Recording Stereo Mix + USB Microphone

[TechnoPorg]

My friend and I have recently started a podcast, and we have been talking using Discord, recording the audio with OBS so as to get a separate audio track for each of us, and editing the episodes with Audition. This can be rather irritating, as I would prefer to use one application for both recording and editing. My microphone uses an audio cable connected to a USB adapter, as I have no microphone port on my laptop. Using Audition, however, I cannot record in multitrack using the stereo mix from my computer as the input for one track and my USB contraption as the input for another track, however, as whenever I set the default input device to one of those in the Audio Hardware settings, the other one disappears from the list of available input devices in the multitrack editor. Is there a workaround to this issue or is it simply not something that is possible to do?

[SteveG_AudioMasters_ · Accepted solution]

I have to tell you that the reason that programs like OBS exist (and there are several more) is because multi-sourcing into any 'normal' recording app like Audition is really difficult to set up, if you want feeds from anywhere in the OS (which you do). It's not impossible; if you are using Windows, there is an app called Virtual Audio Cable that will enable you to create the internal routing that Microsoft doesn't provide. But as I said, it's not easy to set up. Also you have to be aware that there are several products called the same thing, and all except one are fakes or malware. The legitimate one is here though: Virtual Audio Cable If you are using a Mac, I believe that there's an app called Loopback that does something similar. If you actually succeed in setting it up, there's a good chance that you can do away with using OBS - you should be able to pick up the Discord and USB mic feeds separately, and have them show as Audition sources. I have to emphasise 'if' though - this really isn't that easy to set up - just a look at the size and complexity of the manual should give you a bit of a clue...

But, if you want to record separated streams in Audition from sources within the OS, this is the only route that will enable it, I'm afraid. If I was doing this and I'd got a system that worked, I'd be sticking with it, though, and being perfectly happy just to edit and assemble in Audition.

[TechnoPorg]

Great, thanks for your help!

[Garry Stewart]

Why is this so difficult? I've just ran into almost the exact same issue and come to the same conclusions only to find this post afterwards. I'm astounded that something so seemingly simple hasn't been seen to. You can record Stereo, no problem. You can record mic, no problem. But you can't record Stereo + Mic? Baffling

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

I have no idea why, either. It's like Bill Gates has a dreaded fear of Karaoké or something... 😉

[Alastair L]

This isn't an issue wth the host operating system, macOS Audition has the same limitation. I have Blackhole and other audio routing on my mac to use with mimoLive but Audition will only recognise the system default input source. Sure you can change the system default but it's only one possiblity at any given time.

It bafles me that Adobe haven't provided this option for multrack recording using more than one system routed audio signal, I have a bunch of audio routings operating simulataneously but in this instance I need to use something seperate to record audio and record both my mic input and the routed audio from a Zoom session (since the basic Zoom app (not pro version) outputs mix-minus audio to the selected output deivce (speakers or an audio routing channel) as do most online meeting tools (to avoid feedback and disconcertin delays in the audio when you are speaking).

[JessWrightLXL]

I guess I don't understand why this would be so hard, when it was SUPER simple in Audition's predecessor, Cool Edit Pro, which I'd been using for years until I upgraded. If this is true, I guess I'll be keeping CEP around to record my interviews, but I'm not sure why Adobe would remove that functionality. 

[Alastair L]

This answer is incorrect. Audio routing wil only work if you are able to mix to signals together and route that as a single audio source to Audition. I have audio routing operating on macOS  but Audition will still only allow one system routed signal for recording multitrack audio for any given recoding session. You can't even live switch it (that's logical at least to prevent glitching I guess, if Adobe did allow it its impossible to do accidentally so prettty safe). (BlackHole is shareware but is best compiled from code and others which are commerical like Loopback and Audio Hijack from Rogue Amoeba).


One workaround I'm exploring is to use Audition to record one routed stereo signal from Zoom and the Apple stock app Quciktime Player to record an movie of the Zoom App window with it's mix-minus audio output. I'll come back here if it works and note the process on macOS

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

The answer isn't incorrect, certainly as far as Windows machines are concerned. Audition's basic engine is ASIO, and there are several potential workarounds using VAC and ASIO4ALL which will let you have multiple separate virtual inputs simultaneously. Using ASIO4ALL also gets around sample rate syncing issues as well.