Precord0.9.5 audio recorder

Audio editors, music players, video players, burning software, etc.
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mcewanw
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Version 2.0.3 uploaded

#31 Post by mcewanw »

# Changes:

# Version 2.0.3:
# No longer loses file entry content moving from MIN to Config GUI.
# Added sound card hardware selection (plughw:card,device)


no, I wanted

arecord -vvv (I prefer a small dynamic graph to a one line display), but I had already cut down the rxvt console as is in this 2.0.3 version. Note that the current VU meter is for setting up only. You can't use it whilst actually recording.

[EDIT] NOTE: When the VU meter is running you can freeze it with ctrl-s and scroll up to see lots of sound card statistics. Then restart it with ctrl-q

Been trying rxvt -e arecord -vvv etc... with wav files (since easier to arrange) but the pause controls won't work when starting arecord with rxvt -e (problems with parent/child processes not being able to find each other and so on). No way out of all the issues that I've found with that as yet (easier in C...!).
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mikeb
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#32 Post by mikeb »

Personel taste eh....mini version with mini player perhaps :D

I tried with my bash version and just killed the parent rxvt when going into record mode...
kill `ps | grep arecord | grep rxvt | cut -f 2 -d ' '`
I also launched alsamixer and the vu meter from the one button...sort of made sense since it also gives an instant indication that the correct input has been selected so no blank failed recordings.

Fast with the update..nice one :)
mike

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#33 Post by mcewanw »

mikeb wrote: I also launched alsamixer and the vu meter from the one button...sort of made sense since it also gives an instant indication that the correct input has been selected so no blank failed recordings.
That's a good point. It's true that more often than not I fire up both VU and alsamixer when setting up.
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#34 Post by mcewanw »

What I'd really like is to have the VU working when recording mp3 and/ogg, but I've not managed to split the audio from the VU noise when piping arecord into lame (for example). If you find out how, let me know.
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esmourguit
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#35 Post by esmourguit »

Bonjour à tous,
Can i share with you my feelings on Precord.
I know nothing about audio, but i'm testing this Great little program.
But there are two things a little disturbing:
- I am obliged to adjust the microphone up and audio output too. It seems that the record level is fairly low. Or did it come from my microphone?
- I am forced to click the stop button at the end of listening to the recording. Could it be automatic?
Cordialement ;)
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mcewanw
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#36 Post by mcewanw »

esmourguit wrote: It seems that the record level is fairly low.
Have you activated Mic Boost in Alsamixer and turned up PCM and Capture volumes to their maximum's. Until I discovered Mic Boost a year ago, I used to suffer from the low record level you describe, but I don't find that problem now. To activate Mic Boost in alsamixer you move along to it and press letter "M". It makes a very big difference to the recording level. Test it without recording by running the VU display whilst selecting MIc boost, and also turning up the Capture volume controls. Mono recording works particularly well (and loud) on my system.

If the recording levels are still too low, you'll need to find a more sensitive microphone or use a preamp with your Microphone I'm afraid. You should however find that Precord recording levels are just as loud as, for example, mhWaveEdit (also on Puppy 4.3.1 in Multimedia menu) or any other recording app.

As for having to press "stop", there was a reason for that that I can't remember. I'll look into it again, but I so remember deciding that it was the best compromise to another problem. In theory it shouldn't be necessary of course so perhaps I'll find a way of modifying that action in the future.
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#37 Post by esmourguit »

Bonjour à tous,
Thank you for your reply.
Here is an overview of Alsamixer. I don't know how to enable Mic Boost in Alsamixer.
Cordialement. ;)
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#38 Post by mcewanw »

Regarding play and stop.

When the audio file ends playing the Linux process involved dies. Unfortunately, there is no way, that I know of, for that event to be signalled back to gtkdialog to re-enable the play button. Otherwise that would allow an automatic stop without human intervention.

Only one play process is, by core design, allowed to run in Precord at a time since it would be extremely difficult to control/keep track of more than one.

I could provide a version of Precord which does not disable the play buttons but instead simply allows the user to press Play at any time to restart the file playing. I'll upload a version that operates in that manner for testing to see what the general opinion is on these two ways of arranging things.
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#39 Post by mcewanw »

Have you tried moving the cursor further to the right hand side in Alsamixer. The Mic Boost control lies further to the right than is shown in your overview. If you can reach it, you then press key 'M' to activate it.

Also, I suggest you turn down the Mic volume when recording, since the mike you show in your overview may be for playback, which can interfere with your recording. Instead, I suggest using the TAB key to until the alsamixer heading moves to the Capture screen (rather than 'All') and see what you have available in there. You should see 'Capture' maybe, and Mic. You need the volume of 'Capture' turned right up, and the Mic control should be activated (using space bar). But different sound cards maybe show different screens. The Mic Boost control would be on alsamixer 'All' (to the right hand side, off the screen, as I said, of the alsamixer overview you uploaded).

In a few minutes you'll find an alternative version of Precord on the first thread post which doesn't disable the Play button (instead, pressing Play a second time simply restarts the playback from the beginning...)
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#40 Post by mcewanw »

I have to go and sleep; it is very late (night turning to morning) here...
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#41 Post by esmourguit »

Bonjour à tous,
Thank you for your kindness. I finally found the Mic Boost and it's absolutely perfect.
Thank you again.
Have a good night (maybe short?).
Cordialement ;)
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#42 Post by mikeb »

This was a crude way I detected the end of an mp3 track playing......basically madplay outputted blurb at the end and that was used to trigger notify to kill the player gui....perhaps ffmpeg might be obliging.

Code: Select all

mkdir /var/lock/mad 2>/dev/null
madplay "$@" 2>&1 | grep decoded > /var/lock/mad/lock &
dnotify --modify --once --background /var/lock/mad --execute killall gxmessage
now hopefully you are having a good sleep

regards

mike

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#43 Post by mikeb »

ooops should be
kill `ps | grep arecord | grep rxvt | awk '{ print $1}'`
that occasional leading space messes up cut

More blah....

on my machine at least
arecord -vvv /dev/null 2>/dev/null
has the undesirable habit of turning /dev/null into a file

arecord -vvv mono does not but gives thesame output.

mike

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#44 Post by mcewanw »

mikeb wrote: on my machine at least
arecord -vvv /dev/null 2>/dev/null
has the undesirable habit of turning /dev/null into a file
Oh... I'll check that out.

As for cut and awk, yes, I usually use awk for such constructs for that very reason, though I prefer keeping more direct track of the PIDs if I can.
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#45 Post by mcewanw »

Well I've tried:

arecord -vvv mono 2>/dev/null

and

arecord -vvv mono /dev/null 2>/dev/null

But both of these constructs create a file called "mono"! :-)

If you check arecord --help, you should see that there is no parameter after -v (or -vv or -vvv) but mono or stereo can be used after -V (capital V), which gives a one line display.

arecord -vvv /dev/null 2>/dev/null

does not, I believe, actually create the file called "null" in /dev; rather the system may create it in response - but it is a tiny 8 byte file.

To prove that, I suggest you run the
arecord -vvv /dev/null 2>/dev/null command, then, for example, change dir to /dev and run the command rm -f null
That will temporarily rm the small 8 byte null file, as running LIST directory command

Code: Select all

ls null
or
ls -al null
will show
but.... it you simply then run 'ls' for a second time the file "null" will automagically be created again... a system file. :-)
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#46 Post by mikeb »

arecord -vvv mono /dev/null 2>/dev/null

But both of these constructs create a file called "mono"!
doh...indeed it would. -V does not work here...must be an alsa/arecord version difference...hmm.

And the /dev/null...which grows when recording and then becomes a 0 byte 'normal' file...picked up because nfsd would not start at boot. Again I suspect version differences. hw worked for me but you needed plughw (which works for me too).

Ok well ignore that one for now...I will test further armed with new knowledge.

And yes clumsy way of killing but i'm testing in bash/gtkdialog so did not see a way of getting the pid from the button launcher...I'm sure you'll neaten that up. I also felt the urge to kill alsamixer as well once recording starts as it should be superfluous by then and tidies up the window presence.

I just keep lobbing things in there...just pick out anything useful :)

by the way that was a quick sleep

regards

mike

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version 2.0.4 now uploaded

#47 Post by mcewanw »

# Changes:

As per requests above

# Version 2.0.4: Playbutton no longer dis-abled on Play selected.
# The single button MIX now brings up the VU display too.
# Version 2.0.3:
# No longer loses file entry content moving from MIN to Config GUI.
# Added sound card hardware selection (plughw:x,x)

Yes... sleep is not something I'm getting much of at the moment; other matters outside of Puppy denying me such peace.
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#48 Post by mikeb »

Well hopefully you can get some virtual peace here.

Nice one on the update...I hope its generally welcomed ...I try to keep my demands and suggestions aimed for general rather than my specific needs

Will try out the latest shortly...a stubborn printer sent me into windows land :D

regards

mike

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Layer Top

#49 Post by mcewanw »

Just a general tip for anyone:

One of the reasons I designed Precord's user interface the way it is, was so that I could use the small GUI version sitting on top of my browser (or any other app) such that I could record notes whilst browsing and so on.

In case anyone wonders how to keep Precord's recording bar on top, that is just a general facility provided for any app. Simply right-click on the top bar of the Precord GUI and you can select to have it stay on:

Layer -> Top

I find that Precord's small GUI can easily be placed "out of the way" when on top of most applications (e.g., with Seamonkey browser running I place Precord at the top of the screen next to the Help menu choice).
Last edited by mcewanw on Sun 20 Dec 2009, 11:39, edited 1 time in total.
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#50 Post by mikeb »

Yep 2.04 seems to be doing it's stuff

My /dev/null problem...tried latest arecord/libasound...with -V but did the same so something funny going on thats not particularily alsa related it seems.

regards

mike

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