Got a friend with Win7 Home who wants to record youtube audio and I just cain't make it work. Looked at a lot of tutorials defining defaults and even some suggestions of using an audio cable to loop but I know someone has beat this beast into the ground and I want to drive another sword into the back of my nemesis, Windoze sevin.
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Win 7 and Audacity recording YouTube not working.
- Thread starter TomZ
- Start date
Tom,
Google youtube audio extractor.
Google youtube audio extractor.
C
Charlie
Guest
If the "What You Hear" or "Stereo Mix" is definitely not available when you try to display Disabled devices then it'll be the sound driver - perhaps it's a default one being used? I had this problem when I had a Vista machine - the SB Audigy 7.1 drivers I tried didn't offer the Stereo Mix but another set of drivers did.
I have a google page of audio extractors to review... Thanks Chris
Charlie, I see "Stereo Mix" and can select it but no combination of Audacity's dropdowns and drilling into the control panel and working realtek/sounds panels gets us nothing. I'm sure a outboard patch cable will work; but .......
Charlie, I see "Stereo Mix" and can select it but no combination of Audacity's dropdowns and drilling into the control panel and working realtek/sounds panels gets us nothing. I'm sure a outboard patch cable will work; but .......
Tom,
I had really good luck with one of the audio extractors at work. I can't remember which one and I have long since upgraded that PC. I wish I could have given you a better answer.
Also, you could get him a Delta 44 for around $140. It has two inputs on a breakout box. You could come up with a permanent solution that way without patching/repatching. The Delta 44 mixer would let him route stuff around. I use them for streaming ad insertion.
I had really good luck with one of the audio extractors at work. I can't remember which one and I have long since upgraded that PC. I wish I could have given you a better answer.
Also, you could get him a Delta 44 for around $140. It has two inputs on a breakout box. You could come up with a permanent solution that way without patching/repatching. The Delta 44 mixer would let him route stuff around. I use them for streaming ad insertion.
"Ripping" the audio track from a YouTube video is actually against YouTube's Terms of Service, but nonetheless "Tube to MP3" converter web sites abound, and spam YouTube heavily with their ads. But you only get an inferior re-encoded version of the audio. Playing the video in real time and recording it to a WAV file may not be the most practical method, but at least it avoids another lossy transcoding from YouTube's ~128 kbps AAC/MP4 format.
I had similar problems with a computer which is running Vista and a computer which is running W7.
I could select 'stereo mix' but the source didn't show up in my software.
You may want to explore the audio drivers which your computer is using. In my case, the computers were using Microsoft audio drivers.
I downloaded and installed the appropriate drivers for my audio chipset from Realtek. That solved the problem in both cases.
You may want to uninstall Audacity and reinstall it.
I could select 'stereo mix' but the source didn't show up in my software.
You may want to explore the audio drivers which your computer is using. In my case, the computers were using Microsoft audio drivers.
I downloaded and installed the appropriate drivers for my audio chipset from Realtek. That solved the problem in both cases.
You may want to uninstall Audacity and reinstall it.
My Thanks to everyone who replied. So far I've sent the google link for the extractor options and I'll catch up with my friend soon to see how he responded.
The computer's a middle market WalMart HP machine that is only about a year old; so we'll see what driver options exist the next time I get around tuit.
The computer's a middle market WalMart HP machine that is only about a year old; so we'll see what driver options exist the next time I get around tuit.
It's most likely a proprietary driver problem. I had a similar problem with a Dell, and the driver from Dell simply would not work in Vista or Windows 7. When I contacted Dell, I finally extracted the answer that no new driver updates to support Stereo Mix were available or planned. Trial and error finally yielded a driver from the chipset manufacturer that gave me most of the functionality from the sound chip, including the stereo mix function.
I suspect that some of the major manufacturers have intentionally disable the function in order to avoid unpleasantness with the digital rights people.
I suspect that some of the major manufacturers have intentionally disable the function in order to avoid unpleasantness with the digital rights people.
I recedntly moved to Windows 7 from Windows XP.
I went NUTS looking for the RECORDING Volume Control. In Windows 7, it does not exist!!!!
The software world has yet to catch up with this aberration in the universe. I don't know about Audacity... but with Cool Edit and with Adobe Audition I found there is NO WAY to record using the on-board sound card device built into machines designed to run on Windows 7. They have no idea how to talk to each other. One doesn't know the other exists.
When I did what I planned to do later in the migration, install my M-audio Audiophile card, it comes with rude drivers that have the ability to ignore what Windows want to do and M-audio creates it's own recording input mechanism that ignores whatever Windows has build it.
What I found amusing was that M-audio drivers WILL NOT LET YOU CONTROL recording input volume on older windows so you had to make the recording software ignore M-audio native input if you wanted recording volume control... but with Windows 7 the new drivers that go with the AudioPhile DO PROVIDE input recording volume control.
It's a wicked ugly time for us nerds who worry about issues like this.
I went NUTS looking for the RECORDING Volume Control. In Windows 7, it does not exist!!!!
The software world has yet to catch up with this aberration in the universe. I don't know about Audacity... but with Cool Edit and with Adobe Audition I found there is NO WAY to record using the on-board sound card device built into machines designed to run on Windows 7. They have no idea how to talk to each other. One doesn't know the other exists.
When I did what I planned to do later in the migration, install my M-audio Audiophile card, it comes with rude drivers that have the ability to ignore what Windows want to do and M-audio creates it's own recording input mechanism that ignores whatever Windows has build it.
What I found amusing was that M-audio drivers WILL NOT LET YOU CONTROL recording input volume on older windows so you had to make the recording software ignore M-audio native input if you wanted recording volume control... but with Windows 7 the new drivers that go with the AudioPhile DO PROVIDE input recording volume control.
It's a wicked ugly time for us nerds who worry about issues like this.
GRC, I suspect it's once again a driver issue. I have Audacity & Windows 7 on a Dell laptop, and I have a volume control for the Stereo Mix input. I'm not running the standard Dell driver for the Sigmatel audio chipset. I found an alternative driver because the standard Dell driver is a POS that disables the Stereo Mix function.
Make sure that you have the latest version of Audacity. There were big changes under the hood between XP & Vista/7. The mixer program that existed in Windows versions through XP is not part of Windows Vista/7, so many audio applications had to be rewritten to reflect that change.
Make sure that you have the latest version of Audacity. There were big changes under the hood between XP & Vista/7. The mixer program that existed in Windows versions through XP is not part of Windows Vista/7, so many audio applications had to be rewritten to reflect that change.
SirRoxalot said:
I spent a lot of quality time with our friend Mr. Google trying to learn what you just said, and what specifically I needed to do with the particular software that was giving me trouble. This whole thing has not soaked in very well yet.
I also have a hunch that those of us who use Adobe Audition are caught up in the rivalry between Microsoft and Adobe. Neither company has urgency to fix the problem and make the fix well known. When you contact Customer Service or User Forums, the corporate evangelists for each company complain that the problem belongs to the other company. Call them and ask when they are going to fix it.
I'm using Adobe Audition on Vista and W7 computers without any issues.
The audio driver is your problem.
Find out which audio chipset your computer is using and download the appropriate drivers for the chipset.
If it's Realtek, go to their website and download their drivers. Do not install second-party drivers.
The audio driver is your problem.
Find out which audio chipset your computer is using and download the appropriate drivers for the chipset.
If it's Realtek, go to their website and download their drivers. Do not install second-party drivers.
Versions of Windows through XP had a file called sndvol32.exe, which was the executable sound mixer application. That program doesn't exist in Windows Vista or Windows 7. Many applications used that Windows application to control audio. When you try to run those applications on Windows 7, you'll either get an error, or no volume controls are available.
Windows Vista/7 are designed to be more device agnostic. There is a sndvol.exe application, but it relies on the drivers from the manufacturers for the properties of the input and output devices. If the device manufacturers decide not to include recording volume controls, Windows 7 has no control over audio inputs. Dell, HP, Compaq (HP), and others have written proprietary drivers that don't include "Stereo Mix" or "Record what you hear" capability. It's not that the chipset isn't capable. It's a choice by the computer manufacturer, sometimes trying to avoid Digital Rights issues.
If you can determine exactly which chipset controls your audio, you may find a better driver at the manufacturer's website. This is not always possible, but it does work more often than not. You may have to try several different drivers before you'll find one that gives you the results that you can live with.
Windows Vista/7 are designed to be more device agnostic. There is a sndvol.exe application, but it relies on the drivers from the manufacturers for the properties of the input and output devices. If the device manufacturers decide not to include recording volume controls, Windows 7 has no control over audio inputs. Dell, HP, Compaq (HP), and others have written proprietary drivers that don't include "Stereo Mix" or "Record what you hear" capability. It's not that the chipset isn't capable. It's a choice by the computer manufacturer, sometimes trying to avoid Digital Rights issues.
If you can determine exactly which chipset controls your audio, you may find a better driver at the manufacturer's website. This is not always possible, but it does work more often than not. You may have to try several different drivers before you'll find one that gives you the results that you can live with.
SirRoxalot,
Perfectly said.
My new Dell computer came with the proper audio drivers. Adobe Audition worked without any hitches.
My older HP Laptop required the installation of drivers from the manufacturer before I could record 'stereo mix.'
Perfectly said.
My new Dell computer came with the proper audio drivers. Adobe Audition worked without any hitches.
My older HP Laptop required the installation of drivers from the manufacturer before I could record 'stereo mix.'
There is a utility call Virtual Audio Cables that can solve all audio routing problems. I say "can" because it doesn't work with every computer. It can be quite daunting to set up. There is a free trial, so if you're really desperate, give it a shot. Don't buy it ($30US) unless you get the demo working.
My understanding is windows Vista/7 does not allow recording of the "stereo mix" etc.. easly due to DRM stuff.. Microsoft completely changed how the sound subsystem works in Vista and beyond .. (which is why older automation systems do not work on Vista/7 without new versions written for that platform)
C
Charlie
Guest
Stereo Mix is available but it boils down to the drivers for the sound device. I have just purchased and re-installed Windows 7 on a Samsung laptop with a Realtek onboard device - the Stereo Mix was disabled but available to use. This feature may have been disabled by default to deter the recording of content off Youtube etc but I've never seen an official statement to that effect.
Back to the original need, audio from YouTube videos can easily be extracted and converted, with no need to further degrade it by playing and re-recording through an audio channel.
In Firefox, install the “Download Helper” add-on. YouTube supports it. Download the needed video; then there are several ways to extract and convert the audio. The simplest, IMO, is to use AviDemux. Open the file in AviDemux, set the Audio dropdown box to PCM, then choose Audio > Save and name the file. AviDemux does not add any extension for you on demux conversions; you have to know and type in the correct one--“.wav” for a PCM file.
Uploads to YouTube are notoriously poor quality, however--regardless of the underlying codec. Older YouTube .flv files were a container which could handle a variety of audio formats, but the .mp4 standard--which is now the most common file on YouTube--uses AAC for audio almost exclusively. But the AAC bitrate is no indication of what quality the uploader actually had. Very, very few uploads have been done by professionals.
I am finding Linux to be a good alternative to Windows for audio work. It takes some effort to set up, but once accomplished, it is not going to put applications out to pasture like Win7 has.
JACK under Linux is an amazing program--an electronic patch bay for programs that support it. Cinelerra (video editor), Ardour (audio editor), and Rivendell (radio automation) all support JACK. And M-Audio and ASI soundcards have long supported Linux with drivers.
In Firefox, install the “Download Helper” add-on. YouTube supports it. Download the needed video; then there are several ways to extract and convert the audio. The simplest, IMO, is to use AviDemux. Open the file in AviDemux, set the Audio dropdown box to PCM, then choose Audio > Save and name the file. AviDemux does not add any extension for you on demux conversions; you have to know and type in the correct one--“.wav” for a PCM file.
Uploads to YouTube are notoriously poor quality, however--regardless of the underlying codec. Older YouTube .flv files were a container which could handle a variety of audio formats, but the .mp4 standard--which is now the most common file on YouTube--uses AAC for audio almost exclusively. But the AAC bitrate is no indication of what quality the uploader actually had. Very, very few uploads have been done by professionals.
I am finding Linux to be a good alternative to Windows for audio work. It takes some effort to set up, but once accomplished, it is not going to put applications out to pasture like Win7 has.
JACK under Linux is an amazing program--an electronic patch bay for programs that support it. Cinelerra (video editor), Ardour (audio editor), and Rivendell (radio automation) all support JACK. And M-Audio and ASI soundcards have long supported Linux with drivers.
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