Recording audio from the web

Running a Toshiba Satellite (nice speakers) under Vista Home Premium SP2.

There is a series of audio interviews on the web that I want to record on my
HD.

Currently, I'm having acceptable results simply playing through the speakers
and picking it up through the microphone using Sound Recorder. It's not
exactly high fidelity, but I'm dealing with speech, not music. The only
problem is that it's vulnerable to any noise in the area, and four to six
grandkids can produce that effortlessly.

I asked Geek Squad if I could just jumper the earphones output to the mic
input, thereby blocking out external noise. She said it wouldn't work
because ... yadda yadda .. powered mic ... yadda yadda ... a lot of extra
noise. She confused me further with talk about software that will do this.
I tried a free trial of one, but it looked as though it was still depending
about the output from speakers and said nothing about gagging grandkids.

Is there a way to play audio from a website and record it on my HD without
depending on immediate airspace?

 

BudV wrote:<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> Running a Toshiba Satellite (nice speakers) under Vista Home Premium
> SP2.
> There is a series of audio interviews on the web that I want to
> record on my HD.
>
> Currently, I'm having acceptable results simply playing through the
> speakers and picking it up through the microphone using Sound
> Recorder. It's not exactly high fidelity, but I'm dealing with
> speech, not music. The only problem is that it's vulnerable to any
> noise in the area, and four to six grandkids can produce that
> effortlessly.
> I asked Geek Squad if I could just jumper the earphones output to the
> mic input, thereby blocking out external noise. She said it wouldn't
> work because ... yadda yadda .. powered mic ... yadda yadda ... a lot
> of extra noise. She confused me further with talk about software
> that will do this. I tried a free trial of one, but it looked as
> though it was still depending about the output from speakers and said
> nothing about gagging grandkids.
> Is there a way to play audio from a website and record it on my HD
> without depending on immediate airspace?<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
=======================
Try using the freeware Audacity:

Audacity


PC Recording of AM and FM Radio


--

J. Inzer MS-MVP
Digital Media Experience

Notice
This is not tech support
I am a volunteer

Solutions that work for
me may not work for you

Proceed at your own risk

 

Have you tried right clickin on it and clicking save as and see if it
lets you save the file to ur pc. Post a link to an example of what your
talkin about and I will see if I can get it on my pc.


--
krazyl

[image:

 

I apologize for not making my situation perfectly clear for you. I'm not
talking about downloading or saving a file -- that would be trivial. Take
the following link and you should get almost an hour of conversation.
THAT'S what I want to capture.




"krazyl" <guest@unknown-email.com> wrote in message
news:acd13a49e6871285f91394c2645bf65c@nntp-gateway.com...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
>
> Have you tried right clickin on it and clicking save as and see if it
> lets you save the file to ur pc. Post a link to an example of what your
> talkin about and I will see if I can get it on my pc.
>
>
> --
> krazyl
>
> [image: <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

 

I tried Audacity, and it did record what I was playing, albeit too quietly.
I suspect that may have been my fault through improper parameters.

It also did something very strange. About every ten seconds during
playback, I heard, loud and clear, a woman's voice saying something like
"A.V.S. near, dear Jenna." I suspect that what was really being said was
some kind of diagnostic that would make much more sense to somebody familiar
with the ins and outs of audio recording. I'm dying of curiosity on that
one.

Unfortunately, it also was sensitive to my voice (and presumably also to the
screams of my grandkids) so it doesn't meet that requirement, unless I was
supposed to shut off the speakers with a plug or something.

I hope you have some answers to the above mysteries.

"John Inzer" <oobie@doobie.zyx> wrote in message
news:O7pPOLrLKHA.3708@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> BudV wrote:<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
>> Running a Toshiba Satellite (nice speakers) under Vista Home Premium
>> SP2.
>> There is a series of audio interviews on the web that I want to
>> record on my HD.
>>
>> Currently, I'm having acceptable results simply playing through the
>> speakers and picking it up through the microphone using Sound
>> Recorder. It's not exactly high fidelity, but I'm dealing with
>> speech, not music. The only problem is that it's vulnerable to any
>> noise in the area, and four to six grandkids can produce that
>> effortlessly.
>> I asked Geek Squad if I could just jumper the earphones output to the
>> mic input, thereby blocking out external noise. She said it wouldn't
>> work because ... yadda yadda .. powered mic ... yadda yadda ... a lot
>> of extra noise. She confused me further with talk about software
>> that will do this. I tried a free trial of one, but it looked as
>> though it was still depending about the output from speakers and said
>> nothing about gagging grandkids.
>> Is there a way to play audio from a website and record it on my HD
>> without depending on immediate airspace?<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
> =======================
> Try using the freeware Audacity:
>
> Audacity
>
>
> PC Recording of AM and FM Radio
>
>
> --
>
> J. Inzer MS-MVP
> Digital Media Experience
>
> Notice
> This is not tech support
> I am a volunteer
>
> Solutions that work for
> me may not work for you
>
> Proceed at your own risk
> <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

 

HAH! One mystery solved, more or less. Of course it sounded like A.V.S.
....something. The desktop logo reads "AVS4YOU Software" !!! I suspect that
little disturbance would go away if I registered (and paid for?) the
package. In any event, unless I can solve the other two problems, I'm back
to square one.


"BudV" <BudVitoff@msn.com> wrote in message
news:1D663973-E04C-4FEE-81AB-B3CBF4B81F57@microsoft.com...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
>I tried Audacity, and it did record what I was playing, albeit too quietly.
>I suspect that may have been my fault through improper parameters.
>
> It also did something very strange. About every ten seconds during
> playback, I heard, loud and clear, a woman's voice saying something like
> "A.V.S. near, dear Jenna." I suspect that what was really being said was
> some kind of diagnostic that would make much more sense to somebody
> familiar with the ins and outs of audio recording. I'm dying of curiosity
> on that one.
>
> Unfortunately, it also was sensitive to my voice (and presumably also to
> the screams of my grandkids) so it doesn't meet that requirement, unless I
> was supposed to shut off the speakers with a plug or something.
>
> I hope you have some answers to the above mysteries.
>
> "John Inzer" <oobie@doobie.zyx> wrote in message
> news:O7pPOLrLKHA.3708@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
>> BudV wrote:<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
>>> Running a Toshiba Satellite (nice speakers) under Vista Home Premium
>>> SP2.
>>> There is a series of audio interviews on the web that I want to
>>> record on my HD.
>>>
>>> Currently, I'm having acceptable results simply playing through the
>>> speakers and picking it up through the microphone using Sound
>>> Recorder. It's not exactly high fidelity, but I'm dealing with
>>> speech, not music. The only problem is that it's vulnerable to any
>>> noise in the area, and four to six grandkids can produce that
>>> effortlessly.
>>> I asked Geek Squad if I could just jumper the earphones output to the
>>> mic input, thereby blocking out external noise. She said it wouldn't
>>> work because ... yadda yadda .. powered mic ... yadda yadda ... a lot
>>> of extra noise. She confused me further with talk about software
>>> that will do this. I tried a free trial of one, but it looked as
>>> though it was still depending about the output from speakers and said
>>> nothing about gagging grandkids.
>>> Is there a way to play audio from a website and record it on my HD
>>> without depending on immediate airspace?<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
>> =======================
>> Try using the freeware Audacity:
>>
>> Audacity
>>
>>
>> PC Recording of AM and FM Radio
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> J. Inzer MS-MVP
>> Digital Media Experience
>>
>> Notice
>> This is not tech support
>> I am a volunteer
>>
>> Solutions that work for
>> me may not work for you
>>
>> Proceed at your own risk
>><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
> <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

 

"BudV" <BudVitoff@msn.com> wrote in message
news:%2326TmDtLKHA.4004@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
>
> I apologize for not making my situation perfectly clear for you. I'm not
> talking about downloading or saving a file -- that would be trivial. Take
> the following link and you should get almost an hour of conversation.
> THAT'S what I want to capture.
>
>
>
>
> "krazyl" <guest@unknown-email.com> wrote in message
> news:acd13a49e6871285f91394c2645bf65c@nntp-gateway.com...<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
>>
>> Have you tried right clickin on it and clicking save as and see if it
>> lets you save the file to ur pc. Post a link to an example of what your
>> talkin about and I will see if I can get it on my pc.
>>
>>
>> --
>> krazyl
>>
>> [image: <!--colorc--><!--/colorc--> ><!--co...ll solve your issue. Hope this helps Andy

 

"BudV" <BudVitoff@msn.com> wrote in message news:#26TmDtLKHA.4004@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> I apologize for not making my situation perfectly clear for you. I'm not
> talking about downloading or saving a file -- that would be trivial. Take
> the following link and you should get almost an hour of conversation.
> THAT'S what I want to capture.
>
>
>
> <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->


I visited the link you gave and was able to save the audio with this program:



Although it's primarily for capturing web videos it also saves sound files.
(You can save the audio file to disk via the program.)
It's a useful program if you have got integrated on-board audio and no sound card.

 

BudV wrote:<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> HAH! One mystery solved, more or less. Of course it sounded like
> A.V.S. ...something. The desktop logo reads "AVS4YOU Software" !!! I
> suspect that little disturbance would go away if I registered (and
> paid for?) the package. In any event, unless I can solve the other
> two problems, I'm back to square one.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
======================================
Apparently you downloaded AVS Audio Editor...
(which is not Audacity and is not freeware).

I would still suggest that you give Audacity a try.

When you are directed to the SourceForge
page for downloading...do not click the
'Download Now' button (that's how you got the
AVS software). All you have to do is left click
the blue letters that say "Direct Link".

Sorry for the confusion...downloading software
can be tricky sometimes.

--

J. Inzer MS-MVP
Digital Media Experience

Notice
This is not tech support
I am a volunteer

Solutions that work for
me may not work for you

Proceed at your own risk

 

"BudV" <BudVitoff@NOmsn.SPAMcom> wrote in message
news:uq6Fq7qLKHA.1488@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> Running a Toshiba Satellite (nice speakers) under Vista Home Premium SP2.
>
> There is a series of audio interviews on the web that I want to record on
> my
> HD.
>
> Currently, I'm having acceptable results simply playing through the
> speakers
> and picking it up through the microphone using Sound Recorder. It's not
> exactly high fidelity, but I'm dealing with speech, not music. The only
> problem is that it's vulnerable to any noise in the area, and four to six
> grandkids can produce that effortlessly.
>
> I asked Geek Squad if I could just jumper the earphones output to the mic
> input, thereby blocking out external noise. She said it wouldn't work
> because ... yadda yadda .. powered mic ... yadda yadda ... a lot of extra
> noise. She confused me further with talk about software that will do
> this. I tried a free trial of one, but it looked as though it was still
> depending about the output from speakers and said nothing about gagging
> grandkids.
>
> Is there a way to play audio from a website and record it on my HD without
> depending on immediate airspace?
><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

Hello,
I use "Total Recorder" the Pro version, a paid for software application.
It will pick up any sound from any source coming into the computer, before
the
sound reaches the sound card.
take care.
beamish.

 

"John Inzer" <oobie@doobie.zyx> wrote in message
news:eeGZ2KvLKHA.504@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> BudV wrote:<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
>> HAH! One mystery solved, more or less. Of course it sounded like
>> A.V.S. ...something. The desktop logo reads "AVS4YOU Software" !!! I
>> suspect that little disturbance would go away if I registered (and
>> paid for?) the package. In any event, unless I can solve the other
>> two problems, I'm back to square one.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
> ======================================
> Apparently you downloaded AVS Audio Editor...
> (which is not Audacity and is not freeware).
>
> I would still suggest that you give Audacity a try.
>
> When you are directed to the SourceForge
> page for downloading...do not click the
> 'Download Now' button (that's how you got the
> AVS software). All you have to do is left click
> the blue letters that say "Direct Link".
>
> Sorry for the confusion...downloading software
> can be tricky sometimes.
>
> --
>
> J. Inzer MS-MVP
> Digital Media Experience
>
> Notice
> This is not tech support
> I am a volunteer
>
> Solutions that work for
> me may not work for you
>
> Proceed at your own risk
> <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

 

It took a little persistence but I finally found the "Direct Link" option.

The test worked, but it still picked up my voice in addition to the source
coming through the speakers. Am I asking for too much to expect the
software to intercept the source's sound *before* it gets to the speakers
and not "hear" anything through the mic? Also, I checked Help to see if it
had anything along these lines, and it mentioned the toolbar that contained
input volume, recording volume, and Input Selection, which I had hoped would
deal with my situation, but the screen had that selection dimmed and it
didn't look like the help example. I tried to find the manual online with
no luck.


"John Inzer" <oobie@doobie.zyx> wrote in message
news:eeGZ2KvLKHA.504@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> BudV wrote:<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
>> HAH! One mystery solved, more or less. Of course it sounded like
>> A.V.S. ...something. The desktop logo reads "AVS4YOU Software" !!! I
>> suspect that little disturbance would go away if I registered (and
>> paid for?) the package. In any event, unless I can solve the other
>> two problems, I'm back to square one.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
> ======================================
> Apparently you downloaded AVS Audio Editor...
> (which is not Audacity and is not freeware).
>
> I would still suggest that you give Audacity a try.
>
> When you are directed to the SourceForge
> page for downloading...do not click the
> 'Download Now' button (that's how you got the
> AVS software). All you have to do is left click
> the blue letters that say "Direct Link".
>
> Sorry for the confusion...downloading software
> can be tricky sometimes.
>
> --
>
> J. Inzer MS-MVP
> Digital Media Experience
>
> Notice
> This is not tech support
> I am a volunteer
>
> Solutions that work for
> me may not work for you
>
> Proceed at your own risk
> <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

 

For a moment there, it looked as though you had exactly what I wanted; but
if "any source" includes the built-in mic then it's going to hear the
screaming grandkids, isn't it?

"Beamish" <beamish9@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:ejqQFqwLKHA.1236@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
>
>
> Hello,
> I use "Total Recorder" the Pro version, a paid for software application.
> It will pick up any sound from any source coming into the computer, before
> the
> sound reaches the sound card.
> take care.
> beamish.
>
>
> <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

 

BudV wrote:<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> It took a little persistence but I finally found the "Direct Link"
> option.
> The test worked, but it still picked up my voice in addition to the
> source coming through the speakers. Am I asking for too much to
> expect the software to intercept the source's sound *before* it gets
> to the speakers and not "hear" anything through the mic? Also, I
> checked Help to see if it had anything along these lines, and it
> mentioned the toolbar that contained input volume, recording volume,
> and Input Selection, which I had hoped would deal with my situation,
> but the screen had that selection dimmed and it didn't look like the
> help example. I tried to find the manual online with no luck.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
===============================================
Just wondering...did you follow the instructions in the article
I posted for you?

PC Recording of AM and FM Radio


One more question...why not download the Audio Interviews
to your hard drive and then recording won't be an issue?

If all of this fails...there is a way to accomplish the recording
using Windows Movie Maker.

Open WIndows Movie Maker and go to...Tools / Narrate Timeline.

In the Audio Input Source drop window choose, "Stereo Mix".

Drag the Input level slider to the top.

Left click the 'Start Narration' button.

Start your Interview.

When the interview is over...left click the Stop Narration button
and save the file to a folder on your hard drive.

--

J. Inzer MS-MVP
Digital Media Experience

Notice
This is not tech support
I am a volunteer

Solutions that work for
me may not work for you

Proceed at your own risk

 

First, and most important, what sound card or onboard audio adapter do you have
(check in Control Panel > Device Manager > Expand Sound, video and game
controllers)?

If you have a Creative card, or an onboard Realtek audio adapter, right click on
the speaker icon in the Notification Area of the Taskbar, and select Recording
Devices. For Creative right click on What-U-Hear, and select "Set as Default
Device". If you have a Realtek audio adapter, right click on Stereo Mix, and
select "Set as Default Device". You can then record audio playing on your PC
without picking up any room sounds.

If you do not see the above options -- or something similar --, right click on
an empty area of the Recording tab window, and select BOTH "Show Disabled
Devices" and "Show Disconnected Devices:.


--
I Bleed Blue and Gold
GO BEARS!


"BudV" <BudVitoff@msn.com> wrote in message
news:B3FCE865-3C3D-45E8-9A9F-29FA93FF5F4A@microsoft.com...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> For a moment there, it looked as though you had exactly what I wanted; but if
> "any source" includes the built-in mic then it's going to hear the screaming
> grandkids, isn't it?
>
> "Beamish" <beamish9@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:ejqQFqwLKHA.1236@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
>>
>>
>> Hello,
>> I use "Total Recorder" the Pro version, a paid for software application.
>> It will pick up any sound from any source coming into the computer, before
>> the
>> sound reaches the sound card.
>> take care.
>> beamish.
>>
>>
>><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
> <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

 

"BudV" <BudVitoff@msn.com> wrote:
<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
>For a moment there, it looked as though you had exactly what I wanted; but
>if "any source" includes the built-in mic then it's going to hear the
>screaming grandkids, isn't it?<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

Not if you're smart enough to turn the mic OFF.
<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
>"Beamish" <beamish9@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>news:ejqQFqwLKHA.1236@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
>>
>>
>> Hello,
>> I use "Total Recorder" the Pro version, a paid for software application.
>> It will pick up any sound from any source coming into the computer, before
>> the
>> sound reaches the sound card.
>> take care.
>> beamish.
>>
>>
>> <!--colorc--><!--/colorc--><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

 

SUCCESS with Audacity, along with a very subtle suggestion by John Galt that
I should turn the microphone OFF! :-D

Nevertheless, I would like to wrap up a couple of loose strings.

"John Inzer" <oobie@doobie.zyx> wrote in message
news:uLqTvMxLKHA.4780@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> Just wondering...did you follow the instructions in the article
> I posted for you?<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

If you're referring to Jake Ludington's "PC Recording of AM and FM Radio",
yes, but his text about Control Panel didn't correspond to what I saw on my
screen, no matter how I twisted and turned. I chalked it up to Vista vs. XP
and didn't pursue it any further.
<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> One more question...why not download the Audio Interviews
> to your hard drive and then recording won't be an issue?
><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

I would have liked that, but didn't know how! The screen that "played" the
interview just takes off and speaks. It had to be referring to an audio
file somewhere on the net, so I looked at the HTML to see if I could find
anything, but with my very limited experience with HTML I got nowhere. If
you can enlighten me on this, I'd appreciate it.
<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
>
> To all the contributors.
><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
My thanks to all the offers of help. The Audacity option plus turning off
the mic was the simplest choice for my aging brain.

 

BudV wrote:<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> SUCCESS with Audacity, along with a very subtle suggestion by John
> Galt that I should turn the microphone OFF! :-D<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
====================================
Good...I'm glad you found your solution.
====================================<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> If you're referring to Jake Ludington's "PC Recording of AM and FM
> Radio", yes, but his text about Control Panel didn't correspond to
> what I saw on my screen, no matter how I twisted and turned. I
> chalked it up to Vista vs. XP and didn't pursue it any further.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
====================================
Ok...XP vs Vista was probably the roadblock.
====================================<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro--><!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
>> One more question...why not download the Audio Interviews
>> to your hard drive and then recording won't be an issue?
>><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
>
> I would have liked that, but didn't know how! The screen that
> "played" the interview just takes off and speaks. It had to be
> referring to an audio file somewhere on the net, so I looked at the
> HTML to see if I could find anything, but with my very limited
> experience with HTML I got nowhere. If you can enlighten me on this,
> I'd appreciate it.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
====================================
I don't know the site you are referring to so
cannot be certain but in many cases the file
can be found in your Temporary Internet Files
folder after you play it on the net.

And...if you run the Mozilla FireFox Browser...
there is a free Add-On that makes it very easy
to download audio/video files from websites.

--

J. Inzer MS-MVP
Digital Media Experience

Notice
This is not tech support
I am a volunteer

Solutions that work for
me may not work for you

Proceed at your own risk

 

"BudV" <BudVitoff@msn.com> wrote in message
news:B3FCE865-3C3D-45E8-9A9F-29FA93FF5F4A@microsoft.com...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> For a moment there, it looked as though you had exactly what I wanted; but
> if "any source" includes the built-in mic then it's going to hear the
> screaming grandkids, isn't it?
>
> "Beamish" <beamish9@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:ejqQFqwLKHA.1236@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
>>
>>
>> Hello,
>> I use "Total Recorder" the Pro version, a paid for software application.
>> It will pick up any sound from any source coming into the computer,
>> before the
>> sound reaches the sound card.
>> take care.
>> beamish.
>>
>>
>><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

Hello,
Any source means you pick the source you want to use.
The application deals with sound you choose the source.

take care.
beamish.

 

On Sun, 06 Sep 2009 16:30:36 -0500, BudV wrote:
<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> SUCCESS with Audacity, along with a very subtle suggestion by John Galt
> that I should turn the microphone OFF! :-D<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

I believe there is a Windows equivalent to 'wget'. if so, you can use it
to download the mp3 from the site. I tried it last night, worked fine.

Felmon