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leestump
Participating Frequently
January 29, 2018
Answered

hearing audio while recording from an input

  • January 29, 2018
  • 1 reply
  • 2822 views

I am recording from the system sound on a Mac Pro. It records fine, but I cannot figure out how to hear the sound while it is recording.

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    Correct answer Bob Howes

    Recording in Mutitrack View, click on the little 'I" in the information box at the left end of the track(s) you're using.  This allows you to hear the input while you're recording.

    One caveat though.  Listening to the input after it's done a round trip through your computer may result in unacceptable latency (delay).  What most people do is use an external audio interface that has "direct hardware monitoring as a facility.  This lets you monitor directly from the interface before the signal travels via the computer.

    1 reply

    Bob Howes
    Bob HowesCorrect answer
    Inspiring
    January 29, 2018

    Recording in Mutitrack View, click on the little 'I" in the information box at the left end of the track(s) you're using.  This allows you to hear the input while you're recording.

    One caveat though.  Listening to the input after it's done a round trip through your computer may result in unacceptable latency (delay).  What most people do is use an external audio interface that has "direct hardware monitoring as a facility.  This lets you monitor directly from the interface before the signal travels via the computer.

    L
    leestumpAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    January 29, 2018

    What might that "external audio interface" be?

    Bob Howes
    Bob Howes
    Inspiring
    January 29, 2018

    It's a device that you can plug your microphone(s) or other audio sources into.  It provides mic pre amps, then converts from analogue to digital and gives you an interface you can plug into your computer (usually USB these days).  Besides those basics, they can also provide level control for headphones and monitor speakers, the direct monitoring I mentioned previously and generally makes things more convenient.

    However, re-reading your original post, I notice you mention recording system sounds.  If by this you mean a microphone (or whatever) plugged into the audio input on your computer, then an external interface would work well for you.  However, if you mean you're recording things like streaming audio, then the interface wouldn't be much good to you--and latency shouldn't be as big an issue anyway.

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