Member Avatar for lizziegillett

hello,

first post so take it easy on me if there's a very obvious solution.

i'm trying to find some very simple software to record audio from my dv camcorder via a firewire port. i want to record as a .wav or .aiff file and don't need to record the video.

i have been using imovie but you can oly recoird in 10 minute chunks and digitising the video seems like a waste.

i'm using a mac (OSX 10.3.9)

i just want something very simple as all i need to to is load the sound files into the express scribe dictation software so i can transcribe interviews.

any suggestions much appreciated,

lizzie

  • 3 Contributors
  • 3 Replies
  • 214 Views
  • 11 Months Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by CEDickson

Dani AI

Generated

Short primer and practical options for recording just the audio from a DV/HDV cam over FireWire (for WAV/AIFF files to use with Express Scribe). has the right constraint: if the camera only gives audio embedded in the DV stream, the cleanest path is to capture the DV stream and extract the audio rather than routing analog outs. QuickTime Player can open and record a camera connected by FireWire so you can record the tape to disk without using iMovie first. (support.apple.com)

Straightforward workflow (QuickTime → audio file)

  • Put the camera in playback/VTR mode and connect the FireWire cable.
  • In QuickTime Player choose File → New Movie Recording, click the Options pop‑up next to the record button and select the camera for both video and audio, then record the portion you need and Save the resulting movie.
  • Open that movie in QuickTime Pro (or the QuickTime export dialog) and export audio only (AIFF/WAV) using the sound settings; keep the audio at 48 kHz / 16‑bit to match DV audio and avoid unnecessary resampling. (manualzilla.com)

If you prefer command line or need batch conversion

  • Capture as above, then extract audio with ffmpeg. Example (creates 48 kHz 16‑bit WAV):
    ffmpeg -i captured.mov -vn -ar 48000 -ac 2 -c:a pcm_s16le interview.wav

    ffmpeg will also write AIFF when you name the output with .aiff. Install ffmpeg via a modern package manager if needed. (ffmpeg.org)

Notes and troubleshooting

  • Some HDV cameras must be set in their menus to output standard DV (or a “downconvert” option) on the FireWire/i.Link port before a Mac will behave as if it’s getting DV audio/video; try changing that and power‑cycling the camera if QuickTime shows no audio. (provideocoalition.com)
  • Express Scribe accepts WAV and AIFF (among many formats), so export those forms for best compatibility. (nch.com.au)

If tapes or captures are glitchy (dropouts, CRC errors), consider archival tools like DVRescue for recovering or re‑trying problematic ranges; it’s designed for robust DV transfers. (mediaarea.net)

Acknowledgement: ’s analog‑jack suggestion is useful when a camera has line outs, and was right that QuickTime/QT‑Pro can give you audio exports — the steps above are focused on using the FireWire DV stream (the cleanest option for HDV→DV setups).

Recommended Answers

All 3 Replies

Member Avatar for kc0arf

Hello Lizzie,

Welcome to DaniWeb.

I use a program called Amadeous II that was developed by hairerSoft.com It is shareware, and I think it cost $40 or so. But what it allows me to do is input audio from the microphone, or from the mic jacks in the back of the computer. I do not have a USB / Firewire camera to test things on, so I am not sure Amadeous will work strictly with that interface.

BUT, if y ou have an audio out on your camera, you might be able to:

* Wire the output jack of the camera to the mic in jack on the computer
* tell your software to record
* tell your camera to play
* walk away

You may need to adjust your input levels on the computer, so that you do not over-drive the software. Amadeous will allow you to do that.

I realize this might not be the "firewire-only" solution, but it should get the job done for you.

BTW, is it possible to shut OFF the video feed using iMovie? I remember using Adobe Premiere, and I could kill the video feed, so that only audio was captured and processed.

Christian

Member Avatar for lizziegillett

hi and thanks for replying,

thing is i am using a new HDV camera and down converting to Standard DV so i really need to be able to use the firwire port (the camera doesn't have separate component outs.

i'll check out the software though and see if i get anywhere.
thanks

lizzie

Hello Lizzie,

Welcome to DaniWeb.

I use a program called Amadeous II that was developed by hairerSoft.com It is shareware, and I think it cost $40 or so. But what it allows me to do is input audio from the microphone, or from the mic jacks in the back of the computer. I do not have a USB / Firewire camera to test things on, so I am not sure Amadeous will work strictly with that interface.

BUT, if y ou have an audio out on your camera, you might be able to:

* Wire the output jack of the camera to the mic in jack on the computer
* tell your software to record
* tell your camera to play
* walk away

You may need to adjust your input levels on the computer, so that you do not over-drive the software. Amadeous will allow you to do that.

I realize this might not be the "firewire-only" solution, but it should get the job done for you.

BTW, is it possible to shut OFF the video feed using iMovie? I remember using Adobe Premiere, and I could kill the video feed, so that only audio was captured and processed.

Christian

Member Avatar for CEDickson

i have been using imovie but you can oly recoird in 10 minute chunks and digitising the video seems like a waste.

I'm a bit confused by your 10 minute comment. I use imovie to record hours of video at a time. If you need the output file as a single file and the .mov file won't work, you can extract the audio and export the file in a number of format.

With QT Pro you can open the imovie file and export it in many more formats.

Hope this helps.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.