So some friends and I do a podcast. We use Discord to do audio (although at some point we’ll likely move to video). I’m using a USB Condenser mic. What I’m currently doing is using two PCs. One to connect to Discord and talk with, and the other to record all the output of Discord separately. I’d like to be able to make a setup so that I could record my own track in sync with everyone else on Discord, so that I can use one PC. I’d also like to be able to play things over the speakers that is transmitted to Discord for everyone to hear.
What kind of hardware would I need to be able to do this? Using Audacity and Ubuntu 18.04. I assume I’d need something before the input to mix my microphone into as well as my PC audio.
You could use voicemeeter, voicemeeter banana or voicemeeter potato). I believe you can mix in multiple ins and outs while changing their EQ / levels. So you could send computer audio / external input to discord but not send discords audio back to discord (and make an output that Audacity records). I have not used this software extensively but from what I have seen it should work for what you are asking. https://www.vb-audio.com/Voicemeeter/
If Audacity does multitrack recording, you could connect a cable from Line Out to Aux In, and record your mic + Aux In, and not have to do anything in your computer (other than maybe enabling line out in pavucontrol/similar)
Best would be to get everyone to record to audacity or whatever, send you the files after you’re done, and cut them all together in a session. Clap at the top so you can sync to something. No extra hardware. Just make sure sample rate is the same for everyone.
As far as live mixing, use any of the “virtual cable” solutions that work, maybe JACK. I usually route everything into a DAW first, then back out from there, so I have control over everything from within the session. I think source-connect has a free version, though I don’t know if it runs on platforms other than mac os.
There isn’t a basic small mixer like voicemeeter you can just drop in to Pulseaudio
Audacity will only record in ALSA with as many tracks as audio hardware will support
(usually only one stereo channel unless get pro audio hardware)
Pulseaudio is not the right tool for creating multiple audio mixes
need JACK for doing this
may want mix for headphones different to recording mix if you need to cue any audio
possibly monitor speaker mix without mic or VOIP callers
The hardest one to do well is creating a ‘mix-minus’ for VOIP callers - recording mix of everything minus the VOIP audio being echoed back at them
good way to find out about all this is check out youtube videos for the 2 main packages used to manage JACK audio - qjackctl and cadence
may also want to check out videos on how to do mix-minus on an audio mixer
rather than in software
suggest you check out Ubuntu Studio and AVlinux - they both have excellent manuals and have most stuff already set up to try.
You could use JACK just for re-routing audio with software you are already using
jack_mixer is about the closest equivalent to voicemeeter as a simple mixer
but there are many more with more features
Internet DJ Console is worth checking out as a way to connect audio to mix and record in a single package
Ardour if you want a full studio mixer and multitrack recorder
have you considered a small (>$100.00) hardware mixer? here is what i do:
fedora box with vlc (for audio snippets) and firefox (to play on the fly audio from say youtube)
a low power linux box (A) running discord (this could be a sound card in the fedora box ,i dont have a spare sound card atm)
run the output from the fedora to the mixer
run the output from A to the mixer
push the aux send from the mixer back to the line in on A (this routes your mic back to discord)
use a 3rd linux box (B) to route the audio to a streaming server. B also records the audio in .wav format (for processing later); i use mixxx.
the audio input for discord is actually an aux send (output) from the mixer.
kind of complex ,but it works.
my mic is a condenser mic, but any mic would work if hooked into the discord computer.
reasons for this setup:
i have the computers
fedora box draws ~30W
A draws ~30W
B draws ~10w (in fact i had to add a mechanical hard drive and a fan so the system would turn on because the board + ssd didnt draw enough power for the power supply to stay on)
mixer + mic i had to buy , it is off when not in use.
i use tigervnc to consolidate all computers to a single monitor; this way you dont have to have 3 monitors , one for each computer.
the hardware mixer enables much finer control on things, and its easier IMO.
if you have the parts this works well.
