CAD u37 mic not working

[Steve Grisetti]

Your settings are all correct, Steven. And, yes, my Narration configuration says Front Left too, for some reason.

And every time I try to record narration, the program crashes!

So something is buggy some place. Give me a day or so to experiment with it and see if I can find out what's up.

In all honesty, I believe Adobe designs the PC version of Premiere Elements first and then adapts to the Mac -- sometimes with compromises. But let me poke around when I have a bit more time and see what I can figure out. Or if we need to figure out a workaround.

The most frustrating thing? It works like a dream on my Windows machine! Oh well.

[StevenG]

OK.
Thanks a million!
It's good to know you duplicated my settings with the same results. I was beginning to think it was me. All the same, it is upsetting. I hope you you can find the problem. Any chance Adobe can help?
Steve

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Steve Grisetti]

You're welcome to try.

I'll certainly contact them -- but they don't to react only when they get mass indicators of the same problem.

[Steve Grisetti]

Well, I've got some good news and some bad news for us, Steven.

The good news: I've learned the proper configuration for the microphone. In your System Preferences, set the USB microphone as your input. Then, in Premiere Elements' Preferences/Audio Hardware, set the Default Device drop-down menu to System Default Input/Output.

This works perfectly in Premiere Elements 12!

The bad news: When you open Narration in version 13 and click the Record button, the program freezes and crashes every time. So the problem is definitely an Adobe issue.

I wish I could say I had an inside line to Adobe. There are some people I've worked with in the past, and I'll drop them a note. But until they decide to address it, we'll have to consider alternative means.

The easiest way to do this is to record your narration separately and then just bring the finished audio file into your project using Add Media.

To record narration or any audio on your Mac, open the Quicktime Player. Under the File menu, you'll find the option to create New Audio Recording.

You can also record using the amazing free download Audacity, which has the advantage of being able to save your recording as a WAV file, the most efficient audio format to use in Premiere Elements.

Hope that helps!

[Steve Grisetti]

Hi, Steven. Just wanted to let you know that I've dropped a note to my contact on Adobe's Premiere Elements team. I'll let you know his response.

The real shame is that Adobe has just released a major update/fix for the program (version 13.1). I don't know if this problem existed prior to this update, but it's definitely a major bug.

[StevenG]

Hi Steve,
I greatly appreciate your persistence. I will be leaving shortly for the day, so I will not be able to try Audacity until tomorrow. I liked the simple way Narration works (is supposed to work!) in PrE 13, and I hope Audacity does not make the problem more complicated. It seems strange that the mic will work in PrE 12, with the settings you indicate, but not in PrE 13! I hope your Adobe contact will be able to provide some useful information.

You said there is a major update to PrE 13. Perhaps that will address the issue (willful thinking!). Have you downloaded the update?
I did not get any notifications of an update. Is it actually out already? Where do I check for it?

I will update you tomorrow, after I try Audacity.
Thanks again.
Steve

[Steve Grisetti]

Yes, I've downloaded the 13.1 update. It is of no help, unfortunately.

Oh well. There's much to be said for Audacity! It's how I usually record my scripted narration (or I use Sony Sound Forge, a similar program).

[Chuck Engels]

As soon as I get version 13 installed I am going to try this with my Logitec headset and see if the same thing happens.

[StevenG]

Hi Chuck,
I'd be very interested to see if your mic works properly with PrE 13.
Steve

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Steve Grisetti]

Remember though, Chuck, this is a Mac only issue. Things work fine on Windows.

[Chuck Engels]

Ahhh, yes Steve. I keep forgetting this is a MAC problem. I did have no issues using my wireless Logitech headset in the Windows version, although there is a delay which I remember from previous versions. The delay has always been something that has kept me from using the Premiere Elements narration in the first place. The quality also is not as good as Audacity or Camtasia. Just for reference, I did not have to change any of the settings except for one thing, to select my microphone by checking the box in ASIO settings > Input tab (screen shot 2), other than that (and I did get a dialog that told me I had to select an input device) everything worked right out of the box.

[StevenG]

Hi Guys,
OK. I downloaded Audacity and made a test recording. I sounds fine. Now what?
I am not sure how to import it into PrE13; then, how do I do all of the edits that Narration seems to do automatically, or at least seems to make easy?
It seems like a rather large learning curve, at a time that I am just learning PrE13.
Obviously, the fact that the CAD u37 does not work with a Mac is a huge glitch, which I hope will be fixed shortly, but I will not hold my breath.
Do you know of, or can you find out if there is a good sounding, reasonably priced mic out there that will work with PrE 13 installed on a Mac?
Thanks.
Steve

[Steve Grisetti]

If you can find a microphone that plugs into your computer's mike input rather than USB, it will work fine. But I wouldn't bother. You've got a great microphone! I'd use it with this minor workaround until Adobe fixes the problem (or the next generation of the program comes out -- at which point you can demand Adobe replace your current version because it won't work). Besides, do you really need to watch your video when you record your narration? Recording with Audacity is the much more professional way to do it.

Once you've made your recording, output it form Audacity by going to File/Export Audio, setting the format to WAV. Then just go to Premiere Elements, select Add Media/From Files and Folders and browse to the WAV file.

[Bob]

After importing the file into PrE13, you can place the audio clip on the timeline using one of the empty audio tracks. If you want, you can place it on the narration track. Once on the timeline, you have access to all of the editing capabilities you have with video. You can trim the clip, cut the clip into segments, delete or replace a segment, adjust the position on the timeline, etc..

[StevenG]

HI Guys,
Thanks again.
OK. I followed Steve's directions, and successfully imported a test audio clip from Audacity to PrE 13.
And, Bob, I think I understand that I still have ability to do all movie edits. However, I do have some questions regarding editing the imported narration.
Obviously, Audacity is not integrated into the Narration/PrE workflow, as is Narration.
1. I don't seem to see a 3-2-1 countdown in Audacity, which makes it a bit difficult, as the recording seems to begin instantly. Is there a countdown.
2. There are a zillion icons on the Audacity screen. Do I need to be concerned with any of them.
3. How do I re-record the Audacity clip, once it is imported into PrE 13. When using Narration, the playhead jumps to the beginning of the clip. When using Audacity, the clip is wherever I place it.
The previous and next buttons from Narration don't seem to work with a clip imported from Audacity.
4. Also, I notice that the recording seems to be on both top and bottom of clip, which I think is a good thing, but I thought it was a monorail mic.
Steve