High quality org to wav/mp3 conversion?

I've searched up about converting it to a .xm using org2xm (and then converting .xm to .wav), but that sometimes doesn't work so well for some reason... For tracks where org2xm gets it right, I can convert it fine, but that's not always the case.



I'm also aware that I can record the sound coming from the computer using stereo mix (or whatever it's called), but that lessens the quality a lot, as in https://soundcloud.com/mrlog/title-screen-test-update <- this example.



So what i'm looking for is just converting .org to .wav, with the smallest amount of quality loss possible.

 

Audacity works well.

Just record the internal sound and export as wav/mp3.

 

Audacity works well.

Just record the internal sound and export as wav/mp3.

Audacity DOES work well, but sometimes its missing that function that lets you record from your computer, like mine.
I don't know if it's version differences, but it's not always the best alternative.
You could be like Gir, get a good mic (dont get headsets, dont even try with those things) and record it from there.

 

Just search up some software that reroutes the audio output to your input.

I know what to use for OSX systems... But I don't a specific recommendation for Windows.

 

Audacity DOES work well, but sometimes its missing that function that lets you record from your computer, like mine.Well

Well this is the plug-in/drive-or-whatever I downloaded for Audacity to record direct sound from the computer.
http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/
I'm not sure if it works for all OS's, but it certainly works for Windows 8 64-bit.
Also some versions of Audacity can't convert file formats by default, so in case you're missing that, here's LAME to help convert to MP3.
http://lame1.buanzo.com.ar/

 

If recording from Stereo Mix gives you poor results then you clearly have your recording volume set too high. If you record from stereo mix in Audacity and your sound waves get truncated or your recording volume peaks then you clearly need to lower your recording volume or you will butcher those high notes. Hell, if it plays back louder than the original then you should lower it regardless. High quality Stereo Mix recording is all down to finding the optimal recording volume to use.

Also ensure that playback during recording is turned off in Audacity's settings. I would also recommend using full playback volume when determining your recording volume and when actually recording so that you only need to go through this process once.

 

Audacity DOES work well, but sometimes its missing that function that lets you record from your computer, like mine.
I don't know if it's version differences, but it's not always the best alternative.
You could be like Gir, get a good mic (dont get headsets, dont even try with those things) and record it from there.

it's not *missing* from audacity, many sound drivers just disable stereo mix as a recording device by default. You can change that by googling "windows enable stereo mix" and doing whatever it says

 

it's not *missing* from audacity, many sound drivers just disable stereo mix as a recording device by default. You can change that by googling "windows enable stereo mix" and doing whatever it says

I think it was actually the version I'm using, I had 2.0.3 and now with 2.0.5 I can record from the speakers.

 

If recording from Stereo Mix gives you poor results then you clearly have your recording volume set too high. If you record from stereo mix in Audacity and your sound waves get truncated or your recording volume peaks then you clearly need to lower your recording volume or you will butcher those high notes. Hell, if it plays back louder than the original then you should lower it regardless. High quality Stereo Mix recording is all down to finding the optimal recording volume to use.

Also ensure that playback during recording is turned off in Audacity's settings. I would also recommend using full playback volume when determining your recording volume and when actually recording so that you only need to go through this process once.

This is really helpful, thanks.

I think the problem is that I was listening to the stereo mix whilst recording it, so that's why some of the quality was being messed up (at least, I know it's what messed up the panning (even though I didn't mention that, but meh)).

*tries*

And now I can't actually record anything... I can't hear the stereo mix anymore, but I can't record it either. Sometimes I wish windows (or more specifically, the control panel) would stop TRYING to make it difficult... -_- I've tried messing about with audacity's settings too, like you said.

 

You don't turn off playback volume, that's what you need to record, if no sound is being sent to your speakers then Stereo Mix is useless, you need to set playback volume to 100%. I meant for you to go to Edit > Preferences > Recording and uncheck "Software Playthrough". I should have been clearer.

What happens when this option is checked is that the music is being played back while recording, but stereo mix records playback, so the recording playback is being recorded, and played back and recorded, and played back and recorded, and so on. This creates an unwanted echoey effect.

 

Okay, I've tried it again and now it works, but the quality still isn't right... Is it even possible that my stereo mix might not be doing it at a very high quality, like a sound card issue or something like that? When listening to the actual org then the audacity file consecutively, it's quite easy to tell the difference. And also, I see what you mean about turning the playback volume up to 100%, that helped a lot.

 

Okay, I've tried it again and now it works, but the quality still isn't right... Is it even possible that my stereo mix might not be doing it at a very high quality, like a sound card issue or something like that? When listening to the actual org then the audacity file consecutively, it's quite easy to tell the difference. And also, I see what you mean about turning the playback volume up to 100%, that helped a lot.

Now you need to change your recording volume. Look for the volume adjust sliders in audacity, the one to the right of the microphone image is recording volume. You need to set this quite low, somewhere under 20% volume generally. That red bar that shows while recording should never peak,if it does then your recording volume is set too high, then you risk ruining any high notes in the recording (there's a limit to how loud a recorded sound can be), which reduces the quality of the recording. Your recording should always match the volume of the original when you play it back, so adjust the recording volume until it sounds right.

 

ah, that helped. But it still doesn't quite sound quite the right quality, even when I turned the recording quality up (even though I have no idea if that should do anything...) Is there a chance it could be something to do with my sound card?

 

What's your soundcard model? Err...what kind is it?

 

Ah, I think I have an integrated sound processor (I'm on a laptop). That might be a problem then?

 

I'm pretty sure every computer made after like, 2004 uses an integrated sound card

 

Oh, right. I had no idea... The quality of it isn't unbearable, it's just comparably inferior to the real thing. Should stereo mix recording sound pretty much exactly like the real thing when done correctly?

 

even when I turned the recording quality up

Whaaat?! No. Turning up "recording volume" would only lessen the quality. "Playback volume" should be right up at 100% and "recording volume" should be quite low at around 10-20%. If anything you should be turning the "recording volume" down. Don't confuse "playback volume" and "recording volume", they are separate things. You need to tinker with the "recording volume" until you hit that sweet spot where the resulting wav file doesn't sound louder or quieter than what you were recording.

Oh, right. I had no idea... The quality of it isn't unbearable, it's just comparably inferior to the real thing. Should stereo mix recording sound pretty much exactly like the real thing when done correctly?

That's because your recording volume is set too high.

And yes, it sounds like the real thing when done correctly.

 

yeah, I did say recording *quality*, not volume. The output is high, and input is low.
I'll try lowering the recording volume a little then.

 

If you still can't get it to work then would you mind posting a link to a sample of one of your recordings and the org in question?