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How do you record songs over your speakers?

SeriousKiller	Date: November 17, 2003 @ 7:00 PM I have Polk audio speakers. I have a demo of acid pro 4.0 but dont know hoow to use it. I just need some serious help,some people say a song say a song cant be recorded over the speakers and that you need a mic. If i cant record over the speakers,tell me what i need. But if i can i'll be happy with that and if i can reord over the speakers,tell me what program to get.. peace out.
ashleighj	Date: November 17, 2003 @ 8:51 PM ummmmmm... O_o are you saying you want to sing into a speaker and record it onto the computer that way? ummmmmm... no. now if your speakers have a microphone attached to them and plugged into the "mic" jack on your soundcard next to the "out" jack where the speakers are plugged in.. then you could use that mic. if that's what you have. but otherwise...
acatalept	Date: November 17, 2003 @ 11:49 PM actually, technically you can use speakers or headphones in the opposite of the way they were intended to be used... but it'll sound like shite. just plug a speaker or headphone into your microphone jack (probably monophonic, so a single speaker would do). and sing/speak/play really loud. just like an audio signal creates movement in your speaker cone to create sound, so can soundwaves cause movement of the speaker driver to induce a signal which will be sent to your mic input. but again, they're not designed for that, and either you'll get a very low-level signal, a very noisy signal, or both. oh yeah, and YOU MAY DAMAGE YOUR AUDIO HARDWARE (sound card, etc). --- anyway, warning aside, whether you choose to use your speakers as input, or pick up a mic (even a crappy $10 one would be a better alternative), i believe acid can record audio, though i haven't used acid in years, and you'll probably need a full (non-demo) version to be able to save your creations. other choices would be cool edit or soundforge, which are dedicated audio-editing and recording apps, though they both are rather pricey - or audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) which is somewhat less robust and polished, but free and open source. good luck
acatalept	Date: November 17, 2003 @ 11:50 PM bloody ell, that audacity link is http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
GeneHilbert	Date: November 18, 2003 @ 1:20 AM acatalept you are correct - I know of pro engineers that will use 12 & 15 in speakers to record Bass Drums, & electric bass. Some with additional mikes some without. SeriousKiller - my suggestion to you is to do a lot of reading, "Electronic Musician" "Mix" whatever you can find. Knowledge is power, - there are a lot of people here that can help....... but you are going to need to be able to implement suggestions. Start with and equipment list of basic tools - i.e. mikes, mixer, computer, software, amplifiers, instrument/s...... etc...etc.... why you need them and how they work. Take audio classes if that’s possible. Good Luck
acatalept	Date: November 18, 2003 @ 7:07 AM i knew of people using headphones and speakers for this purpose, but i wasn't aware of much success with the technique though there's many a pro engineer with more tricks at his/her disposal than i'll ever learn in two lifetimes...
RyanS	Date: November 18, 2003 @ 8:13 AM Kinda funny, when I was a kid, I'd plug my headphones into the mic input on my boombox, crank it up, and scream. Use to piss off my parents, and sometimes neighbors But a sidenote. I hope the speakers you are using aren't amplified
TameasDust	Date: November 18, 2003 @ 12:48 PM a long time ago i had a PA horn on the outside of the house and a PA amplifier inside with a mic hooked to it. experimenting i hooked the pa horn to the input of the amplifier and a spare speaker to the output and i could here cars approaching for miles and lots of other sounds was kinda cool in a weird way
TameasDust	Date: November 18, 2003 @ 12:55 PM as for recording offa speakers ... the output of the speaker has to be amplified to deliver adequate input for the recording device ... you will also not have a unidirectional sound input so you will have random ambient noises that you didnt know existed coming into your recording ... such as magnetic fields (generated by wiring and even your amplifier if your shielding of the speakers are not effective. although it might be kinda cool for a special ghostly effect as a backgound to your music
SeriousKiller	Date: November 18, 2003 @ 7:01 PM so if you do record over the speakers,can you still put it on mp3 for yall can listen to?
mtekk	Date: November 18, 2003 @ 7:37 PM eventually i guess, just get a microphone though, even a cheap crappy one for like five dollars (they are usually free after rebates, just look in the sunday advertisments in then newspapers.
Thaspian	Date: November 19, 2003 @ 3:20 PM Speakers are for playing. Mics are for recording.
Svensta	Date: November 19, 2003 @ 3:25 PM Tameas, try that advanced listening device here in NYC and your ears will be bleeding in 5 minutes. Too much noise. As for recording, make sure you check your soundcard for line-in ports. Then you can bypass your speakers completely. Most computers are coming with mics nowadays, those cheesy little dinky ones. Even they can give you a somewhat decent recording, if you have a good soundcard on the other end doing the listening. Good luck
mtekk	Date: November 19, 2003 @ 10:38 PM Thaspain: exactly
pog	Date: November 20, 2003 @ 5:11 AM Lets get to the bottom of this, shall we ? SeriousKiller, your request is a little unclear as to what you wish to do. I suspect that what you're saying is.. I can make sound come out of my speakers, but how do I record this ? Either that, or you're asking... Can I use my stereo speakers as a recording device ? Please clarify a little more.
pog	Date: November 20, 2003 @ 5:17 AM pigeon poggish
TameasDust	Date: November 20, 2003 @ 11:03 AM mics were designed to give the best quality of the produced sound (depending on the quality of the mic of course) ... speakers were not designed for recording music only for producing sound ... if you want best quality use a mic. if however you are recording from another source such as a cd all you need is a patch cord to go from said device to the input and you don't need speakers at all or a mic. (speakers do help in hearing what you are recording of course) as pog said more clarity is needed on what you are asking advice for ... maybe the documentation for the program you are using will help in some aspect to this...
pog	Date: November 20, 2003 @ 10:35 PM I can so see ryan sitting there as a kid... with his headphones in his hands. Scaring the bejeebies outta his folks
SeriousKiller	Date: November 22, 2003 @ 9:23 PM My question was "IF I CAN RECORD Over The SPEAKERS INSTEAD OF THE MICROPHONE" pog. ANd if i could,what site to get the materials if needed.
BenRebel	Date: December 5, 2003 @ 3:08 PM I'm alittle lost too SK is you are looking to for example: record the Amp output of your guitar or recording from your speaker output as an effect in this case a microphone is STILL needed ... IF you want to send INPUT sound into your speakers the output would be WHERE? if you clear tat up i'm sure we can all help -Rebel
winterchylde	Date: January 28, 2004 @ 7:03 AM SeriousKiller Obtain a microphone. Route the microphone to a line input or microphone input on your computer's sound card. If you discover that the audio level/volume of your signal is too low, then route the microphone to an amplifier of some kind (ie: stereo receiver), then route the amplifier to the sound card. Use the Help function in ACID, if you're having trouble determining the audio source on your sound card. Do not waste your time attempting to record audio with your speakers. They are specifically designed for audio output, not input. You're better off with a $10 Radio Shack microphone. I wish you luck in your musical endeavors.
effergy	Date: January 28, 2004 @ 11:27 AM wtf?
mawcs	Date: January 28, 2004 @ 11:39 AM I feel the same, eff.
insky	Date: January 28, 2004 @ 8:34 PM i dunno. kinda think sk is lobing a lil grenade in order to get responses/points. if that's the case; shame, shame (tho i've considered that avenue). if not (and i agree the thread a little unclear), ya can certainly plug in headphones and use em as a mike. they work okay. not perfessional and all, and the ambient noise is there (and sometimes purty), but, sure, it works. good luck from a fellow poor recorder
pog	Date: January 28, 2004 @ 10:09 PM Again, I'm afraid what your asking could be misread as 2 different things. If you wish to use your speakers as a recording device, (instead of a microphone), then the answer is yes... you can do it, however as everyone pointed out, the recorded sound would be really really bad quality. To do this, you need to put a jack thats the right size, on the wire to your speaker, and plug that into the mic input on the soundcard. If the signal is too weak, there's a setting in the mic's advanced properties that allows you to add a 20db boost to the signal. If the signal is still too weak, then you will need to add a mixing desk or booster of some sort in between the speaker and soundcard, or you will need to use software to modify the recorded file's levels. Remember, if you push too strong a signal onto your soundcard, then the result will be digital distortion (which is a really ugly sound) and possibly can damage your soundcard. If you only wish to record the sounds coming out of your speakers, then it's just a matter of configuring the recording properties correctly (which is a bit fiddley the first few times most people try it). I don't think this is what you're asking for.