Tutorial - Recording Computer Playback on Windows
- Peter 23Sep13: The WASAPI text looks ok - but the WDM-KS looks a little thin to me. We maybe need to add to the second para. in the intro note to mention the use of WASAPI loopback.
- Peter 3Oct13: WDM-KS host has been removed wef 2.0.5 alpha r12630 2Oct13.
- Peter 7Oct13: WDM-KS host will not be in 2.0.5, removed the P1.
- On Windows XP and 2000, Audacity relies on your computer sound device providing an input for recording computer playback, typically called "Stereo Mix" or "What U Hear". This input can be chosen in Audacity's Device Toolbar. If there is no such input, you can use other methods such as a loopback cable as described below.
- On Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8, sound devices often lack a "Stereo Mix" or similar input, or it must be specially enabled in the Windows "Sound" Control Panel. On these operating systems, you can also choose Windows WASAPI host and the "(loopback)" input choice in Device Toolbar. This will record computer playback even if the computer sound device lacks its own input to do this.
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Copyright or web site restrictions may prevent you recording or distributing material. Check first. |
Choosing the input in Audacity
- Peter 20Nov13: Done.
- Gale 20Nov13: ToDo Thanks, Peter, Unfortunately the image was too wide (I could not see the recording channels at 1024x768 without scrolling) so I resized it which makes it look worse. My main computer has "Speakers and Headphones" so that image is even wider. I will see if I can get an image from my netbook that may fit without resizing.
- Peter 21Nov13: Yes, that's the best I could manage with showing the full "loopback" text - I'll try on Mrs WC's laptops when they come home for the weekend)
Choose the sound device's input for recording computer playback in the third (Input Device) box of Device Toolbar. The Input Device box is selected (blue) in the Windows XP image below:
You can also choose this input device at Recording Device in Devices Preferences.
If the computer's sound device provides an input for recording computer playback, choose its name. It could be called "Stereo Mix", "Wave Out", "Sum", "What U Hear", "Loopback" or other names. The exact name and whether such an input is available depends entirely on the drivers of your sound device. Also Audacity will not see this input unless it is enabled in the Windows Control Panel.
On Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8 only you can choose the Windows WASAPI host (in the first box in Device Toolbar) and then the (loopback) input in the Input Device box. Choose the loopback input for the computer sound device you will be listening to (for example, "Speakers (loopback)" ). The loopback input records computer playback even if your sound device lacks its own stereo mix or similar input.
Note that on many devices the Mixer Toolbar input volume slider will be grayed out when selecting the Windows WASAPI host, and even if not grayed out, the device may not support Audacity or the system input slider adjusting its volume. So to control the recording level, adjust the output level of the audio. This is best done in the application that is playing the audio, for example the video or audio player on the web site you are recording from. Even if the Audacity output slider is able to control the volume of the audio you hear while recording, it will not affect the level you record at.
ToDo-2 will need to restore this if and when WDM-KS support is added back to Audacity.
- Advanced: You can view information about the other Device Toolbar audio hosts here. WDM-KS may suffer from low input level when recording computer playback.
Exit Audacity and continue reading below if you do not see an input for recording computer playback.
Windows Control Panel for sounds
Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 computers almost always only have microphone inputs enabled by default. Earlier Windows systems may also need the input for recording computer playback to be made visible before Audacity can use it. To show or enable inputs, launch the sound device control panel from the Windows Control Panel or from the system tray (by the clock).
- Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8
- Right-click over the by the system clock then choose to open the Recording tab of "Sound".
- Right-click anywhere inside the Recording tab and choose "Show disabled devices" then right-click again and choose "Show Disconnected Devices".
- Right-click specifically over the input device you want to record with (in this case "Stereo Mix" or whatever alternative you have), and if visible, choose "Enable".
- Sometimes it helps to right-click over the "stereo mix" or similar device again and choose "Set as Default Device".
- If you need more help, see these Wiki instructions for Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8.
- Windows XP or earlier
- Right-click over the by the system clock then choose .
- In "Sounds and Audio Devices Properties" or similar, click on the , then in the , select the "Default device" you are trying to record from (this will probably be the name of your built-in sound device).
- Click the button.
- If you can see a stereo mix or similar option, try clicking in its box to select it.
- Otherwise, choose then .
- In the window that appears, click the "Recording" radio button, then in "Show the following volume controls", click in the box for stereo mix or similar, then "OK".
- If you need more help, see these Wiki instructions for Windows XP.
RealTek and other sound card control panels
If you still have no stereo mix input in Windows, sometimes this input can be enabled in the sound card's own control panel, especially with older RealTek devices. The sound card's own control panel can be found in the Windows Control Panel. Hints for RealTek control panels:
- Some panels "select" an input by muting all but one, so in this case, mute everything except Stereo Mix
- If you don't see Stereo Mix, click the wrench or spanner icon and enable Stereo Mix in the dialog that appears
- In some panels the option to choose is "Enabled recording multi-streaming"
- You should now see a volume control for Stereo Mix; make sure it is selected or unmuted.
Updating sound device drivers
If there is still no suitable input, try updating the sound device drivers for your sound card. This can sometimes produce an additional input for recording computer playback, and may fix other problems such as poor quality or skipping.
Loopback cable
An alternative method of recording audio playing on the computer is to buy a cable with 1/8 inch (3.5 mm) stereo connectors at each end. Suitable cables are available from almost any audio retailer. Connect one end of the cable to the computer's audio output (green) and the other end to the line-in input (blue). Then choose the line-in as input device in Audacity.
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Connecting to the microphone input (red) may produce mono sound or poor quality. |
Alternative programs for recording computer playback
You can use other programs to record computer playback that do not rely on the computer sound device having this ability. These programs will make an audio file which can then be imported into Audacity for editing.
All the options below grab the audio digitally from the application producing the sound. This has advantages over stereo mix recording. Lossy digital-analog-digital conversions are avoided and also unwanted system beeps and alerts are not captured.
- SoundLeech is a free program running from the system tray. It records to lossless WAV format only.
- TotalRecorder is a low cost recording package. Internet streams can optionally be captured at faster than real time rates (monitoring is not available in that mode).
External sound cards
A further alternative is an external USB sound card with a "Stereo Mix" type of option. An example known to work on all versions of Windows is "Trust Sound Expert External". Not all USB sound cards offer a Stereo Mix option, so read the specifications carefully before purchasing.
