mhWaveEditor VU meter needle not moving (Solved)

Audio editors, music players, video players, burning software, etc.
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nubc
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mhWaveEditor VU meter needle not moving (Solved)

#1 Post by nubc »

I dont understand why there are two gui's for this app, but there is a VU meter called up by the command to Record from the primary gui. I went through settings a few times, but still there is no movement of the VU meter in stereo or mono, stays pegged on zero. What am I missing here? I just wanna play back the music, just like an imeem file (flash with no video), in VLC or gxine. I'm guessing the original format is WAV.

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Flash
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#2 Post by Flash »

The VU meters show the input level when mhWaveEdit is recording, not playing a file.

If all you want to do is play a WAV file, gxine would be a better choice than mhWaveEdit. MhWaveEdit is primarily intended for recording and editing, though it will play files. To play a file in mhWaveEdit, you have to first open the file, which will show up in the mhWaveEdit window, then ctrl-a to select all, then play the selected segment. It's simpler to play the file in gxine. Click the "Play" icon on the desktop to open gxine, click gxine's "File" and choose "Open," then find the file you want to play.

If the file won't play in gxine, there may be a plugin available, or some other player, such as Aqualung, might work.

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#3 Post by nubc »

I'm sorry, maybe I wasnt clear. I am recording an audio stream, probably .wav format. During the recording, there is no movement of the VU meter needles. And it's no surprise that the final result, the file I saved, makes no sound. Should the needles be moving? Does this app work out of the box, or do I need to adjust some parameter, perhaps select a non-default format? I tried high quality and low quality, same behavior of the needles. I am doing something basically wrong, or inadequately.

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#4 Post by Flash »

Sorry, I misunderstood you. :)

First, we need to confirm that your sound card is properly recognized by Puppy. Can you play a CD or mp3 file in gxine, or a YouTube video in SeaMonkey, and hear the sound?

If so, then you need only tell ALSA which is the input, and adjust the sound level. To do that, go to Menu -> Multimedia -> AlsaMixer audio mixer and click your tab key until the "Capture" screen is lit up. You should do this while mhWaveEdit's VU meters are visible, with a signal on the input you want to use. The VU meters will start to move when you choose the right input in AlsaMixer and get the volume up. I just tried different things in AlsaMixer until something worked. Use the left and right arrow keys in AlsaMixer, also sometimes the space key and the M key are needed, to activate certain features.

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#5 Post by nubc »

In ALSA mixer there is only one I/O feature available in Capture mode, and that is named "IEC958 P" currently set to 100%, because the next increment is 64%. I press M key with no effect, apparently M toggles muting. I press Space, which seems to toggle Mono and Stereo, but has no effect on this feature. The onboard card is SiS SI7012, the chip is Realtek ALC655 rev0. I can hear the target stream just fine, but still the VU meter needles don't move. Have tried other parameters with no joy. I also called up the mixer on the Record gui, where everything is turned up to 74% or so, but there is little more to do there. Any suggestions?

Query: I google "IEC958 P" and apparently there are issues with this model, which may be pulseaudio (?). Can someone verify this? The "P" is a truncation of "Part-4"
Last edited by nubc on Mon 04 Jan 2010, 11:48, edited 1 time in total.

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#6 Post by nubc »

I am using another computer now and get different options when I tab the Capture mode in ALSA mixer. One of those options is named "Capture", set to 87%, but nothing I do will cause the VU meters to move. So I am leaving something out? Please advise.

1. The sequence of opening apps may be important because when I try to make adjustments to the output quality I get an error that ALSA is in use.
2. I am wondering if anyone has actually used this app with success. Without someone sharing specific experience, this is beginning to be tedious. I have done fumbled around with this thang and it should be working by now.
3. I would love to try sox, but the target stream requires Flash 10+. For now I will stick with mhWaveEdit.

CORRECTION: The first computer has the option "Capture" in ALSA's Capture mode. This option was off-screen to the far right, so I missed it first time around. However, even though numerical values for Peak, Peak Max, and RMS are changing a little, the VU meter needles are motionless. [Therefore, the issue about IEC958 P is moot. There is a Capture option, but some setting is wrong.]

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#7 Post by Flash »

nubc wrote:... I am wondering if anyone has actually used this app with success. ...
Yes, I've used mhWaveEdit on two different computers (built with recent Gigabyte motherboards) with great success. I understand your frustration. I don't know what else to suggest. Have you tried Precord? Its VU meter can't be used while recording, but at least it can get you set up. And before you ask, I've used Precord too. :lol:

Have you tried connecting your computer's Line out to its Line in?

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#8 Post by mikeb »

IEC958 is for spdif.

From you description it sounds like alsa is not fully supporting your sound card...I had the same on a netbook with alsa 1.1.16...when I updated to 1.1.20 the microphone and line in appeared in alsamixer and I was able to record.

puppy 4.31 has 1.1.20 , the latest alsa is 1.1.21 I believe...so a little info aboutr puppy version would help...there is a possibility you may have to wait for alsa support...this is generally the case for the hda deriver as new cards appear all the time (like why ...sound is sound...what's the flaming difference...rant over)

hope that helps

mike

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#9 Post by nubc »

I'm running Puppy 4.3.1 as a live CD for the purpose of this recording. The onboard sound is SiS SI7012, with chipset Realtek ALC655 rev 0. I'm trying to record an audio stream from the internet. Do you know which option in ALSA I should select in order for this stream to register in mhWaveEdit Record mode? Also, why am I using ALSA at all when there is a mixer built into mhWaveEdit?

I might also add that I tried this recording on another computer with the identical negative result, implying operator error rather than non-support.

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#10 Post by nubc »

I have tried Precord now, and even though it is simple, there is no way to know if I have set things up correctly in preparation, but I can tell you the end result--nothing recorded. There is no sound in Aqualung, no sound in gxine. So do I have to read 8 pages of forum commentary to find out that I have to configure ALSA a certain way before this works? Let's see, I have been hanging out on the forum for two days now, have been fumbling around with an application for 6 hours, and still nobody can tell me how to get this to work. Maybe it's time to do this in Windows. Or some bloated application in Mint.

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#11 Post by mikeb »

Sound is managed with alsa.....applications interface with that be it mhwaveedit, precord or whatever...if alsa cannot see it nothing else will.
To record an audio stream there would need to be a capture input usually called mix which routes the sound output back to input so it can be recorded...if you do not have such a control then it will not work.
What range of inputs are listed on the other machine that does not work.?

mike

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#12 Post by nubc »

I have a feature named "Capture" in the Capture mode of ALSA. There is also "Mix", but it is not in Capture mode, rather in Playback mode of ALSA. Right now I am installing Puppy 4.3.1 on yet another computer. All three computers I have tested have onboard sound. If this third one fails, I will probably install a Yamaha DX or SoundBlaster PCI card. I have read that the major brand companies hobble the sound card (chipset) to discourage recording.
Last edited by nubc on Mon 04 Jan 2010, 22:48, edited 1 time in total.

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#13 Post by mikeb »

I have read that the major brand companies hobble the sound card (chipset) to discourage recording
you may have a point there....thinking about it the netbook has internal mic/external mic/digital(there is no digital socket!!) inputs but no mix and its another intel onboard jobbie
I use el chepo cmi8738 based cards ...yet full featured and every OS likes them.

There is the also aloop modules as a means of software crosspatching but I suspect that would not help either if you only see the spdif input.....your theory is filling out.

I bought a minidisc recorder with usb connection...oh joy I can make and transfer digitally and at high speed the music we make... the reality was no way...every route was blocked or limited in some way..remember this was for our original material. Another one would not relay monitored input to digital out.
In both cases I simply wanted to avoid the noise from computer sound cards when making recordings.
Ludicrous really as if I was going to pirate CDs why the fudge would I use a minidisc player!!!..barmy

well determination often pays

regards

mike

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#14 Post by nubc »

The computer which I reported had only IEC958 P (spdif) actually had "Capture" as well. See my CORRECTION above. I know that the original off-brand computer is identical to a model by Gateway, a company which hobbles sound card chipsets. Dell reportedly hobbled too.

Okay, this ASUS-based computer has only "Capture" in ALSA Capture mode. That's three computers that had only "Capture" in this mode. Are you saying that your computer has more features in the Capture mode? Exactly which features are in ALSA's Capture mode for your computer?

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#15 Post by mikeb »

Ok ...well on this machine PCM would be used .....that covers all media players and the web browser.. ..I can select more than one input and levels are set in the play screen.

On another there is a mix capture input which takes the output from the master volume so levels are set as for play...so similar to the other one in use.

mike
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#16 Post by nubc »

@mikeb
In the first screen, you show only mic. If you use your right arrow you will find more options are available offscreen. I bet that "Capture" is way off to the right, off-screen. Now are you saying that you change the ALSA mode to All in order to use PCM? In other words you are not staying in Capture mode to do a recording, but are using options from other ALSA modes? Can I use any ALSA mode to do this recording? I was under the impression that for recording I had to be in Capture mode.

I am looking at ALSA in yet another computer with a Creative PCI sound card. There are two options in Capture mode: "3D Center" and "Capture". There is a notation for "L / R CAPTURE" on the "Mic" option, but the "Mic" option does not have a vertical space for volume adjustment, meaning "Mic" is not available in Capture mode, in my opinion. "Mic" is available in All mode, with "L / R CAPTURE" notation (red). And "Mic" is available in Playback mode, with no L / R CAPTURE notation. Which can I use for recording, if any?

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#17 Post by nubc »

I guess it helps to physically connect speaker out with line in or mic using an audio connector, because now I am seeing the needles move. Kinda inexact since the sliders on Record gui have no numerical value. The option I used, Line in, was available in All mode, not Capture mode. I guess I can do this now, but there was a glitch at the end: The primary gui wants me to save some changes, and there is a graphical representation of the track frozen in its window. I dont know what this is about, but I already saved the desired file elsewhere. Anyway, when I saved this data from the primary gui, the computer froze up, had to restart X. Whuddat?

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#18 Post by nubc »

I am also curious about adjusting for maximum volume without heavy clipping. Is this maximum possible volume a constant, achieved by adjusting the ALSA option (Line IN) along with Master Volume on Record gui's mixer? Or is there a way to tweak more volume out of the recording without heavy clipping? What is accomplished by clicking the button named "Reset max peaks" on Record gui?

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#19 Post by Flash »

Okay, so I guess you connected the speaker output to Line in and now mhWaveEdit's VU meters wiggle. :D

The "Reset max peaks" button only resets the max peak number located under the VU meters. Max peak is how close the signal has come to clipping (100%). Once the max peak number hits 100%, you cannot tell if further clipping is taking place until you reset it. Hence the "Reset max peaks" button.

Here's how to get maximum volume without clipping: set the sound levels to a level that will not cause the max peaks indicator to hit 100% anywhere in the file. It doesn't matter if the resulting max peak is only 80%, because after the entire file is captured, you're going to go to Effects and choose Normalize. Normalize makes two scans. The first scan finds the maximum peak in the file. Say it's 80% Then a number is calculated which when multiplied by the maximum peak increases the maximum peak to 100%. If the max peak was only 80%, the multiplier would be 1.25. The second scan multiplies every sample in the file by that same multiplier, increasing the level of the whole file to what it would have been if you'd managed to set the input to the perfect level to begin with. Normalizing is theoretically not as good as setting your input level so that the maximum peak just reaches 100%, but that's not feasible unless you have the time to make multiple tries, and you can't tell the difference anyway.

Also I would say that I have found a small amount of clipping is not noticeable, so if you have to clip a few peaks in order to bring the rest of the file up to audible levels, go ahead and do it. :)

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#20 Post by nubc »

1. Will I get less static in playback if I record Mic instead of Line?

2. File size is either too much or too little. For example, 5 minutes of 16-bit stereo is 63 MB, 5 minutes of 8-bit mono is 2.5 MB. I am accustomed to file sizes of 4 MB to 11 MB. [Oops, my bad, this range applies to files containing both audio and video.] When I convert the WAV file to mp3, will the file size change significantly? What about Precord, will it make a different size file?

3. What is the data that is being generated by the primary gui? At present, I am ignoring this data, keeping only what the Record gui produces.

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