Audio loopback problem

[digiday]

Greetings Audiophiles,

Just when you thought I was gone, I'm back... sorry to disappoint you, but I've had success in a couple of areas of my trials and tribulations with desktop recording in Audacity, and continued failure in another area in spite of using the hard wire method for creating a loopback from my green speaker outlet to my blue Line-In outlet.

I've had success with getting a new microphone that works with this computer and getting that part of my desktop recording project going... that was on another thread and now I have success with that, thanks to "billw" on that thread for figuring out that my other mic was proprietary to a certain few Macs.

And I had success with getting TiMidity installed and running thanks to the impeccable efforts of "steve"... that was another success here.

I gave up my efforts to embed audio files in to emails because about the only way to do that is with "Incredimail", and I don't want the Cartoon Network to assault my email recipients, so that's okay if that little endeavor didn't work out.

But after a long thread called "Can't get a device in prefs to show for recording in v1.3.12" and no success with many, many helpful attempts from many of you to solve my failure with getting streaming desktop recording going in Audacity, and all the ideas and attempts that came along with it, I temporarily gave up on that, so I'm 2 for 4 with my little desktop audio recording projects with Audacity... but I did have tremendous success using some of the great features in Audacity while creating a 5 minute and 13 second audio masterpiece titled "Strange Audio #3".

Now in an attempt to be 3 for 4, I bought the correct splitter and cable to make a loopback from my green speaker outlet to my blue Line In outlet... Radio Shack was an easy source for the correct male to double female splitter so I could still plug in my speakers, and a male to male cable to go from that splitter to the Line In outlet... that part worked out pretty easily.

But now after testing every possible combination of settings to make this work in Audacity, and with everything showing up the way that it should after setting up the easy hard-wire setup for this loopback, I'm STILL not getting any recorded sound from Audacity after multiple, multiple attempts and tests with this solution.

In a friendly effort to pre-answer any questions about what I tried, I created 3 screenshot collages, two of them consisting of 6 Audacity screenshots each, making 12 total Audacity interface screenshots, showing every possible combination of settings that I tried that are available to make this streaming audio desktop recording feature in Audacity work, along with another smaller collage of Windows system sound control panels and the volume mixer... see those screenshots below.

I can say with pretty good assurance that I've tried every combination of Audacity and system settings for this purpose.

I first tried the "MME: Line In" settings, which from my other thread on this topic, I believe I learned that was the way to go... then I tried EVERYTHING, including the "MME: Microsoft Sound Mapper" combination of settings... then I tried the "Windows Direct Sound: Line In" settings... then the "Windows Direct Sound: Primary Sound Capture" settings... taking screenshots all along the way hoping that I would stumble in to whatever would make this work... but to no avail.

The really odd thing about this is that Audacity displays track data that appears to show that it is recording audio during all of these attempts, and in most cases, the Audacity level control in the Windows system volume mixer shows that it is hearing sound coming from iTunes throughout these tests... and I did try recording content coming through my web browsers as well, with no success either.

As a testimonial to all of my efforts, I have posted the screenshots below to display all of my tests for you in a friendly effort to help with any attempts to help me and solve this dilemma so I can record a couple of radio shows for later listening via Audacity.

If anyone can suggest any tricks that will make this loopback thing work, then please let me know.

Thanks,

digiday

please scroll to see these attachments

[steve]

I think the problem is your cable. I think it's the wrong sort

Can you find a picture of the cable that you are using, or pictures of what each end of the cable looks like.

[digiday]

Hi steve,

Thanks for your reply.

Here is a quick photo of the cable and connectors... it's the right type as far as I know... it's the only kind that will fit the standard 3.5mm (1/8th inch) audio jacks on the back of most computers... the RCA cable connection style is not the type that this computer (or most I think) have on the back.

It is a 3.5mm (1/8th inch) male to double female splitter and male to male connection cable.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks allot,

digiday

See my male connectors?

[digiday]

steve,

I did notice that the icons on the Windows system audio control panels show RCA style plugs, but I just thought those were symbols for their audio connections and the style of the connector icons were probably erroneous.

Can these computers take the 3.5mm audio plug style and the RCA style connectors?

Thanks,

digiday

[steve]

Stereo 3.5mm "mini-jack" sockets are by far the most common connector on laptop PCs and on desktop / tower computers they are by far the most common for on-board sound cards and other low-end sound cards.

On higher quality sound cards (both internal and external) it is common for the connectors to be of a more reliable type such as RCA, 1/4" jack, or even XLR.

Unfortunately I think that the "splitter" that you are using is the wrong type.
That type of splitter is for splitting a stereo signal (from a stereo 3.5 mm "mini-jack" socket) into two mono 3.5 mm "mini-jack" sockets.
What you need is to "split" the stereo signal into 2 stereo signals.

If you look at the pictures of your recordings you can see that Audacity has only recorded on the left channel. The right channel is flat line because there is no signal connected to the right channel of the computer Line-In.

If you use only the lead in the picture (it's a bit small but it looks like it is "ring, tip, sleeve" stereo) to connect the line-out to line-in, then although you will not be able to hear what is being recorded, it will record.

The correct leads can be quite hard to find, but if you can use a soldering iron (or know someone that can) they are easy to make.
Each of the three ends of the lead need to have three connectors (ring, tip and sleeve) for left signal, right signal and "common" (earth).

[digiday]

Hey steve,

I think I'm following you and I did notice that Audacity was only showing one track of sound info and I just forgot to include that in my question... I guess this shows how helpful some screenshots can be in this case... glad you noticed that.

Now that I look at my little Y adaptor package, and look at it online now that I have the stock number, I can see that it is a MONO adapter, though in Spanish on the radio shack package (even though I didn't go to Mexico, Spain, South America or any other Spanish speaking country to buy it) I can now see that it says MONO... here is a screenshot of that adapter and the link to its webpage...
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... Id=2102691

Yadaptor.jpg (13.81 KiB) Viewed 2115 times

I did not find the MONO-Y adapter, above, online when I was looking at this stuff before I went to Radio Shack and bought it... there, the store employee that helped me just led me to it after I told him what I was doing.

I did find this splitter, below, before on the J&R.com website that I'd need to order that IS probably the one I want... see the photo and the link...
http://www.jr.com/product/productDetail ... TabDetails

Mto2F_3.5mmPLUGsplitter_j+r.jpg (17.71 KiB) Viewed 2115 times

I did also find this other one, below, on the Radio Shack website before, but it is a 3 way splitter with little cables, though I only need two... this one may be available locally and I just didn't think I needed that one since the guy at the store directed me to the other one...
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... Id=2102960

Mto3F_3.5mmsplitter_RS.jpg (17.31 KiB) Viewed 2115 times

Maybe Radio Shack does have a male to double female in the type that I need and the guy just didn't lead me to that one... I just thought if these had the 3.5mm type connection that they would be the right ones.

I can now see that my male to male cable does say "stereo" and the Y adapter says "MONO", though in Spanish, it is the same spelling of the word.

Well, I guess I could try it now with just the cable to see if it does work, but then I won't be able to hear what I'm recording, and that would make it very difficult to accomplish what I want until I get the correct splitter to enable the speakers at the same time.

What a pain in the arse... just when one thinks one is getting a handle on things, then another wrench is thrown in to the works.

Thanks again for seeing deeper in to my stuff than I can.

But why can't this at least produce recorded sound in the playback in one of the channels since Audacity does seem to be recording in MONO?

Thanks,

digiday

[digiday]

Now I can also see on this Y adapter package, though on the small, now torn part of the package, in English this time, below the Spanish (showing the low priority that English has in this country) it says, "1/8 inch (3.5mm) Stereo Male to Dual 1/8 inch (3.5mm) Mono Female"... even in English, that description could be a bit deceiving since the word "Stereo" comes first and one would tend to stop reading after one sees what seems to be the correct "Stereo" description that one might be looking for.

digiday

[steve]

I did find this splitter, below, before on the J&R.com website that I'd need to order that IS probably the one I want...

I would be a lot more confident if it said:

3.5MM STEREO MALE TO 2 x 3.5MM STEREO FEMALE

Probably bes to go back to the shop and specify:
"3.5 mm STEREO MALE TO 2 x 3.5 mm STEREO FEMALE"

But why can't this at least produce recorded sound in the playback in one of the channels since Audacity does seem to be recording in MONO?

This might even make you laugh. The irony is that you are recording on the LEFT channel, and you are playing back the RIGHT (silent) channel.

[digiday]

Wow, that is the most technical of technical problem troubleshooting revelations and diagnosis that I've seen or heard to date... who would have thought.

Thanks steve... you really know your stuff.

digiday

[digiday]

steve,

I guess the splitter that I need is the one in the second image that I posted above from this link at JR.com, titled "3.5MM STEREO MALE TO 3.5MM STEREO FEMALE"...
http://www.jr.com/product/productDetail ... TabDetails

Mto2F_3.5mmPLUGsplitter_j+r.jpg (17.71 KiB) Viewed 2100 times

Too bad the guy at Radio Shack didn't have, or know about, this type.

digiday