Recording with Blaze Media Pro

• Recording from a Microphone
• Recording from Videotape
• Recording from WinAmp or Streaming Audio from the Internet
• Using a Sound Card Mixer for Windows

Tip

• You might be able to convert your sound card to a DirectSound-compatible full-duplex sound card by installing the latest version of the sound driver for your sound card. Contact the manufacturer of your sound card to inquire about how to obtain and install the latest version of the sound driver for your sound card.

Recording from a Microphone

Most sound cards can receive sound input from a microphone through the sound card microphone port. This is useful for recording voice or sounds directly to your computer.

1. Check your hardware. If your microphone has never worked, or it stopped working, first check the physical connection of the microphone. Verify that it is firmly plugged into the microphone port instead of the headphone or speaker port.

   Tip

   • If you are not sure which port is correct, you can check the sound card to see if it is marked. Sometimes the sound card has a picture of a microphone. Otherwise, you can use a process of elimination, check the documentation that came with your hardware, or contact the hardware manufacturer.
2. Open Blaze Media Pro.
3. Click File > Audio Editor.
4. On the right side of the Audio Editor display area, below the Record list, click Mic, or Microphone, in the Volume dropdown list.

   Tip

   • You can set options for the Audio Editor when you click the Setup button on the main toolbar.
5. Adjust the recording volume for the highest possible performance. To do this, adjust the slider bars beneath the Volume dropdown list.
6. Click the Record button and then speak into the microphone.
7. If the microphone is plugged into the correct jack, the wave patterns on the display should move up and down. If it does not move, sound is not going to your microphone. If the wave moves, click the Stop button, and then click the Play button to listen to your recording.
8. Click File > Save or Save As. This saves the audio data from the microphone as a WAV, MP3, or WMA file.

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Recording from Videotape

You can extract the audio from a videotape and then convert it to MP3 or WAV files.

1. Connect the left and right audio-out terminals on the VCR to the line-in or microphone terminal on the sound card.
2. Open Blaze Media Pro.
3. Click File > Audio Editor.
4. On the right side of the Audio Editor display area, below the Record list, click Line-in or Mic in the Volume dropdown list.
5. Adjust the recording volume for the highest possible performance. To do this, adjust the slider bars beneath the Volume dropdown list.

   Tip

   • You can set options for the Audio Editor when you click the Setup button on the main toolbar.
6. Click Play on the VCR.
7. Click the Record button. You should see a wave pattern display of the audio as it is playing.

   Caution

   • If the settings are too low, you see only very small variations in the wave pattern in the display area of the Audio Editor window.
   • If the sound is clipped because the volume is too high, move the line-in or microphone volume setting down until most of the volume range is displayed without clipping. If the sound is too low, increase the volume setting.
   • Depending on your sound card and the volume of the audio source, you might not get enough volume using the line-in input. In this case, try the microphone input, as the volume sensitivity through the microphone input is generally greater than with the line-in input.
8. If you are satisfied with the recording effect, then stop the recording test by clicking Stop button.
9. Rewind the tape and start the playback from the point you want to record.
10. In the Audio Editor, click the Record button and stand by.
11. When you want to stop recording, click the Stop button.
12. Click File > Save or Save As. This saves the videotape data as an MP3 or WAV file.

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Recording from an Application or Streaming Audio from the Internet

1. Open Blaze Media Pro.
2. Click File > Audio Editor.
3. On the right side of the Audio Editor display area, below the Record list, click device the Wave device in the Volume dropdown list.
4. Adjust the recording volume for the highest possible performance. To do this, adjust the slider bars beneath the Volume dropdown list.

   Tip

   • You can set options for the Audio Editor when you click the Setup button on the main toolbar.
5. Start the playback of the WinAmp or the streaming audio from the Internet.
6. In the Audio Editor window, click the Record button.
7. Adjust the volume setting while observing a wave pattern display of the audio as it plays.

   Tip

   • You can pause the recording by clicking the Stop button at any time. Start again by clicking the Record button.
8. To stop recording, click the Stop button.
9. Click File > Save or Save As. This saves the sound file to MP3, WMA, or WAV formats.
10. Now start the playback of the WinAmp or the streaming audio from Internet and click the Record button in the Audio Editor. Adjust the volume setting while observing a wave pattern display of the audio as it is plays.
11. To stop recording, click the Stop button.
12. Click File > Save or Save As. This saves the audio data.

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Using a Sound Card Mixer for Windows

If you cannot locate your sound card as an input device in Blaze Media Pro, you can use the Windows Volume Control instead.

1. In the Taskbar tray, in the lower right corner of the computer screen, double-click the speaker icon. The Volume Control dialog box appears.

   Tips

   • If you do not have a speaker icon in your taskbar tray, you can display the Recording Control directly.
   • To display it in Windows 98 or ME, click Start > Settings > Control Panel. You can then click Sounds and Multimedia. On the Audio tab of the Sounds and Multimedia dialog box, click the Volume button in the Sound Playback group.
   • In Windows XP, click Start > Control Panel. Click the Sounds and Audio icon. On the Audio tab of the Sounds and Audio Devices Properties dialog box, click Volume.
2. You can control which sound card speaker-input controls appear in the Volume Control window. In the Volume Control window, click Options > Properties.
3. Select the controls that you want to appear.
4. For each speaker-input shown, you can see a Volume slider and Mute checkbox, and perhaps other controls for balance, and so forth. The Volume slider controls the loudness for that particular speaker input and Mute turns it off completely.

   Important

   • The Volume Control dialog box only sets options for speaker output and does not control recording. Do not clear the checkbox for the Microphone Mute control and turn up the microphone volume. If you do this, the Audio Editor cannot record from the microphone.
5. Click Options > Properties again.
6. Select Recording and select all the controls. The Volume Control dialog box is replaced by Record Control.
7. For each recording input, you can click a Select checkbox and adjust Volume slider. Do one of the following:
   • If you want to record from the microphone, check the Microphone Select checkbox.
   • If you want to record from Line-In, select the Line-In Select checkbox.
8. If the recording volume is too low, turn up the appropriate Volume slider.

   Tip

   • Sometimes you may wish to record streaming audio. Many modern sound cards present a recording input called Wave (stereo mixer) that may work. Several sound cards also offer a recording input called What U Hear or a similar name, that records anything that can be heard over the computer speakers.

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