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Need some help getting started with Lets Playing

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Denzi:
I'm pretty sure this is the best place for this thread but who knows for sure.

Anyway for the last month or so I've been off-and-on trying to start up let's playing. Every time I figure out the way to do one thing right another issue crops up that makes me completely hate technology. My current issue involves either recording in such a way that the game (but not microphone) audio lags behind a portion of a second. It is not a huge delay (Less than half a second delay I believe), but it is enough for me that it puts me off of wanting to allow anyone to see the videos ever. I was hoping that some of the established lets players from Bay 12 could share some details of their set up or help me get mine worked out. Lets playing is something I've been wanting to do for ages (to be honest I've done it once before, but stopped because I realized I was producing a horrible product. That is to say I was not recording game sound but simply picking up the loudest parts using my microphone) It has been a long time since then and I have a pretty decent setup I believe.

Computer specs that should affect recording/encoding at all include a 3.3 Intel i5, around 16gigabytes of ram, and a GeForce GTX 550 Ti. I tried to build the computer to have enough processing power and memory to handle recording and encoding rather well.

My current recording setup is using Hypercam 2 for recording and Virtual Audio Cable as a stand-in for Stereo Mix. The thing is VAC is indirectly also causing the audio trouble indirectly. Currently I have two setups for audio I have identified. Create a virtual cable that computer and microphone sound both go into at the same time (Has the issue of my microphone basically echoing) or create a second virtual cable, running my microphone directly to that, and using the 'Audio Repeater' software that came with VAC to duplicate system audio onto this second line. This has the issue though of causing the delay I mentioned above. Neither method is particularly great, and I know that there has to be a better way (I've seen plenty of people record without delays in any of the audio.)

For reference when recording I'm dropping absolutely no frames from Hypercam when I'm recording.

Any help you can offer would be amazing, because right now I've basically run out of options I can think of shot other than recording my microphone separate from the game audio and combining them at encoding. Really would like to save that for a last resort but if I have to then I have to.

Seriyu:
I assume you've got a computer that doesn't have stereo mix?

I feel your pain. There's something you can buy for 30 bucks or so that simulates stereo mix on computers without it, called VAC. Here's the link.

I've never used them, so I dunno how to set them up, and there may indeed be a free option out there, but that's all I'm aware of at this time.

Unless I misunderstood your question, which seems to happen to me often.  :P

Denzi:
Thanks for responding Seriyu. Actually that is what I'm using right now. Unfortunately I can't get it to simulate a true stereo mix without audio lag/desyncs of some kind like I mentioned above. Wind up with either an echoing microphone (actually should test that method with my alternative headset, though I have to listen to myself talk with that method) or the game audio gets lagged by half a second or more. Then again I might not be using VAC to it's full potential.

frostshotgg:
Getting video/audio to synch up is a huge pain in the ass if your recording device doesn't do it automatically.

I'd suggest trying Fraps to record your video (You can get a 30 second video on the free version which should be plenty to see if it works).

Seriyu:
Have you looked into audacity? I've heard it's pretty amazing for audio editing, and might help out.

Also I just realized the OP mentioned VAC, my bad.  :P

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