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Paul[_21_] Paul[_21_] is offline
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Default Typical first pass tutorial process on Windows 10 where NONEof the extent how to articles actually tell you what you really need to do!

Arlen Holder wrote:
On Wed, 4 Nov 2020 06:55:38 -0000 (UTC), Arlen Holder wrote:

Note: I do NOT have a microphone, nor am I using the loopback cable;
but I do have a 1/8th-inch jack tying the motherboard (green) output
to a powered speaker on my desktop.


Why does Audacity only record streaming audio when a 1/8th-inch stereo
cable is connected to the speaker out (even if the other end of that cable
is hanging in mid air)?

I am NOT an audiophile... so this may be a dumb question...
o Can someone _explain_ why I need a cable (& nothing else) to record?


You need to select Stereo Mix as your sound source.

+-----+
Mic ------------| |
| | A D
LineIn ---------| Mux |---- ADC ----- to CPU
| |
Stereo_Mix +----| |
| +-----+
|
| From CPU -- DAC --+-- LineOut
} |
+-----------------------+

Stereo_Mix is a loopback signal. It takes a "copy"
of what is coming from LineOut and routes it back to the
input multiplexer. It's a feature in every HDAudio chip
(like the motherboard 48 pin square chip in the corner).

Thus, to record streaming audio, that audio going out
the analog speaker connector, you need to select
Stereo_Mix as seen in Audacity. Any mixer setting
on Record block (Record in Windows icon in corner),
the Stereo_Mix has to be turned up enough to hear it.

Remember that picture I made yesterday ? It had
a picture of Stereo_Mix in it for a reason. That
wasn't a lark on my part. The Stereo_Mix is part
of your request for recording audio from a Youtube
session, without using youtube-dl and "cheating"
to get it. We have to assume someday the RIAA will
cut off as much recording capability as possible,
and for a while at least, analog will work.

I installed the RealTek driver over top of the
Microsoft driver, in order to bring back the
Stereo_Mix in my Win10 20H2 setup.

*******

When we use that foot-long, 1/8" male to 1/8" male
cable for recording, it looks like this.

+-----+
Mic ------------| |
| | A D
LineIn +----| Mux |---- ADC ----- to CPU
| | |
| /-| |
| +-----+
|
| From CPU -- DAC --+-- LineOut
} |
+-----------------------+
1/8" male to 1/8" male cable

You can use a cable to take the place of Stereo_Mix,
and then you'd select LineIn as your recording
source in Audacity. This would be the case, if
for example, Windows 10 buggered your Stereo_Mix
capability with its clumsiness and stupidity.

Not everyone has one of those cables. They
might come with some TV tuner card perhaps.

Paul