milkybarkid Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Hopefully some of you may be able to help a novice out here. I recently had to buy a new laptop, and last night I went to record a mix for the first time on it. On my old laptop, there was three 'jacks', headphones, mic, and input (I think). I used Audacity to record directly from my mixer with no problems. Now on this laptop, there are only two, mic and headphones, and what's recorded is all distorted, sort of like what a really old cassette tape recorded at way too high of a volume sounds like. I've tried putting my main output lead (as opposed the the lead for recording) in, but it makes no difference. I also recorded directly onto my laptop (not with Audacity), and the sound was still the same. I tried adjusting all the settings in Audacity (input volume, Rates of recording etc), all to no avail. So has anyone any idea? I presume I need some sort of external soundcard or usb connector for the laptop or something? Are they expensive? I am just learning all this stuff for the first time, and really have no clue as to what soundcards etc do/are so I appreciate any help. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tremor Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Hi mate, It sounds like you are recording on the new laptop via the "mic input," presumably because there is no "line input." This would certainly explain the distortion. A microphone has a very low level output and so a mic input to a mixer or a laptop has a built in pre-amp to amplify the mic level signal into a more usable strength signal shall we say. Your mixer output will be at line level, a much higher voltage which does not need this extra amplification stage. Therefore if you connect your mixer output to the mic input it will be distorted because it is already maxing out or "clipping" at the input stage before it has even hit the recording software. Your instincts are correct - you will need an external USB or Firewire sound card with a line input if your laptop does not have an on board input. These vill vary greatly in price but I would imagine you could get something simple for under £50. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milkybarkid Posted February 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Hi mate, It sounds like you are recording on the new laptop via the "mic input," presumably because there is no "line input." This would certainly explain the distortion. A microphone has a very low level output and so a mic input to a mixer or a laptop has a built in pre-amp to amplify the mic level signal into a more usable strength signal shall we say. Your mixer output will be at line level, a much higher voltage which does not need this extra amplification stage. Therefore if you connect your mixer output to the mic input it will be distorted because it is already maxing out or "clipping" at the input stage before it has even hit the recording software. Your instincts are correct - you will need an external USB or Firewire sound card with a line input if your laptop does not have an on board input. These vill vary greatly in price but I would imagine you could get something simple for under £50. Thanks for the quick response mate. Yeah I have to put it through the mic input, the other one's headphones and there is no other jack. I had an inkling I would need something like that but I've no idea what is required. I also wanted to check that I wasn't being as thick as two planks and was doing something simple wrong! Which would you recommend I go for (not specifically, I mean a soundcard or external usb)? I'll just need it to hook up again to record mixes, nothing more than that really. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tremor Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/106540 This is a very basic solution for you for a tenner! It has a line input on mini jack which is what you were used to using on your old laptop. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milkybarkid Posted February 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/106540 This is a very basic solution for you for a tenner! It has a line input on mini jack which is what you were used to using on your old laptop. Brilliant! Thanks a million! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Kane Posted February 28, 2011 Report Share Posted February 28, 2011 The forum continues it's legacy of being all knowing! Great advice Nath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aza Posted March 10, 2011 Report Share Posted March 10, 2011 The forum continues it's legacy of being all knowing! Great advice Nath Concur and cannot agree more with Nathan! I didn't even finish the original post read and as soon as I read 'new lappy - only 2 inputs - mic and headphones' I knew this was the issue. I've a DELL lappy with 3 - same as previously mentioned but with line-in and it was one of the key parts in deciding. At least with this new - dedicated and special card - you'll be getting decent quality Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neuro Posted March 10, 2011 Report Share Posted March 10, 2011 Great bit of kit there Tremor - might be purchasing this for my laptop. The fact the card has a digital input and output is fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milkybarkid Posted March 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2011 Right update on this, and thanks again to Tremor for his swift and excellent help. Tried ordering the one he linked me, but unfortunately they didn't deliver to Ireland, so I ordered this one from Amazon going on the recommendations given of what I needed: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003TO3KHY/ref=oss_product. Got it last night, and after a bit of messing around (as I'd ballsed up my Audacity settings trying to record previously), it seems to be working perfectly. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tremor Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 Sweet. That looks like a neat little box as well. Well done mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.