is the XLR cable connected? To the Firewire device? If so that is correct. You can use the L....R pan slider on the track to pan it in the stereo field and it will then export as a stereo track.

I am able to hear all of my tracks (drum, voice, guitar, bass) when my headset is connected to the Fire Wire. I can only hear the voice and drum track when using the computer playback.

When I created an export WAV file, only the voice (from a mono track) and drums (from a stero track) can be heard. The guitar and bass recorded in stereo showing only the R speaker have disappeared from the WAV file.

Use the Solo and Mute buttons on the tracks to adjust the tracks you hear.

When you export, muted tracks are not exported.


Gale

[MississippiAcoustics]

Thank you for your message Gale. I am using Audacity 2.1.1 and it was downloaded from the official site.

I plug the XLR into the Fire wire. The fire wire also has a screen where I can visualize the channels including a button for Mono which I did not select. When playing, I can see activity on the L& R channel viewer on the fire wire

There is actually nothing to pan from L to R using the stereo track on Audacity. I only have the right channel showing and it's only going through the right side of the headset. As for the solo and mute buttons, they were not activated for the creation of the wave file and I can hear the tracks very clearly through the headsets. I redid a wave file just mechanically going through all these points again, and I still have a wav file missing tracks.

Two ideas:

1. do I have to do mix and render to a new track to get a proper WAV file? I didn't do that...
2. perhaps there is something wrong about the firewire inputs. If a drum track from the piano automatically records in stereo using a channel, then why does using a microphone or guitar cable suddenly change that ?

I have appreciated your time and help.

I

[Gale Andrews]

There is actually nothing to pan from L to R using the stereo track on Audacity. I only have the right channel showing and it's only going through the right side of the headset.

If you have chosen to record in stereo with the empty channel, then you can use the Audio Track Dropdown Menu to Split Stereo to Mono, then use the [X] top left of the upper track to close that silent track. Then the L....R slider will pan that track and will create a stereo track on Export.

The Mute button in Audacity does not affect recording, only export.

If a drum track from the piano automatically records in stereo using a channel, then why does using a microphone or guitar cable suddenly change that ?

Presumably the cable from the piano has a stereo TRS plug?


Gale