Recording Audio through Parallels

Mar 05, 2013

Hi,

I'm attempting to record audio using Storyline through a local Windows 7 virtual machine loaded on Parallels Desktop on my Mac. The audio records but is very, VERY low - i.e. hard to hear, almost completely inaudible. Increasing audio to 100% several times over doesn't really boost the audio enough either.

I've read several forum posts that do not match my scenario or issue exactly and tried various things to resolve the issue. Reinstalled Parallels Tools, rebooted, Shared (originally was unshared) and unshared Windows and Mac profiles, tweaked Mac audio, tweaked Windows audio but have had no luck.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

11 Replies

Peter Anderson
Staff

11 years ago03/05/13 at 11:39 am (UTC)

Hi Jim,

Are you using a USB microphone, or the built-in mic on your machine?

Jim Barker
Author

11 years ago03/05/13 at 11:42 am (UTC)

Hi,

I'm using a mic with standard 1/4" jack, connected to a 1/8" converter that connects directly to the mic input on the back of my iMac. This is what I usually use to record with Captivate with no issues.

Peter Anderson
Staff

11 years ago03/05/13 at 11:48 am (UTC)

Thanks, Jim.

I'm wondering if Windows is having a hard time recognizing your mic, and it's picking up the audio from the built-in mic instead. Have you tried the steps here?

Jim Barker
Author

11 years ago03/05/13 at 11:53 am (UTC)

No, I can switch from "built-in input" (the mic I use to record) to "built-in microphone" which is the mic you're referring to. When I do record off the built in mic the audio is much louder but unfortunately has the echo and poor quality one would expect.

Gerry Wasiluk
Hero

11 years ago03/05/13 at 11:56 am (UTC)

Have you tried recording a WAV file in another Windows program and then importing that into Storyline? Do you get the same issue?

Jim Barker
Author

11 years ago03/05/13 at 12:25 pm (UTC)

That is an option, I could record in Captivate (or anything else) and export, then import to Storyline but was hoping to avoid importing audio from another source.

Jim Barker
Author

11 years ago03/05/13 at 12:47 pm (UTC)

For those reading this post (and record audio). What kind of mic do you use?

Much thanks.

Peter Anderson
Staff

11 years ago03/05/13 at 1:10 pm (UTC)

Hey Jim,

Here are some articles that you may find helpful:

http://www.articulate.com/blog/microphone/

http://www.articulate.com/blog/articulate-101-microphone-selection/

You may also want to review the following articles, which discuss recording tips:

http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/4-simple-tips-for-recording-high-quality-audio/

http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/13-more-tips-to-help-you-record-narration-like-the-pros/

Gerry Wasiluk
Hero

11 years ago03/05/13 at 1:14 pm (UTC)

Jim Barker said:

That is an option, I could record in Captivate (or anything else) and export, then import to Storyline but was hoping to avoid importing audio from another source.

Actually, I was hoping more to see if that worked or not. If it did work, it might point to Storyline. If not, it might be something else.

Jim Barker
Author

11 years ago03/06/13 at 5:59 am (UTC)

Gerry Wasiluk said:

Jim Barker said:

That is an option, I could record in Captivate (or anything else) and export, then import to Storyline but was hoping to avoid importing audio from another source.

Actually, I was hoping more to see if that worked or not. If it did work, it might point to Storyline. If not, it might be something else.

Yes, importing audio recorded elsewhere definitely works without a hitch but, like I mentioned, I would like to streamline my workflow and not have to include a third piece of software just for audio recording in my dev pipeline. Those few extra steps add up to a ton of extra dev time when recording dozens and dozens of eLearning modules. In my years of experience I definitely think the issue lies with Storyline and/or Parallels. Too bad my "years of experience" can't point me to the solution, lol.

Jim Barker
Author

11 years ago03/06/13 at 6:00 am (UTC)

Peter Anderson said:

Hey Jim,

Here are some articles that you may find helpful:

http://www.articulate.com/blog/microphone/

http://www.articulate.com/blog/articulate-101-microphone-selection/

You may also want to review the following articles, which discuss recording tips:

http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/4-simple-tips-for-recording-high-quality-audio/

http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/13-more-tips-to-help-you-record-narration-like-the-pros/

I'll definitely check them out. Thanks so much for the help.

Recording Audio through Parallels

11 Replies

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