Record Audio from YouTube ( Soundcloud) to computer?

[muzines]

To clarify: I ain't anybody's dad and no need to get defensive. It's just so that many people aren't clear about YouTube terms of service or even read them (and your last sentence seem to confirm that..);

Haven't read them no, or at least in any way that I can recently recall. And to be clear, I don't recall ever having recorded audio or anything else from YouTube anyway. And the OP who mentioned this also specifically mentioned in his first post about not breaching copyrights - perhaps he didn't even intend to use it from those services, just used them as a more common point of reference to get across his meaning. I don't know.

and don't understand the consequences of Google's business model.

You can grant me some brains too.

So, having a public thread where one says explicitly that he or she breaches them is... Well, the chances Google notices are slim but they *might* notice. They are known to have a few lawyers. Plus it might be a tad embarrassing for SOS.

Again, no one has said that, other than in the hypothetical. And if we are going down that minefield, a lot of content is *on* YouTube illegally anyway, and/or isn't ad supported - not that that is hugely relevant for the points you raise anyway.

I understand your points and they are of course valid, but the OP clearly stated he was aware of the copyright implications of infringing those services and did not intend to do so, and I think there is clear enough warning that there is no intent to infringe anything here by talking about how to use such a tool that could be used for those purposes.

So, it's been reinstated that you shouldn't use these tools to do naughty things. I have no problem in how the thread discussed the various scenarios and the tech involved and I don't see how, at least speaking personally, my posts could be interpreted as enabling or encouraging infringement - the rest is down to the user, and I trust we are all fairly sensible people here. I'll let Kevin speak for himself.

And one more note - while copyright infringement certainly is illegal (and lets assume we all know what copyright infringement constitutes), breaking the terms of service of a website is not an illegal act*. So defining recording some audio for reference or study from a random YouTube video as "illegal" is.. well.. perhaps a poor choice of words and not representive of all the facts.

* As defined in court from at least a few articles I read just to confirm what I thought to be true. And no, I'm not a lawyer.

Ok?

[CS70]

And one more note - while copyright infringement certainly is illegal (and lets assume we all know what copyright infringement constitutes), breaking the terms of service of a website is not an illegal act*. So defining recording some audio for reference or study from a random YouTube video as "illegal" is.. well.. perhaps a poor choice of words and not representive of all the facts.

Sure thing, can well be. It's a tiny risk anyway, but this is a friendly forum and among friends one looks for each other's back.

[muzines]

Yeah, I did get your intent, sorry if I came across as harsh... it sometimes happens when people seem to be throwing the odd displeasing accusation around, which is how I took your first post (a bit)...

All good.

[chris...]

And one more note - while copyright infringement certainly is illegal (and lets assume we all know what copyright infringement constitutes), breaking the terms of service of a website is not an illegal act*.

Yep.

So defining recording some audio for reference or study from a random YouTube video as "illegal" is.. well.. perhaps a poor choice of words and not representive of all the facts.

Yep.

Also, "illegal" is often used to mean a criminal offence. Which, the average consumer copyright infringement is not.

( rather, it's a civil matter - for which one can sue for damages, and in the UK, the level of damages is pretty much limited to what you can demonstrate you've actually lost )

IANAL etc.

[Kevin Nolan]

I'm looking to record, from individual composers web sites and occasionally YouTube and Soundcloud examples of individual composers music where they are demoing their show reel, or demoing how to write / compose - and solely for learning. I'm putting myself through a 3-year intensive "ramp up" of musical learning.

But I'll only do it having contacted the composer and been given permission. No commercial pieces - just other emerging musician's and new media composers 'takes' and cues. For example, on Facebook there's a fantastic group I'm a member of called Orchestration Online, with thousands of members, and quite regularly students there post their music dissertations from college projects, and they are usually quite amazing pieces.

I accept there may be strict YouTube or Soundcloud's rules on this - but to be honest I'm probably going to access a few dozen pieces over the next 6 months, virtually all from private posting of example pieces, and that's it. I have quite a number of of contacts already and as said, its purely educational.

I can assure you I am staunch against any illegal downloading ( as I mentioned before I'm a published author and my book was downloaded, illegally, more than 180,000 time in the first year alone when it was published (it was made available as an eBook and somebody cracked it and made it available)).

Indeed, I was chatting to a friend just yesterday about how he acquires his music, and though he mostly streams, since I installed Shazam on my iPhone (about 3 years ago) I've bought 118 albums! Mostly soundtracks for analysis. I did a count over Christmas - so I'm probably one of the very few who buys, purely out of convenience, because downloading otherwise hasn't been convenient to me (to date ).

Anyway, I hope I've cleared up somewhat what my intentions are. I aim only to download non commercial pieces for study, with permission given, as a one off in a study programme. Otherwise - I buy - profusely

Cheers,
Kevin.

PS - If this reads a little implausible - contact me and I can show you they essentially 'nutty' learning programme I'm going through - it's killing me it's that tough - so I assure you, it is implausible - but only because it's implausible to drag myself screaming through this programme every evening after a long days work (or is that ) - now - where was I - back to ABRSM theory workbook, Grade 8, melodic composition in modern styles ( a tough book !!!)

[CS70]

No need - I appreciate your against-piracy attitude as I share the same. I mentioned the matter only because Google's terms of services are very restrictive in a non-intuitive way and people may not know about them, and be caught unaware.

Regarding the legality or not of breaching terms of service (and the use of the word "illegal").. the lawyer in the family is my sister, so I had a chat and found interesting results. They're a bit too long to be reported here (not to mention they would likely generate an avalanche of "I know better because it sounds right to me" replies ). So everybody's welcome to make their own research. If anybody's interested, just PM me.

[4TrackMadman]

As an aside, the Edirol UA25 interface has a nifty button that does this. CC

Hi

I have a UA25. Which button are you referring to (too lazy to dig out the manual). I don't have an immediate need but useful to know.

Chris

I have UA-4fx and on this one there is a Rec. Source: Loopback option on the side of the interface, probably you have something similar in teh driver or on the unit itself?

[ConcertinaChap]

I have UA-4fx and on this one there is a Rec. Source: Loopback option on the side of the interface, probably you have something similar in teh driver or on the unit itself?

Not directly.

The Digital In button. If you've active input on the S/PDIF inputs then pushing that button lets you record it. However if you don't have anything coming in on the S/PDIFs then it does a digital loopback on any audio from the computer.

CC

[muzines]

Note: Audio Hijack 3.0 has just been released, with a sexy new front end.



Kevin - you should be able to get the upgrade for free...

[Jeraldo]

There is the product Sound Siphon from staticz.com

[TheReson8or]

Hi I use THIS ...not wav, but you can convert if needed...and easy to use. Dave

[Exalted Wombat]

When your computer lacks the Stereo Mix recording input option, sometimes it can be reinstated by a simple addition in the Registry. Google around the topic.

[andyckingsize]

Just to add my two penneth... some of the Focusrite audio interfaces have a loopback feature, which works like a dream. I bought a Liquid Saffire 56 recently, and I've been using it loads to record stuff off of BBC iPlayer and the like, straight into my DAW (Reaper).

Obviously it's more expensive than just using software, but it depends on whether you already own an AI or not (I guess you probably do).

[ef37a]

Some months ago I bought a wee box called a "Porta HDMI Converter".

This outputs CVBS and stereo sound on RCA sockets and will do so for ANYTHING on screen or playing on my HP laptop. It is USB powered and that can be a spare port on the same machine.

Copying an HD programme (I won't say where from!) to a Freeview Hard Drive recorder gives very decent picture quality, way better than VHS.

Dave (hope I haven't said this before? Old y'know.)

[DC-Choppah]

Obviously anything that can play on your computer can be recorded with a trivial amount of effort. This thread makes that clear.

I believe this shoots a hole in the argument that a play on Youtube is a one time performance. In fact it is the SAME as owning the recording. Therefore Youtube is distributing music (just like a record store distributes CDs) and owes the fully penny rate to the music publisher and royalty to the owner of the performance.

There is no difference between a Youtube play and an electronic download. Let's stop pretending that there is.

[Pete Kaine]

There is no difference between a Youtube play and an electronic download. Let's stop pretending that there is.

Youtube recordings are still badly compressed and sound horrible cranked up loud.

Electronic download Wav's or even CBR MP3's sounds great in comparison, so you get what you pay for and at least at this point, the certainly is a difference.

The problem is that some people may not see the value in paying for the better format, or have the equipment to do it justice. Are they perhaps the same people who would have taped the top 40 off the radio back in the 80s?

[Exalted Wombat]

I can get off on a top-quality recording, played on first-class equipment as well as any of us. But I'm perfectly happy to get off on the music, recorded in any reasonably adequate way, instead. Our perception is remarkably tolerant when the content is interesting.

Yes, I'm saying "but it really doesn't matter that much" to most of the content in SoS

[ef37a]

Bit OT but moot I think. Can someone suggest a decent free screen grab app' for W7 please?

I tried VLC but it screws the aspect ratio. Installed a couple of other suggestions and fell foul of Palikan.

No legal issues here, I just need to get grabs off DVDs I have made of garden wildlife.

Dave.

[Pete Kaine]

I can get off on a top-quality recording, played on first-class equipment as well as any of us. But I'm perfectly happy to get off on the music, recorded in any reasonably adequate way, instead. Our perception is remarkably tolerant when the content is interesting.

I'm not actually disagreeing. It just seems to me that the only people who really pay for music these days outside of those listening freely off Youtube or the like, are all on pandora/spotify packages and even those can be questionable in streaming quality.

Those who want high quality recordings to play back on their hifi kit, will pay for it. Those who need it to play out in commerical enviroments will pay for it. Those who are likely to listen to it on Youtube and then rip it from there... we'll if they couldn't rip it, I'm not entirely convinced that they would pay for it, rather choosing to fire up Youtube they wished to hear the piece in question.

[Pete Kaine]

Bit OT but moot I think. Can someone suggest a decent free screen grab app' for W7 please?

Natively have you tried the following?

Expand the video to full screen, hit print screen and ctrl+v it into the paint program of your choice.

or

Window "Snip" tool in your accessories folder in the start menu.

[ef37a]

Bit OT but moot I think. Can someone suggest a decent free screen grab app' for W7 please?

Natively have you tried the following?

Expand the video to full screen, hit print screen and ctrl+v it into the paint program of your choice.

or

Window "Snip" tool in your accessories folder in the start menu.

Stone me Pete! How did I not know it was that easy! If I could post attachments here I could show you a clip of an egg stealing fox!

I will also investigate the Snipping tool.

Dave.

[Pete Kaine]

Upload to http://imgur.com/ and post a link

Is the fox in for it, or are you simply documenting the nightly escapades?

Got any badgers to go with it?

[ef37a]

Hope that works! Badgers? Yes had two over the last year and a bit.

I started the CCTV into my living room so my wife could see the birds but we have found the nightlife more fascinating (though we did have a Jay a day ago!) Hedgehogs almost every night until about 3 weeks ago.

Blast the fox? No! We love it, I put two hens eggs out and it comes about 2 nights later and takes one away, never breaks it, then returns about 15mins later for the second one. Rarely eats anything else but did carry off a disgusting kebab we neither of us liked and later a lamb legbone.

Dave.

[DC-Choppah]

My point was not with regards to sound quality. Technology can even that out. My point was with regards to the legal distinction between a one-time download and an outright purchase of the music. Currently the distinction is based on the fact that when you buy music, you can play it back whenever you want. Hence your distributor owes the full legally determined fee (penny rate) for music (music publisher) and the royalty fee to the owner of the performance (record company).

With a download, so the argument goes, you have only one play. So what is that worth? That is the current argument for streaming music for virtually free. Each stream is worth a tiny fraction of outright ownership.

But as we have made clear in this thread, a stream can be captured so easily that it is in fact the same thing as ownership. The streamers are in fact delivering value to the consumer.

You are choosing to argue that the audio quality makes a big difference in its value. So a digitally compressed version is worth only 1/10,000th of the full bit rate? Really. I believe folks on this thread are saying just the opposite - that as long as it is good enough, then it has full value.

[DC-Choppah]

The problem is that some people may not see the value in paying for the better format, or have the equipment to do it justice. Are they perhaps the same people who would have taped the top 40 off the radio back in the 80s?

You are focused on the wrong person. I am not concerned with the guy who taped a song off the radio.

A guy who taped a single off the radio in the 1970s might have caused one less record sale. But if he likes the song he might go buy the whole album.

A guy who posts an album on Youtube puts it up for 100,000,000+ listeners. Youtube makes money selling advertising as people are attracted to this content that has been made free to them through Youtube and the internet providers.

Youtube IS a record distributor. They need to pay the same fees to the music creators as a radio station would have in the 1970s.

The person I am focused on is the owners of Youtube (Google) who want content for free to attract users to eyeball their advertising.