Record Speaker Output

[Joman3]

I have been using Guitar Pro for years to keep track of music I've written.
I recently have started writing music for Video Games, and I am in Video Game Development at University of Ontario Institute of Technology.
Guitar Pro has a feature to export music as a WAVE, but it requires a recording device. Currently the only option I have is to have the internal microphone record what the speakers are playing, the quality is terrible. I am running a Thinkpad T510, with Windows 7 Enterprise, and I cannot select speaker output as a record option.

I have been searching the internet for a solution to this, and have already tried right clicking in "recording devices" and clicking "show disabled devices" as well as "show disconnected devices". No devices other than the microphone are on this list even after I did that.

Can anyone help?

[Weogo]

Hi Joman3,

I'm confused!

You are creating tunes with the Guitar Pro software.
Are you then exporting it to save it?
Does the software have a Save File function?

Running the sound out the built-in speakers and recording that with the internal microphone will indeed sound bad!

Please clarify.

Thanks and good health, Weogo

[Joman3]

Guitar pro saves its files as a type only guitar pro can open.
To use the songs in another program, or to code the songs into a game, I need them in something other than .gp5 files

I am not exporting to save, I have the songs saved already, I am exporting for use with something other than guitar pro.
Guitar pro has 2 output types that are audio files when you export. One is MIDI, which is terrible, midi quality, the other is WAVE.
WAVE export involves you recording what you want to export, and without being able to directly record the speaker output, the quality is awful, as I said.

I never had this problem in XP as I just switched my recording device to "Stereo Mix", but again there is no option in the recording devices list, even after selecting the "show disconnected devices" option.

[Weogo]

Hi Joman3,

Recording software, like Audacity or Reaper, has a proprietary format it uses for files while they are being manipulated.
But when you are finished, you can 'export' them as *.wav files.
These files don't go to a device, they are simply saved in whatever location you specify.

Guitar Pro doesn't allow you to export a file to a location as a *.wav file,
you can only export it to a device?
If so, it would seem to me that you would need a recording program to export the file to, which may go through a recording device.
Can you use your video software as the recording program?
Or does the Guitar Pro software expect you to have an external recording device?

As far as devices not showing up, do you have all Windows/Lenovo updates?
Last week's update on my T410 was the first time I saw the option of an external microphone as a recording device.

I'm a live audio tech, and learning software / hardware / audio interfacing, so am interested in how all this works!

Thanks and good health, Weogo

[Joman3]

Guitar pro does expect me to have an external recording device. I am quite sure everything is up to date on my machine, as I already considered that to be the potential problem. Windows claims none of my drivers are out of date, as well as Windows Update being up to date.

I am not sure what you mean by video software as the recording program.

[Weogo]

Hi Joman,

"Guitar pro does expect me to have an external recording device."

Earlier you wrote;
"I never had this problem in XP as I just switched my recording device to "Stereo Mix"

With XP did you have to use an external device, or could you port your audio through "stereo mix" and keep it on your hard drive?
What I'm wondering is if you can send the *.wav file to a software program on your T510 that is external to Guitar Pro.


"I am quite sure everything is up to date on my machine, as I already considered that to be the potential problem. Windows claims none of my drivers are out of date, as well as Windows Update being up to date."

In many ways over the years Microsoft has added functionality to some parts of their operating systems, and at the same time they have gutted other areas...


"I am not sure what you mean by video software as the recording program."

You said you were a video game developer, I was just wondering if it was possible to port your audio to whatever video software you are using.


I just looked at this on the Audacity software page:
"Select inputs in Devices Preferences: in Windows XP and earlier, recording inputs such as "microphone" or "stereo mix" could be selected in the Audacity Mixer Toolbar. Currently, the newer audio API in both Windows Vista and 7 means that inputs must be selected in Audacity at Edit > Preferences: Devices."

I just downloaded the current version of Audacity and it has the choice of recording from:
"Primary sound capture driver"

Maybe Audacity would work for you?

Thanks and good health, Weogo

[Joman3]

Sorry, Yes I could port through "stereo mix" in xp, and export it onto my harddrive. I have already attempted to use Audacity, and in Audacity the same problem arises, the only device available is my internal microphone.

The .wav that guitar pro exports requires something to be recorded before the export is done. As in, you press play, play how much of the file you want exported, and then it saves the .wav. If my microphone is on mute during this process, it saves an empty .wav.

I'm pretty sure that the only way I can get this to work is if I can find a way to record "stereo mix" but that option seems completely disabled.
"In many ways over the years Microsoft has added functionality to some parts of their operating systems, and at the same time they have gutted other areas..."
I have checked with the IT support desk at my school just to make sure that the stereo mix input wasn't disabled by them, and was told that it was probably microsoft disabling the option.

[Weogo]

Hi Joman3,

I'm out of guesses!

The recording forums at ProSoundWeb.com are very good.

Please post back if you find some way to make this work!

Thanks and good health, Weogo

[ParatoOptimal]

Can you export to line-out and connect to line-in which audacity or any sound recorder should allow you to select line-in as a source?

[Joman3]

Unfortunately, my computer doesn't have a line-in jack, otherwise I would have just used that method, but thank you for your response.

[Weogo]

Hi Joman3,

The 510 has a four-pin audio connector for both input and output.

The Headset Buddy will allow you to use separate jacks for each:
http://www.theheadsetbuddy.com/PC-Compu ... 5-PH35.htm
I'm not certain, but a cable with 1/8" TRS to 1/8" TRS plugs should allow the signal to come out and go right back in, allowing use of Audacity for recording.

They also make a budget USB to separate 1/8" in and out jacks:
http://www.theheadsetbuddy.com/PC-Heads ... 35-USB.htm

Have you checked with Guitar Pro for any way you can keep the whole thing digital?

Thanks and good health, Weogo

[Joman3]

That's a good idea, I'll look into that, as I already have an 1/8" TRS to 1/8" TRS cable on hand.

[Joman3]

I'm currently recording it through 3rd party software, "freecorder"

Thank you for all your help everyone, especially Weogo, for being so determined to find me a solution.