Need help with Audacity and SoundFlower

[billw58]

My only choice I get in Audacity is "internal microphone".

This indicates that the problem may be with Audacity. Try resetting the preferences

• Go to <your home>/Library/Application Support/audacity/
  Open the file "audacity.cfg" in TextEdit
  Delete everything except the line "NewPrefsInitialized=1"
  Save your changes

Now start Audacity and go to Audacity > Preferences, Devices panel and check your options under Recording, Device. You should see Soundflower as a choice.

-- Bill

[jedi5]

Hi everyone.

Sorry to bump this old thread but like many before me, I too am having problems with AC and SF.

I followed Bill's instructions and I was able to record no problem.

I want to confirm I have this correct before I chuck both my Macbook Pro and iMac out the window...

So with AC and SF working together, while recording audio, you will NOT be able to listen the recording.
You can only listen to your record audio on playback after the recording is finished.
Is this correct?

Also, when listening to your recorded audio, the audio will play on your computer speakers, not on your external speakers?
Do I have that right as well?

[kozikowski]

<<<Also, when listening to your recorded audio, the audio will play on your computer speakers, not on your external speakers?>>>

If you're on a laptop, you plug your external speakers or sound system into the headphone connection. If you do this, it defeats the little laptop internal speakers. You only get one or the other. I know of no setting that will play both at once.

Are you using a USB sound device? Then some of the rules change.

SoundFlower provides multiple recursive sound pathways which is worse than an Agatha Christie novel to keep straight in your head. Assign SoundFlower to an output and the show magically appears at the input.

I would have bet a setting in the System Preferences let you hear what was going on, but I wouldn't be shocked if that wasn't the case.

This is the clear reason why Macs don't come with this craziness built in -- and a lot of newer Windows machines don't either. Have you been to the SoundFlower web site? They have a lot of good information about how to get the software to work including pictures.

http://cycling74.com/products/soundflower/

Koz

[Shippo]

Hey
I got this 90% working with my Mac, and it records ok, but I cant hear what I'm recording?
To note:
I dont have headphones plugged in.
I DO have the volume up.

But I cant hear what I'm recording as I'm recording it.

Any ideas?
Cheers
Shippo

[billw58]

In Audacity 1.2.x, go to Audacity > Preferences, Audio I/O tab and check "Software Playthrough".

-- Bill

[Shippo]

Hey
Thanks, that kinda works, but you can only hear the audio when you hit the record button (until you press the stop button), until that point, what is playing is silent.
Any ideas how to set it so you can hear it all the time? Then you simply hit record at the place you want to start recording?
thanks
Shippo

[kozikowski]

SoundFlower is not an application. SoundFlower is a software driver. All it does is provide the wacky sound pathways you need to record internet audio. What you do with those pathways is up to you.

What you want is exactly what my license(s) for WireTap do(es). That's an actual application and manages the sound pathways at all times, creates a helpful graphic interface, and connects with iCal, the Mac scheduling program. It's money-based software. I stopped recommending it when the latest version was almost unusable because of feature bloat.

There is a program called Audio Hijack about which I know nothing.

Koz

[billw58]

Any ideas how to set it so you can hear it all the time? Then you simply hit record at the place you want to start recording?

In Audacity 1.2.x, click the downward pointing arrow beside the microphone symbol (under the record level meters) and select "Monitor Input".

-- Bill

[kozikowski]

I think that only works once. The instant you press Stop, the pathway vanishes. I could be wrong, but I think that service is a cousin to clicking inside the Red Record Meters. That goes away after Stop as well.

I think the only way to get reliable competent continuous monitoring is go outside of Audacity.

Koz

[billw58]

I think that only works once. The instant you press Stop, the pathway vanishes. I could be wrong, but I think that service is a cousin to clicking inside the Red Record Meters. That goes away after Stop as well.

I think the only way to get reliable competent continuous monitoring is go outside of Audacity.

Koz

Correct, you need to turn monitoring back on every time you stop.

For "reliable competent continuous monitoring" check out http://www.rogueamoeba.com/freebies/ . Scroll down to "Line In". Note that if you use this you'll want to turn "Software Playthrough" off in Audacity. While you're there another neat freebie is "SoundSource". I have SoundSource in my menubar all the time - saves trips to the Sound Prefs panel.

-- Bill