Recording with Audio Edit Magic

Tip: You might be able to convert your sound card to a DirectSound-compatible full-duplex sound card by installing the latest version of the sound driver for your sound card. Contact the manufacturer of your sound card to inquire about how to obtain and install the latest version of the sound driver for your sound card.

Recording from a Microphone

Most sound cards can receive sound input from a microphone through the sound card microphone port. This is useful for recording voice or sounds directly to your computer.

  1. Check your hardware. If your microphone has never worked, or it stopped working, first check the physical connection of the microphone. Verify that it is firmly plugged into the microphone port instead of the headphone or speaker port.

    Tip: If you are not sure which port is correct, you can check the sound card to see if it is marked. Sometimes the sound card has a picture of a microphone. Otherwise, you can use a process of elimination, check the documentation that came with your hardware, or contact the hardware manufacturer.

  2. Open Audio Edit Magic.
  3. Choose "Options" > "Input Device" On the main menu. Click Mic, or Microphone.
  4. Adjust the recording volume for the highest possible performance. To do this, adjust the slider bars.
  5. Click the Record button and then speak into the microphone.
  6. If the microphone is plugged into the correct jack, the wave patterns on the display should move up and down. If it does not move, sound is not going to your microphone. If the wave moves, click the Stop button, and then click the Play button to listen to your recording.
  7. Click File > Save or Save As. This saves the audio data from the microphone as a WAV, MP3, or WMA file.

Recording from Videotape

You can extract the audio from a videotape and then convert it to MP3 or WAV files.

  1. Connect the left and right audio-out terminals on the VCR to the line-in or microphone terminal on the sound card.
  2. Open Audio Edit Magic.
  3. Choose "Options" > "Input Device" On the main menu. Click  Line-in or Mic.
  4. Adjust the recording volume for the highest possible performance. To do this, adjust the slider bars.
  5. Click Play on the VCR.
  6. Click the Record button. You should see a wave pattern display of the audio as it is playing.

    Caution:

  7. If you are satisfied with the recording effect, then stop the recording test by clicking Stop button.
  8. Rewind the tape and start the playback from the point you want to record.
  9. In Audio Edit Magic, click the Record button and stand by.
  10. When you want to stop recording, click the Stop button.
  11. Click File > Save or Save As. This saves the videotape data as an MP3 or WAV file.

Recording from an Application or Streaming Audio from the Internet

  1. Open Audio Edit Magic.
  2. Choose "Options" > "Input Device" On the main menu. Click  device the Wave device.
  3. Adjust the recording volume for the highest possible performance. To do this, adjust the slider bars.
  4. Start the playback of the WinAmp or the streaming audio from the Internet.
  5. In Audio Edit Magic window, click the Record button.
  6. Adjust the volume setting while observing a wave pattern display of the audio as it plays.

    Tip: You can pause the recording by clicking the Stop button at any time. Start again by clicking the Record button.

  7. To stop recording, click the Stop button.
  8. Click File > Save or Save As. This saves the sound file to MP3, WMA, or WAV formats.
  9. Now start the playback of the WinAmp or the streaming audio from Internet and click the Record button in the Audio Editor. Adjust the volume setting while observing a wave pattern display of the audio as it is plays.
  10. To stop recording, click the Stop button.
  11. Click File > Save or Save As. This saves the audio data.

Using a Sound Card Mixer for Windows

If you cannot locate your sound card as an input device in Audio Edit Magic, you can use the Windows Volume Control instead.

  1. In the Taskbar tray, in the lower right corner of the computer screen, double-click the speaker icon. The Volume Control dialog box appears.

    Tips:

  2. You can control which sound card speaker-input controls appear in the Volume Control window. In the Volume Control window, click Options > Properties.
  3. Select the controls that you want to appear.
  4. For each speaker-input shown, you can see a Volume slider and Mute checkbox, and perhaps other controls for balance, and so forth. The Volume slider controls the loudness for that particular speaker input and Mute turns it off completely.

    Important: The Volume Control dialog box only sets options for speaker output and does not control recording. Do not clear the checkbox for the Microphone Mute control and turn up the microphone volume. If you do this, the Audio Editor cannot record from the microphone.

  5. Click Options > Properties again.
  6. Select Recording and select all the controls. The Volume Control dialog box is replaced by Record Control.
  7. For each recording input, you can click a Select checkbox and adjust Volume slider. Do one of the following:
  8. If the recording volume is too low, turn up the appropriate Volume slider.

    Tip: Sometimes you might wish to record streaming audio. Many modern sound cards present a recording input called Wave (Stereo mixer) that may work. Several sound cards also offer a recording input called What U Hear or a similar name, that records anything that can be heard over the computer speakers.


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