Handling Audio with Windows Vista
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In this third part of a five-part series on working with media with Windows Vista, you'll learn how to get Vista to listen to you, make your music sound better, and more. It is excerpted from chapter four of the book
Windows Vista Annoyances: Tips, Secrets, and Hacks for the Cranky Consumer, written by David A. Karp (O'Reilly, 2008; ISBN: 0596527624). Copyright © 2008 O'Reilly Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission from the publisher. Available from booksellers or direct from O'Reilly Media.
Get Windows to Listen
Want to transfer those old vinyl LPs to MP3s? Want to use voice dictation software? Want to record video, and need to send the audio track through your sound card? Want to use your PC as a makeshift karaoke machine? Getting Vista to record that sound may not be so easy.
Vista allows more than one audio device, a “feature” that usually makes troubleshooting audio problems needlessly complicated (as evidenced by the previous section). This is particularly true when recording sound, given that Windows can only record from one source at a time.
A single audio device may have two or three audio inputs: an analog (mono) microphone input, an analog stereo “Line-In” or auxiliary input, and sometimes a digital S/PDIF input. And special devices, like voice dictation headsets and TV tuner cards, have their own inputs. All the inputs for all your audio devices are listed in Control Panel ➝ Sound ➝ Recording tab, shown in Figure 4-11. (Most desktop sound cards also have internal inputs for CD audio, discussed in the previous section, but these almost never show up in Control Panel.)
To choose the default audio source, highlight the device you want to use and click Set Default. Most applications will automatically use the default device to record sound, but some (particularly voice-dictation software) require that you choose a source separately in the application itself.
If you have a USB audio device, such as a voice-dictation headset, Windows may set it as the default recording and playback device each time you plug it in. This will make it look like your sound stops working each time you use the headset; of course, all you have to do is change the default playback device, as described in the previous section.
Next, you’ll need to set the recording level (volume) of the device; most of the time, the default level is0(off), which won’t produce any sound at all. With the device highlighted, click Properties, choose the Levels tab and move the slider to the right until the level is at least50. While you’re here, choose the Custom tab, and make sure the Do Not Monitor option is turned off. Click OK when you’re done.
If you’re setting up a voice-dictation microphone, you may have to complete a separate wizard in the software itself to set the input source and its recording level. For instance, if you’re using Vista’s built-in speech recognition feature, go to Control Panel ➝ Ease of Access ➝ Speech Recognition Options ➝ Set up microphone.
Figure 4-11. Most recording problems are caused by incorrect settings on this Control Panel page
For best results when using voice-dictation software, use a USB microphone/headset instead of the conventional type that plugs directly into your sound card. Not only will the quality and clarity improve, but you’ll effectively bypass the often troublesome sound card drivers in favor of a more direct link.
Next: Fix Garbled Music >>
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 This article is excerpted from chapter four of the book Windows Vista Annoyances: Tips, Secrets, and Hacks for the Cranky Consumer, written by David A. Karp (O'Reilly, 2008; ISBN: 0596527624). Check it out today at your favorite bookstore. Buy this book now.
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