Mac El Capitan OS X & Voice Memo App

[ErikP.Bass]

I recently purchased a mixing board for my lessons and have it all set up and working but am trying to find out how to record on my laptop. Specifically I’m trying to see if I can load the Voice Memo app I use on my iPhone to keep the recordings on the same format. I have an old MacBook Pro that is running El Capitan OS X. Does anyone know if Voice Memos is compatible? Thanks in advance for any assistance / guidance!

 

[DirtDog]

How do you have your mixer connected to your laptop (MacBook, I assume)? USB or other?

Voice Memo has some limitations. It is cross-platform, though. If you enable Cloud Sync for that app, anything you record on Voice Memo on your phone, you will be able to see on your laptop - and vice versa. Gotta enable that Sync (and be signed into your Apple account on both devices).

Voice Memo (on the laptop) will default to whatever input sound source is selected in system settings. This will usually be the built-in microphone and speaker unless otherwise specified. You can't change the input source from within the Voice Memo app. If you have USB audio from the mixer, you need to manually select your mixer from the input list in System Preferences | Audio. This only impacts your laptop. You can still record Voice Memos on the iPhone with the built-in mic.

 

[ErikP.Bass]

Thanks for the response. I have the mixer hooked up to the MacBook using an iRig so that I can have the Skype audio run though setup as well. It all works fine, I just can’t seem to find the Voice Memo app on my computer and am wondering if I have a compatibility issue due to it being an older laptop. I tried using other outs in the board to my phone but couldn’t get that to work either, it’s a Behringer XENYX 1002 FX.

 

[filmtex]

From the Apple Icon in the top left of the tool bar, Go >App Store and search for Voice Memo. You'll find at least one free app and several reasonably priced others. Also, don't discount the added functionality of Garage Band, still free I believe. System Preferences>Sound to set things up as suggested by @DirtDog above.

 

[DirtDog]

Thanks for the response. I have the mixer hooked up to the MacBook using an iRig so that I can have the Skype audio run though setup as well. It all works fine, I just can’t seem to find the Voice Memo app on my computer and am wondering if I have a compatibility issue due to it being an older laptop. I tried using other outs in the board to my phone but couldn’t get that to work either, it’s a Behringer XENYX 1002 FX.

Im not 100% sure on why you can’t find the VM app, but yeah, do what @filmtex suggests and get it from the App Store.

As for using the iRig, can you post a photo of how you have it hooked up - incl how you have your mixer hooked up?

The Xenyx 1002FX doesn’t do audio over USB so this is why you’ve got the iRig?

 

[ErikP.Bass]

Here are a couple of photos. The iRig has the stereo in to the headphones to take the feed from the computer (Skype) to the board and the main mono out from the board the other way. It’s into the computer headphone jack. Channel 1 on the board is the bass, 5/6 is for an iPad and there’s also phones with a microphone plugged in. Hope this helps.

I downloaded another audio recorder from the App Store but have been having difficulty getting everything to come through correctly.

 

[DirtDog]

Here are a couple of photos. The iRig has the stereo in to the headphones to take the feed from the computer (Skype) to the board and the main mono out from the board the other way. It’s into the computer headphone jack. Channel 1 on the board is the bass, 5/6 is for an iPad and there’s also phones with a microphone plugged in. Hope this helps.

I downloaded another audio recorder from the App Store but have been having difficulty getting everything to come through correctly.

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OK - thanks…let me think about this for a sec.

but to clarify - you are running Skype on the MBP, sending that audio to the mixer, then sending the mixer’s output back (bass, mic and Skype feed mixed together) back to the recording app on the MBP?

What is the iPad doing?

Where is the 2-TK signal being sent? To the iRig? If so, where is the main out being sent?

What’s going on with the uppermost cable on channel 5/6?

And what part of the process is not working? Can’t get a signal at all into the recording app - or everything except for Skype?

I have almost the same equipment here at home - newer MBP and an Alesis-branded model of that same mixer. And an older iRig (v1). I can likely replicate your setup and diagnose.

 

[DirtDog]

OK - thanks…let me think about this for a sec.

but to clarify - you are running Skype on the MBP, sending that audio to the mixer, then sending the mixer’s output back (bass, mic and Skype feed mixed together) back to the recording app on the MBP?

What is the iPad doing?

Where is the 2-TK signal being sent? To the iRig? If so, where is the main out being sent? disregard: I see this is the input from the iRig....


What’s going on with the uppermost cable on channel 5/6? disregard - I see this is part of the headphone/mic multicore cable.

Signal from iRig going from Headphone out to 2-TK in on mixer; signal from mixer going to Guitar input on iRig. correct?

I'm trying to replicate your hookup...but cannot find an RCA to stereo 1/8" jack cable. Argh! I know they're somewhere.

One thing I did notice is that when I use the iRig to feed a line level signal into the MBP and into VM, on top of playing the Skype test call audio, I can hear the test call audio and the guitar loud and clear. However, from the VM playback, the Skype audio is barely audible while the guitar audio is loud and clear. Something funky going on there.

 

[ErikP.Bass]

Thank you @DirtDog !!! The effort is above and beyond, it’s sincerely appreciated. I’m having the same issue on my end in that the levels are coming through all weird. I’ll swing back to answer your questions, I’m spacing with some of the shorthand…super duper newbie with this stuff.

 

[DirtDog]

Thank you @DirtDog !!! The effort is above and beyond, it’s sincerely appreciated. I’m having the same issue on my end in that the levels are coming through all weird. I’ll swing back to answer your questions, I’m spacing with some of the shorthand…super duper newbie with this stuff.

Newbie or not, I think you have the hardware routing and concept figured out. I might not have done it the same way but it should work fine. Makes sense on paper, as far as I can tell.

I think your symptom might be a function of the way the default Mac audio driver is working with both your recording app and your iRig.

Where is see the big limitation is how a simple recording app like Voice Memo can only monitor and record a single source (eg whatever is passing through the computer’s sound card).

 

[Aloe]

I believe, the voice memos are transferred to iTunes upon sync. or at least I found mine there. I recall this being true around the High Sierra, so in Cap that might work as well.

P.S. I also recall that voice memos are not lossless, so for recording your best bet is another recording app.