can't record from USB headset after installing audiohighjack

[katen]

Hello,
I am new to recording. I have successfully used audacity with a USB headset/microphone to record my voice giving lectures for an on-line course. I needed to record interviews in a virtual world and installed audio highjack pro to do this--works fine. But, now I can no longer use audacity to record my lectures from the headset/microphone. I do not have the option to select USB headset for input in the Audacity preferences. I have selected the headset as the default in the MIDI utilities. I can record from the microphone through audio highjack but there is a buzzing in the background. I can record from Audacity, but not from the microphone and the quality is very poor. Any suggestions? I don't need exceptional quality, but it has to be understandable without buzzing. Thanks.

[kozikowski]

Apple > System Preferences > Hardware > Sound > Input. Make sure the USB headset or USB Device is selected there instead of the Internal Microphone which it sounds like you have. Make sure the blue sound meter kicks when you talk.

Koz

[katen]

Koz, thanks for the suggestion. I do have the USB headset selected in the Apple preferences and also in the Audio/media set up in the utilities. In the Audacity preferences when I open Audacity the recording is Soundflower (2ch)--this is new since I installed Audiohighjack. The possible options are built in microphone, built in input, soundflower and display audio. There is no USB headset option. When I record, it is recording, but it is using either the display or built in microphone, not the headset. Any other thoughts?

[kozikowski]

Yeah. Wait for Billw to drop by. He's the Mac guy that uses Audio Hijack.

It's scary that you got both of those. You swear you never downloaded SoundFlower? I've used SoundFlower. I'm not terrifically in love with it, but it can be forced to work. I wonder if Audio Hijack is a wrapper program around SoundFlower. Could be. It could be fascinating since Hijack is paid software and SoundFlower isn't.

Now you know why I didn't like SoundFlower. It takes over the Mac pathways and it's not crystal clear what you're recording and when.

I went the WireTap route, but the last version of that program is very awkward and slow to use. Not in love any more with that, either.

Koz

[billw58]

Audio Hijack installs Soundflower for you. It's not a wrapper for Soundflower - it does way more stuff.

I have Soundflower and Audio Hijack Pro (AHP) installed and have had no problem connecting and using my USB mic.

In Preferences > Devices > Recording I can see: Built-in Audio; USB mic; SoundFlower (2 ch); SoundFlower (16 ch).

Did you install the "instant hijack" module? If so, that installs an application enhancer. It will show up in System Preferences > Other as "APE" or "APE Manager". I took it off my system as it is a "haxie" and does things that Apple doesn't recommend. It is only useful for the "instant hijack" function that allows AHP to hijack a running application. Without it AHP has to quit and relaunch the application, which I don't mind. To remove APE, click on the icon in System Preferences and look for the "uninstall" option. You will have to restart.

To get rid of Soundflower and Instant Hijack, in AHP go to "Audio Hijack Pro > Install Extras". There will be three tabs at the top of the window - Instant Hijack, Soundflower, and Schedule Helper. Each tab has an "uninstall" button. Uninstall Instant Hijack and Soundflower.

Now you've cleaned that stuff out, try again with your headset.

PS: I note that you are in the 1.2.x forum. This could just be a problem with 1.2.6. You might want to consider downloading and trying 1.3.9.

-- Bill

[katen]

Billw58,
Thanks so much! Removing instant highjack did the trick. I removed Soundflower as well but then couldn't capture the system sound which I need to record interviews in virtual worlds. But when I reinstalled Soundflower without the instant highjack I still have the USB headset/mic option. Your help is much appreciated.
katen

[kozikowski]

<<<Audio Hijack installs Soundflower for you.>>>

So. Ummmm. Why am I paying for Hijack if it's just going to install SoundFlower, which which I don't get along particularly well, anyway? The advantage of SoundFlower, aside from its price, is its simplicity. That was the advantage of WireTap before they "fixed it."

WireTap would get to the end of a recording session and produce a WAV file on my desktop. Done.

The new one assumes, incorrectly, that I want to edit the file in WireTap's own internal sound editor using the internal proprietary sound file format. I very nearly missed a production deadline because I couldn't figure out how to get the stupid show out of the software. They changed the goal. I didn't change mine.

I'm tempted to try and get my licensing fee back just to see how they react. No, dear, I didn't buy the program, I'm licensing it from you and I want to stop.

Koz

[billw58]

<<<Audio Hijack installs Soundflower for you.>>>
So. Ummmm. Why am I paying for Hijack if it's just going to install SoundFlower, which which I don't get along particularly well, anyway? The advantage of SoundFlower, aside from its price, is its simplicity.

As noted, you can uninstall Soundflower from within Audio Hijack. The installation process may even give you that option up front. Audio Hijack does way more than "put a wrapper" around Soundflower. Record the output of any application straight to disc, and encode to MP3 on the fly if you want. Works in the background. Can mute what it is recording without affecting anything else on your system. I've used it to record the output of Safari while simultaneously editing in Audacity. It did all this before Soundflower was included in the package.

-- Bill