I have a Gearhead webcam, and it works fine when I use Skype or Oovoo to video chat with friends. I can see and hear them, and they can see and hear me. So the webcam is functional.
But when I try to use it to capture video using Windows Movie Maker (or the software that came with the webcam) it won’t record audio. There doesn’t seem to be a way to make Windows recognize that the cam has a microphone on it. Only my computer’s sound card shows up in the list of audio devices.
Is there a way I can make Windows XP see the webcam as a microphone?
Please clarify for me. Does the cable from your cam to the computer split into two jacks, onw going to your line-in miniplug connector, and one to a video jack or a USB port?
Exactly what is the physical nature of the connection between cam and computer?
Yes, that’s it exactly. It’s a split cable with a USB input (for the camera itself I’m guessing), and a stereo jack that goes to input port - the same port I’ve used previously with a microphone. And as I said in the OP, the mic on the webcam is obviously working because everything is normal during a Skype chat. I have no other mic input to this computer, which is a desktop.
The only reason I can think that the mic isn’t working is that it’s not dynamic and therefor needs power – which it can get through the USB connection. That would be very unusual though, and most powered mics have a battery in case they are plugged into a non-powered connection.
When you open the “Sound” program on your Control Panel, do you see anything listed under the “Recording” tab? If there is a microphone listed, double click on it, go to the “Levels” tab and make sure the sliders are turned up.
You can try unplugging and replugging in the cables, and running the “Add Hardware” part of your control panel. It is supposed to auto-detect new equipment added.
You say it also doesn’t work with some software that came with it? Then I would contact the maker. Possibly you need some unusual driver for it.
Have you tried telling the software to use the sound card? The software has no way to know that mic plugged into the input is built in to the webcam, so “webcam” isn’t going to show up on the list.
I unplugged the webcam and plugged back in, but I’m not sure if that has changed anything. I’ve also tried out every program I have that can take audio input and here are the results:
Windows Movie Maker - YES (captures video and sound)
Sofware that came with web cam - YES
Magic Jack - NO (The Magic Jack works, but no audio is picked up from the webcam mic)
Audacity - YES (I can record my voice from the webcam, even if the light isn’t on!)
Skype - YES (for video chat, but I haven’t tried VOIP to a phone line yet)
I still don’t see any way to have Windows recognize the device. Wherever there is a drop down box, the only choice is my onboard sound card. This fact is very puzzling when you consider that Audacity records audio from my webcam mic without my having configured anything.
Thanks for your thoughts so far - I’ll appreciate hearing more based on this information.
If it works on some programs, Windows is recognizing it is there. If you want to confirm that, see post #4 about your control panel. If a mic is listed, Windows recognizes it.
And it works on all but one program that you’ve tried, right? So I’m wondering if there’s some kind of mute switch built into Magic Jack. Do you have another mic to plug in instead? If so, try that and see if Magic Jack works. Also, look up sound and/or microphone in the help section to see if there are volume or recording level controls to adjust.
The only mic listed is the sound card. Which I suppose could mean the webcam plugged into the sound card. Will check next on your suggestions about the Magic Jack - I suspect you’re right.
Your sound card should be listed under the “Device Manager” icon. Your microphone should be listed under the “Sound” icon – the two might have the same name, but the latter one will have the name listed under the title “Microphone” on the “Recording” tab.
Yes, that’s what it means. It doesn’t know that the mic port on your sound card is now going to the webcam, but that’s what you want.
As for the programs, some programs will use the Windows default recording device, others will allow you to choose one. Look in the options and you can usually tell it which device to listen to (in this case, your sound card mic port).
If this is in response to my suggestion, I have to say that this is exactly what I expected. Except for Magic Jack. I don’t even know what that is, so I can’t help.
As far as I can think of, Winblows XP won’t have a way of recognizing it as a separate device. Audacity I’ve seen before, and I’m guessing that it automatically assumes “sound card” unless you tell it to use a different source. But I didn’t use it much, and may be misremembering. This actually sounds like the kind of problem that I could fix in 15 minutes if I was sitting at your machine.
I was responding to your comment that Windows (or maybe the sound card) knew or needed to know the sound card was now connected to the webcam. I was saying it doesn’t need to know this, only that is connected to a microphone. The face that it’s housed in the same case as the webcam is only coincidental and not relevant to Windows.
But I see that I may have misinterpreted your meaning when I made my reply.
I think we are beyond the point of getting Windows to recognize the mic. It clearly does, and it works in all programs but one. My best guess is that some setting in Magic Jack needs changing.
Magic Jack is a VOIP device. Put it into a USB port and you can either plug a phone into it or use the computer’s mic and speakers to make phone calls. This worked for me previously on this same computer when I had a mic / headset. But it won’t work with the webcam.
I’m also curious to see if it will work with Skype VOIP rather than video chat. Will be working on those next.
I found a test procedure among the myriad audio settings in Windows. It seems to have searched for and tested input devices and speakers, and asked me to speak into the microphone to verify. After doing that, the Magic Jack works with the webcam as a mic!
Seems to me that the relative complexity of audio settings is partly to blame for the difficulties I’ve had. There are at least three ways to adjust input device settings: through the Windows control panel, controls for the sound card, and within the particular programs that utilize audio devices. Their interaction with each other is not always obvious, at least to me.
Now that I’ve got the webcam / mic problem solved, I want to figure out how to record a call from my Magic Jack for interview purposes. I know there are add-ons for Magic Jack that can do this, but I wonder if I can do it with what I have, perhaps through Audacity? I did a test and it picked up only my voice, not the person I was speaking with on VOIP.
As you’ve experienced, choosing the right device can be a real hassle.
For recording, some computers will have a virtual recording source called “Stereo Mix” or “What U Hear” or “Wave Mix” that basically lets you hear (and record!) whatever the computer is playing at that moment. If you can find that source, Audacity might work.
But the add-on is probably easier.
Also, depending on what you record the conversation for, beware of local laws that may or may not make such a recording illegal unless you notify the other person that they are being recorded.
