Recording Ibook Audio Output, how to? Options

[bendblock]

I have a question regarding recording the audio output from my G4 12 in. iBook.

Is it possible to record the audio output of a Mac running OS X (particularly my G4 12 in. iBook) internally? What I mean is, to record the audio played by the soundcard “before” it is sent out to the speakers? Is there something that parallels the Audio> Recording dialogue box from the Windows system tray by which I can choose to record the audio output rather than the internal microphone input?

This may just be an issue with the soundcard which comes standard with the ibook, however, it was a simple matter to switch between recording “mic” input “line” “etc.” in windows. I forget the label they use for recording the audio whatever happens to be playing on the machine at the time (i.e. from soft synths, software drum machines etc,) but you get the idea.

This has been my first major frustration with my recent Mac. Please help me resolve this conflict with my new luminous white friend. Surely there is a simple method I’m overlooking. I’ve already checked the system preferences> Sound >Output screen but the only option it gives me is “internal microphone.”

I also tried running the headphone output back into my iMic (yeah, silly I know) just as an experiment to see if I could get a signal into my wav recording app (I’m using Audacity for now, that may very well be my problem). Not that that’s really a viable solution as I can’t here what I’m playing :)

Any advice?

bendblock

[DragonsAwake]

I know what you mean with the PC - I used to have one with a Soundblaster, and that allowed you to select "what you hear" as the recording source.

Can't seem to find a way round it on my iBook either though. What exactly is it you're wanting to do? I'm sure there are plenty of other ways towards acheiving the same result - using the host app's 'export', for example.

Sorry I can't be of any more help...

[bendblock]

What exactly am I trying to do?

Good question. Perhaps I'm just trying to do things the way I always have before I've been able to export wav's or mp3's from most apps I'm using (i.e. garageband, doggiebox, etc) however I've been experiementing with what I suspect is a midi-based drumsynth called bubble-drum (www.melonsoft.com) that claims to use instruments already in Quicktime. In the past I used a midi controller and cakewalk to play the midi synths from my soundcard along with wav sample based songs, recording the midi realtime as I played (non-sequenced) as an aditional wav track. I can't seem to find a way of doing that now.

I am frustrated when I want to record a song I happen to be playing in order to sample some drum sound or whatever and can't simply hit record. However, if I load the mp3 or wav into my editor I can chop it up just the same. but I have to goto the trouble of loading the monstor file of say a whole song or whatever it may be.

Maybe I just need to come around to the mac way of doing things but it just seems to me an easily fixable problem, but that's probably just the ten years of windows talking.

[DragonsAwake]

Yeh, I know what you mean mate. I used to do a fair bit of that when working with on-board MIDI and things like SoundFonts. With most things being VST-based these days, there's not much need for it anymore as it can all be handled with the host app.

If you're definitely wanting to stick with Bubble Drum, my only suggestion would be to record your loops/playing out onto MD or DAT, then sample them back in. Either that or stick within the realms of VST-compatible stuff - with things like NI's Battery or Kontakt.

One more thing - you mention the "instruments already in Quicktime", which sounds like it could well be along the lines of a problem I've got - do me a favour and have a look at my thread, will ya?

http://www.macmusic.org/agora/forums/?act=...=15715&lang=EN&

Cheers

[hardtoe]

Yo,


Have you tried http://www.rogueamoeba.com/audiohijack/ ??? It' the ultimate in easy interapplication recording...


Good Luck


Orion Paradis