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I’ve missed the last 2 Challenges – first one because my old laptop expired and second one because I have a problem with my new laptop.
I normally record through an external webcam which records audio and video, but the problem is also experienced when I use the onboard HP camera. The problem is that on playback of the recording, the video is ok, but there is no audio for my guitar. However, if I announce the piece, my voice plays back but not the guitar. It’s quite bizarre but my laptop seems to be censoring me !
The problem remains with both of my amps; if I try to record and playback one of my old recordings; or even if I play a YouTube clip. I get Damian Bacci’s voice but no guitar.
On some occasions I get the first couple of notes but then that stops.
This problem never occurred on my old laptop.
I’m aware that the microphones are set to a particular frequency, but I don’t see why the issue has cropped up with my new laptop.
Any advice would be gratefully received,Mike
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However, if I announce the piece, my voice plays back but not the guitar. It’s quite bizarre but my laptop seems to be censoring me !
I’m not sure what that means exactly. If you record with a webcam, it should record all the sound near the mic. If you use the onboard camera and mic, it should work the same way as the external camera. Maybe it automatically adjusting the sensitivity of the mic. Try just playing guitar only and see what happens on the recording. Outside of that, you will need to setup the mic levels so it works properly. There is usually settings for that.
Go slow and practice correct technique, and your abilities will dramatically improve.
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Hey Mike, in all my days on earth I’ve never heard of such a thing. But I do know this: Almost no one uses a webcam or built-in laptop cam to record their music, due to extreme bad quality of audio and video. All of us AM members are hardworking musicians, and we deserve better than that. A common ordinary smartphone, on the other hand, is designed for that purpose and does a great job of recording video and audio. That’s what most people use, other than professional videographers and recording studios. Do you have a smartphone? If so, have you thought of trying that? You can buy a cheap tripod and cellphone mount adapter to hold your phone just where you want it. Use the front camera (selfie cam) and you can see yourself in the screen while you are playing.
Sunjamr Steve
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Mike
I was gonna write what Sunjamr wrote… no need. He summed up what most of us do. Your phone will work infinitely better than your web cam. In fact, that is what I do, then I dump my recorded file into iMovie and edit it. You can plug into your computer but you need an interface like a Scrarlett Solo or something similar. Maybe this is a good stumbling block for you to overcome in the hope that it is an opportunity to radically improve the quality of your audio/video.John
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I’m going to throw in a hunch but only because the problem intrigues me. I also believe Steve and John’s advice is the right way to go.
My hunch is that post Covid and the advent of home working/zoom meetings etc most laptop webcams are used solely for online meetings. For those, mics automatically get muted when the laptop thinks you’re not speaking to prevent feedback and echos bouncing around your meeting. I think this all used to be in the meeting software but windows style operating systems have got to the level of patronisation that it’s probably embedded in the OS. As I say, just a hunch! -
I’m going to throw in a hunch but only because the problem intrigues me. I also believe Steve and John’s advice is the right way to go.
My hunch is that post Covid and the advent of home working/zoom meetings etc most laptop webcams are used solely for online meetings. For those, mics automatically get muted when the laptop thinks you’re not speaking to prevent feedback and echos bouncing around your meeting. I think this all used to be in the meeting software but windows style operating systems have got to the level of patronisation that it’s probably embedded in the OS. As I say, just a hunch!My web cam on windows 11 does not do this, so I doubt the OS has anything to do with it. I did just get an update yesterday and have not tested it after the update, but I still doubt it. The idea of automatic muting for noise cancelling purpose would only be a user selected option based off of specific webcam software being used. I have never encountered that option, but to just mute the mic when no one is speaking has to be a user controlled function or option. It is true that the purpose of the webcam is primarily for face to face communications with others, which is why it’s a bad idea to use it for recording music in general, but we’ll just have to wait for Mike W’s explanation why he chose that method over a smart phone.
Go slow and practice correct technique, and your abilities will dramatically improve.
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