You've bought the best sound card for your computer, plugged it into some great speakers, and now you get beautiful sound. But how can you capture the sounds you find on the internet or that you compose yourself? Here are some ways.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Record to Computer from Sound Card
Step 1. This may be the most difficult method, due to attempts by producers to tackle copyright infringement
Many modern operating systems and the sound tools available to the user prevent this.
You may be able to do this by downloading older drivers, but you may encounter compatibility problems with new operating systems and programs
Step 2. For this tutorial, we will be using an open source program called Audacity
Other audio recording and editing programs offer more or less the same functionality.
Method 2 of 5: Software Method in the Windows Environment
Step 1. Select your audio source
You can find them in the Device Bar, in Device Settings. If you can't select any device, you may need to activate it using the sound card control panel, as shown below.
Step 2. Show hidden devices
Right click on the Registration tab and select Show disabled devices.
Right click again and select Show unconnected devices.
Step 3. Connect the necessary cables
If your sound card has a physical input, such as a microphone input or line in, connect the required cable as shown in the manual.
Step 4. Enable your recording device
Right click on the device you want to use and choose Skills.
- Right click again and select Set as default device.
- Right click again, select Property and then the card Levels, and make sure the volume is adjusted well.
Step 5. Disable all VoIP enhancements
Also disable all other sound effects, if they are not essential to the functioning of your sound card.
- Right click on Microphone and select Property, then look for the card Improvements where you can choose Turn off all sound effects.
- On Windows 7, click on the tab Communications. Under When Windows detects communication activity:, you choose No action.
- If you often make internet calls, right click on the microphone and choose Set as the default communication device.
Step 6. Adjust the sampling rate
Right click on the recording device, select Property, then click on the tab Advanced and verify that the Default format is equal to the speed of the project (bottom left of the Audacity screen), and the number of recording channels in the Devices Audacity Settings. Click on OK.
Step 7. Set your default device
In the Sounds control panel, click on the tab Reproduction, right click on the speakers or headphones connected to your video card and select Default device or Default communication device.
Step 8. Match the formats
Right click and select Property, then the card Advanced, and choose Default format to apply the settings checked in step 7.
Method 3 of 5: Hardware Method in the Windows Environment
Step 1. Connect a cable
Connect a cable with a mini connector from the output of your sound card (the green port) to the input (line-in, the blue port).
Step 2. Select Line In as the recording source
- All sounds from your computer will be recorded, including system sounds such as alarms and warnings. If you wish not to register them, you should deactivate them.
- Use a single-to-dual stereo adapter on the output port, then connect the input port to one side of the adapter a single-to-single stereo cable and to the other side of the headphones, to check what you are recording.
Method 4 of 5: Method for Macintosh
Step 1. Install Soundflower
[Soundflower] is a free and open source system extension for Mac OS X (10.2 and later) that allows applications to stream audio to other applications.
Step 2. Click the Free Download button
You will be redirected to a download page. Choose the version that fits your hardware and operating system.
When the download is done, install the application
Step 3. Run Soundflowerbed
You can find it in the Soundflower folder, and when you start it a flower icon will appear on the right of your menu bar.
Step 4. Open the Sounds control panel
From Apple Menu, select Sound preferences …
Step 5. Choose the exit
Click on the tab Output, then select Soundflower (2ch) from the output list.
Step 6. Redirect System Sounds
Click on the tab Sound effects, and from the drop-down menu Play system alerts and sounds from:
you choose Outgoing line or Integrated speakers according to your setup, then close the window.
Step 7. Set Soundflower and Audio preferences
Click the Soundflower icon in the menu bar, and select Integrated inline output in the Soundflower section (2ch). Make sure the channel (16ch) is up None (Off).
Step 8. Open the Audio MIDI settings
From the menu Soundflower, select Audio Setup … and from the Audio MIDI settings menu bar select Window> Show Audio Window.
Step 9. Set the input
From the list of outputs on the left, choose Soundflower (2ch). Click on the button Input.
- Select the Format desired for the sample rate. The default format is 44100Hz (CD Quality).
- Adjust the master volume and channels 1 and 2 to a value of 1.
Step 10. Set the output
Click on the button Output and adjust the settings as follows.
- Select the Format equal to the input one. The default format is 44100Hz.
- Adjust the master volume and channels 1 and 2 to a value of 1.
Step 11. Open Audacity, and from the Devices bar, select Soundflower (2ch) as the recording device
Step 12. Hit the red record button when you're ready to capture sounds
Method 5 of 5: Record on Another Device
Step 1. Use the computer output
If it is not possible to record to the internal sound card for whatever reason, there is still a way to record the sound of your computer, using an external device connected to the output of your computer.
Step 2. Plug it in
Connect a stereo cable (a stereo mini connector usually) between your computer's sound card output port (the green port), and the input of the external device. Eg:
- MP3 recorder.
- Android smartphone or iPhone.
- A professional registration system.
- A second computer.
Step 3. Activate the recording on the external device, and capture the sounds
As well as the hardware method described above, all computer sounds will be recorded, including system sounds such as warnings and alarms. You can deactivate them if you want before registering
Advice
- The sound quality will be better if you import audio from CD or DVD.
- Thanks to anti-piracy laws, the Windows Sound Recorder records only 60 seconds of sound.
- If your software allows it, turn off playback. If you didn't, you would create an uncontrolled echo that could damage your ears and speakers.
- If you are using Audacity, check and make sure the Input volume (next to the microphone icon) is higher than zero.
- If you follow the advice in this guide and can't record anything, check that you don't have mute on one of the channels. You can check by right clicking on the speaker icon> Open Volume Mixer> Properties> select your recording device, and check each box.
