How do I separate inputs to Gold Wave for recording

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coopesq
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Joined: Sun Dec 18, 2005 1:29 pm

How do I separate inputs to Gold Wave for recording

Post by coopesq »

I know there is an obvious answser...just can't think of it.

I want to record mic on one channel and input background music on the other.

TY

Coop
DougDbug
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Location: Silicon Valley

Post by DougDbug »

If you bring-up the Windows mixer (double-click the speaker icon) you can select either the recording or playback mixer option. If your soundcard/sound chip allows it (my cheap sound chip doesn't) you can select and mix more than one input.

If your hardware doesn't allow mixing during recording, you can use an external mixer. If you're not too picky about sound quality, you can find a simple mixer for less than $100.
GoldWave Inc.
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Re: How do I separate inputs to Gold Wave for recording

Post by GoldWave Inc. »

You may need to record each layer separately and mix them later. Click here for some related information.

Chris
coopesq
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Joined: Sun Dec 18, 2005 1:29 pm

Layering

Post by coopesq »

Chris,

Are you suggesting recording the background first then voice over (recording while using Goldwave simultaneously as a player) and if so, how do I isolate left and right tracks for mixing?

What I am trying to accomplish here is after recording mixing.

TY

Coop
GoldWave Inc.
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Re: Layering

Post by GoldWave Inc. »

If you are trying the record the microphone input on one channel and the line input on the other channel at the same time, then usually that is not possible. Most sound cards do not support recording different inputs on different channels (though some external recording devices do through external controls and connections).

Rather than recording the music in one channel and the voice in the other, record them in separate files. Record the music first, then record the voice after in a separate file while playing the music file. You can copy and mix the two files together later.

If you want the voice to be in left channel and the music in the right channel, you'd use the Edit | Channel menu to select one channel and use the Copy and Replace editing commands.

Chris
donrandall
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Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2004 11:06 pm
Location: Denver, Colorado

Post by donrandall »

I want to record mic on one channel and input background music on the other.
If I understand what you are asking, it appears you want to add a voiceover track to a music track and have the music "duck" under the voice so as to not overpower or interfere. Is that right? I can't imagine that you want the music coming from one channel and the voiceover from the other. However, if so, that is possible too simply by pasting one element on the left channel and the other on the right channel and adjusting volume levels (Edit>Channel>Left/Right/Both)

I do voiceovers for a living, and place voice over music on a frequent basis. Here is how you can combine both elements.

The two elements to be combined are:

1) The music and

2) The voiceover

The tools to be used will be:

1) Copy & Paste

2) Volume Control

3) Mix

4) Shape Volume (maybe)

5) Left/Right channel select - shown above (maybe)

Assuming the voice track is already cut, edited and ready to use, let's mix the two:

Take your music track and paste or otherwise lay it in and reduce it down to around -8 (or about 20%).

Now, assuming your voice track is peaking at around -1 or so (about 90%) you copy it and then paste it over the music, positioning it as necessary.

The music should be loud enough to be present without being distracting or intrusive. The music that plays before or after the voice may be more effective if you boost it slightly. You may need to play around and experiment, but generally -5 (or 50%) should be about right, depending on the dynamics of the music and the dynamics of your voice. You may not want the volume change to be abrupt - sometimes it works out okay, sometimes not. Use your "shape volume" tool to make the volume change a little smoother. Again, a little experimentation is a good idea.

I hope I was able to help, good luck on your project!
Perticelli
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Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2005 2:41 pm

Post by Perticelli »

Don, what kind of VO work do you do?

i do these kind of mixes on a daily basis. One thing to add that you may not think about is which goes over which.
You will find if you mix the music to the VO track you get one quality, whereas if you mix the Vo to the music track you get a different quality.
Experimentation will quickly show you the difference in your headphones..and its obvious.
Take Don's advice as well and play around with the "shape volume" option. Once you get a handle on that, you can do alot and it will sound smooth when upping and lowering sounds during a track...
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