Capture audio from soundcard? (Loopback)

[Dingo]

Woof woof!

In my old HP D530, I was able to capture audio from soundcard following what written here:.
http://drsjlazar.blogspot.com/2009/02/t ... t.html?m=1

Now, with my laptop Lenovo Thinkpad L440, I'm no more able to use the procedure described

Do you have any hints about this task?

edit: this is my amixer contents output:

Code: Select all

root# amixer contents
numid=23,iface=CARD,name='Dock Headphone Jack'
  ; type=BOOLEAN,access=r-------,values=1
  : values=off
numid=19,iface=CARD,name='Dock Mic Jack'
  ; type=BOOLEAN,access=r-------,values=1
  : values=off
numid=24,iface=CARD,name='Headphone Jack'
  ; type=BOOLEAN,access=r-------,values=1
  : values=off
numid=21,iface=CARD,name='Internal Mic Phantom Jack'
  ; type=BOOLEAN,access=r-------,values=1
  : values=on
numid=20,iface=CARD,name='Mic Jack'
  ; type=BOOLEAN,access=r-------,values=1
  : values=off
numid=22,iface=CARD,name='Speaker Phantom Jack'
  ; type=BOOLEAN,access=r-------,values=1
  : values=on
numid=18,iface=MIXER,name='Master Playback Switch'
  ; type=BOOLEAN,access=rw------,values=1
  : values=on
numid=17,iface=MIXER,name='Master Playback Volume'
  ; type=INTEGER,access=rw---R--,values=1,min=0,max=87,step=0
  : values=72
  | dBscale-min=-65.25dB,step=0.75dB,mute=0
numid=4,iface=MIXER,name='Headphone Playback Switch'
  ; type=BOOLEAN,access=rw------,values=2
  : values=off,off
numid=5,iface=MIXER,name='Headphone Playback Switch',index=1
  ; type=BOOLEAN,access=rw------,values=2
  : values=off,off
numid=3,iface=MIXER,name='Headphone Playback Volume'
  ; type=INTEGER,access=rw---R--,values=2,min=0,max=87,step=0
  : values=71,71
  | dBscale-min=-65.25dB,step=0.75dB,mute=0
numid=29,iface=MIXER,name='PCM Playback Volume'
  ; type=INTEGER,access=rw---RW-,values=2,min=0,max=255,step=0
  : values=255,255
  | dBscale-min=-51.00dB,step=0.20dB,mute=0
numid=15,iface=MIXER,name='Mic Boost Volume'
  ; type=INTEGER,access=rw---R--,values=2,min=0,max=3,step=0
  : values=1,1
  | dBscale-min=0.00dB,step=10.00dB,mute=0
numid=10,iface=MIXER,name='Mic Playback Switch'
  ; type=BOOLEAN,access=rw------,values=2
  : values=on,on
numid=9,iface=MIXER,name='Mic Playback Volume'
  ; type=INTEGER,access=rw---R--,values=2,min=0,max=31,step=0
  : values=12,12
  | dBscale-min=-34.50dB,step=1.50dB,mute=0
numid=13,iface=MIXER,name='Capture Switch'
  ; type=BOOLEAN,access=rw------,values=2
  : values=on,on
numid=12,iface=MIXER,name='Capture Volume'
  ; type=INTEGER,access=rw---R--,values=2,min=0,max=63,step=0
  : values=39,39
  | dBscale-min=-17.25dB,step=0.75dB,mute=0
numid=6,iface=MIXER,name='Loopback Mixing'
  ; type=ENUMERATED,access=rw------,values=1,items=2
  ; Item #0 'Disabled'
  ; Item #1 'Enabled'
  : values=1
numid=11,iface=MIXER,name='Auto-Mute Mode'
  ; type=ENUMERATED,access=rw------,values=1,items=2
  ; Item #0 'Disabled'
  ; Item #1 'Enabled'
  : values=1
numid=26,iface=MIXER,name='Beep Playback Switch'
  ; type=BOOLEAN,access=rw------,values=2
  : values=on,on
numid=25,iface=MIXER,name='Beep Playback Volume'
  ; type=INTEGER,access=rw---R--,values=2,min=0,max=31,step=0
  : values=11,11
  | dBscale-min=-34.50dB,step=1.50dB,mute=0
numid=14,iface=MIXER,name='Dock Mic Boost Volume'
  ; type=INTEGER,access=rw---R--,values=2,min=0,max=3,step=0
  : values=0,0
  | dBscale-min=0.00dB,step=12.00dB,mute=0
numid=8,iface=MIXER,name='Dock Mic Playback Switch'
  ; type=BOOLEAN,access=rw------,values=2
  : values=off,off
numid=7,iface=MIXER,name='Dock Mic Playback Volume'
  ; type=INTEGER,access=rw---R--,values=2,min=0,max=31,step=0
  : values=0,0
  | dBscale-min=-34.50dB,step=1.50dB,mute=0
numid=16,iface=MIXER,name='Internal Mic Boost Volume'
  ; type=INTEGER,access=rw---R--,values=2,min=0,max=1,step=0
  : values=0,0
  | dBscale-min=0.00dB,step=12.00dB,mute=0
numid=2,iface=MIXER,name='Speaker Playback Switch'
  ; type=BOOLEAN,access=rw------,values=2
  : values=on,on
numid=1,iface=MIXER,name='Speaker Playback Volume'
  ; type=INTEGER,access=rw---R--,values=2,min=0,max=87,step=0
  : values=87,87
  | dBscale-min=-65.25dB,step=0.75dB,mute=0
numid=28,iface=PCM,name='Capture Channel Map'
  ; type=INTEGER,access=r----R--,values=2,min=0,max=36,step=0
  : values=0,0
  | container
    | chmap-fixed=FL,FR

numid=27,iface=PCM,name='Playback Channel Map'
  ; type=INTEGER,access=r----R--,values=4,min=0,max=36,step=0
  : values=0,0,0,0
  | container
    | chmap-fixed=FL,FR
    | chmap-fixed=FL,FR,RL,RR

[ThruHammer]

Dingo mate, perhaps one of these triggers your creative mind...

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=95431

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?p=906186

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 758#795758

[bigpup]

OK, I will guess, that this will work, in whatever Puppy version, you are using.

Precord audio recorder
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=49907
That is an old topic.

In the official Puppy repository is this version of Precord
http://distro.ibiblio.org/puppylinux/pe ... -7.0.1.pet

Never used it, but I think it may do what you want.
Click the advanced interface button to see all the options.

Screenshot.png (51.33 KiB) Viewed 429 times

[Dingo]

OK, I will guess, that this will work, in whatever Puppy version, you are using.

Precord audio recorder
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=49907
That is an old topic.

In the official Puppy repository is this version of Precord
http://distro.ibiblio.org/puppylinux/pe ... -7.0.1.pet

Never used it, but I think it may do what you want.
Click the advanced interface button to see all the options.
Screenshot.png

It seems promising. Thanks! In this laptop it seems I don't have the same capture device I had in my old desktop. I used to make audiobooks from a vocal syntetizer that has no direct output to mp3

I hope it works in modern puppies like tharpup or xenial/Bionic series

Edit

No. Precord captures audio from internal mic, not from soundcard output.

[ThruHammer]

No response to the links I left, huh?

What am I? Copped meat?

[Dingo]

No response to the links I left, huh?

What am I? Copped meat?

I will consider any suggestion, don't worry. In this laptop I have not the same loopback device I had in my old desktop PC so I need to achieve my goal attempt after attempt

[ThruHammer]

Keep in mind I linked you to some prominent company.

[ozsouth]

Last century, I captured sound by connecting audio out (headphones) & audio in (microphone) by an audio cable.
Last year, I did the same with a cheap usb sound card. Both allow recording of desktop sound.

[taersh]

Last century, I captured sound by connecting audio out (headphones) & audio in (microphone) by an audio cable.
Last year, I did the same with a cheap usb sound card. Both allow recording of desktop sound.

You should use audio in (LINE) instead of microphone. Microphone input usually is MONO - NOT stereo.

[mikewalsh]

@Dingo :-

Last century, I captured sound by connecting audio out (headphones) & audio in (microphone) by an audio cable.
Last year, I did the same with a cheap usb sound card. Both allow recording of desktop sound.

I have exactly the same issue you appear to have, in this new HP Pavilion desktop. The 'Loopback' function appears in Retrovol, but it's NOT "functional".....it doesn't do anything.

I tried Oz's method for doing this - I've got a basic USB soundcard by Plugable - and connecting both the 'mic' and 'headphone' sockets with a short 3.5mm double-ended lead (i.e., a jack-plug on each end) gives me a method of recording sound from the 'internal' card. It's a bit fiddly, but it DOES give a workaround for this bizarre problem which I've never before encountered.

Audacity works best for this because you can specify different input/output 'soundcards'.

Hope that helps.

Mike.

[mikewalsh]

@taersh :-

Last century, I captured sound by connecting audio out (headphones) & audio in (microphone) by an audio cable.
Last year, I did the same with a cheap usb sound card. Both allow recording of desktop sound.

You should use audio in (LINE) instead of microphone. Microphone input usually is MONO - NOT stereo.

In general, I agree with this. However, cheap USB soundcards usually only have two sockets; 'mic' & 'headphones'.

Myself, I'm toying with the idea of buying a separate soundcard to get round this annoying issue..... Any suggestions? (I don't want to go silly, price-wise, but some extra audio options wouldn't go amiss, either..!)

What's your view on the SoundBlaster Audigy FX? I've heard quite a lot about this card, and how everybody seems to like it....

Mike.

[Dingo]

@mikewalsh surely this will be my "extrema ratio" attempt. I hope to get working audio capture from loopback (if possible) with @ThruHammer links. Precord that the gentle @bigpup mentioned, records from mic of laptop not from soundcard

[Geek3579]

I this last week I have been looking at this issue also.

What I have found is the following:

1) Recording internal/system sound on a raspberry Pi4 with a recent Pulseaudio addition is relatively easy, using either ffmpeg, arecord or parec as desired.

2) I have not tried the methods in (1) with dpupbuster64, which has Pulseaudio on board, but that could be an option.

3) As a workaround I have been able to record web streams (eg internet radio) in BionicPup64 by use of the following means:
a) I used the on-board radio streamer (Simple GTK Streamer) to copy the URLs of the station. Its a great little program, with an easily accessible search of the database.

b) I use Audacious to play the audio stream, and set it to record. Audacious is very flexible, easy to use and gives one control over the recording quality, output destination and even pre-record audio effects (eg stereo widening).

4) Using Bionicpup64 I have tried various methods using the modprobe snd-aloop / editing the asound.conf file/ approach, with no useful result...yet. Some sources even suggested that it was not possible to record internal sound with only Alsa. Which is a very good reason to try !

So, I would be grateful for any working arrangement for Binonic64 or Fossapup64, to complete the challenge and give more flexibility in the use of Puppy Linux.

[wiak]

Precord that the gentle @bigpup mentioned, records from mic of laptop not from soundcard

Actually, Precord doesn't itself control where the sound input comes from. If using alsa, then the sound input is usually determined by whatever you set under
'Capture' in alsamixer program - if that is set up via Mix to use soundcard and you then use Precord it will then be recording from soundcard. In fact if you press the 'Help' button in Precord, item 5. in the help text explains this. The version of Precord I use is version 9.0.5, and in its setup window, on the bottom row, I type the word 'pulse' (without the quotes) in selection box 'audiodevice' (the version referred to by bigpup is a very old one that seems not to have this) - in that set up Precord records via pulseaudio (and the input source is whatever you have set up for pulseaudio via pavucontrol for example). In other words, Precord is basically just a convenient GUI frontend to whatever sound system streams your distro supports - internally it is just using commandlines involving the likes of ffmpeg, aplay and lame (for mp3 decoding).

You could alternatively use program weX, which is very similar, but can also capture webcam video and/or screencast - three checkboxes to determine which combination of streams you want to record: audio; X11video; screencast
A dotpet for weX is here: viewtopic.php?p=1102#p1102
Of course the configuration screen for weX is more complicated that that for audio-only Precord. Both are small scripts really so I have both of them on my system anyway.

But here is extract from Precord 'Help' text and I've attached the whole help txt as a file:

1. If your system uses pulseaudio for sound, enter pulse rather than say plughw:0,0 in AUDIODEVICE entry box.
...
5. As an alternative to recording from the microphone, you should be able to select some other device to capture from. e.g. Select Line to record audio from an external source, or use Mix (perhaps called Mono Mix or Stereo Mix) to record directly from whatever your system sound card is playing. Using Mix for capture should allow you, for example, to record streaming videos playing in your webbrowser (via audio and X11 media stream capture), or for recording internet streaming radio. Note that the actual names used for capture devices and mixers tend to vary from soundcard to soundcard, so some trial and error may be involved.