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Stereo INPUT on laptop?
I know the only input I have is a mono microphone jack. And all the searching I've done for stereo audio "input" does
not seem to grab the concept of input in the search and I find lots of USB audio dongles that have stereo outputs and one mono jack input. As I see it they would be used if my current audio hardware broke and USB still functioned. Does anyone know of a way to get stereo input on a laptop or does a laptop actually have stereo in circuitry if I got the data in? Using a Dell Inspiron N5110. |
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#2
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Stereo INPUT on laptop?
On 6/28/2015 9:02 AM, Big_Al wrote:
I know the only input I have is a mono microphone jack. And all the searching I've done for stereo audio "input" does not seem to grab the concept of input in the search and I find lots of USB audio dongles that have stereo outputs and one mono jack input. As I see it they would be used if my current audio hardware broke and USB still functioned. Does anyone know of a way to get stereo input on a laptop or does a laptop actually have stereo in circuitry if I got the data in? Using a Dell Inspiron N5110. Have you checked the specification of your computer? The stereo plug and mono plug on a cursory view cane look the same. However there are actually two parts to the Stereo plug so it can carry the stereo signal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phone_...or_%28audio%29 |
#3
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Stereo INPUT on laptop?
On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 09:02:44 -0400, Big_Al wrote:
I know the only input I have is a mono microphone jack. Are you certain it's monophone? Both my present computer and my previous one have single audio input jacks, but they are stereo. You use a y-cable if the source has separate right and left channels. -- Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://OakRoadSystems.com Shikata ga nai... |
#4
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Stereo INPUT on laptop?
Stormin' Norman wrote on 6/28/2015 9:16 AM:
On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 09:02:44 -0400, Big_Al wrote: I know the only input I have is a mono microphone jack. And all the searching I've done for stereo audio "input" does not seem to grab the concept of input in the search and I find lots of USB audio dongles that have stereo outputs and one mono jack input. As I see it they would be used if my current audio hardware broke and USB still functioned. Does anyone know of a way to get stereo input on a laptop or does a laptop actually have stereo in circuitry if I got the data in? Using a Dell Inspiron N5110. Something like this? http://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-M-Trac...ywords=m-track A bit overkill but it might solve the issue. I look into some more on reviews of it. Thanks. |
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Stereo INPUT on laptop?
Keith Nuttle wrote on 6/28/2015 9:14 AM:
On 6/28/2015 9:02 AM, Big_Al wrote: I know the only input I have is a mono microphone jack. And all the searching I've done for stereo audio "input" does not seem to grab the concept of input in the search and I find lots of USB audio dongles that have stereo outputs and one mono jack input. As I see it they would be used if my current audio hardware broke and USB still functioned. Does anyone know of a way to get stereo input on a laptop or does a laptop actually have stereo in circuitry if I got the data in? Using a Dell Inspiron N5110. Have you checked the specification of your computer? The stereo plug and mono plug on a cursory view cane look the same. However there are actually two parts to the Stereo plug so it can carry the stereo signal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phone_...or_%28audio%29 Nowhere in the manuals does it specifically call the microphone mono or stereo. It just refers to it as microphone input. Reading between the lines it's singular form of mic. and input. Same with device manager. |
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Stereo INPUT on laptop?
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#7
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Stereo INPUT on laptop?
"Big_Al" wrote in message
... I know the only input I have is a mono microphone jack. And all the searching I've done for stereo audio "input" does not seem to grab the concept of input in the search and I find lots of USB audio dongles that have stereo outputs and one mono jack input. As I see it they would be used if my current audio hardware broke and USB still functioned. Does anyone know of a way to get stereo input on a laptop or does a laptop actually have stereo in circuitry if I got the data in? Laptops a few years ago (eg Windows XP and Windows Vista vintage) used to have *three* sockets: mic in, line in and line out. Nowadays it seems that few laptops have line in - goodness knows why because it means you cannot record from a cassette deck, LP turntable, VCR, radio etc. It is not just a case of plugging a line-level (several hundred mV) signal into the mic input (a few mV: maybe 100x less than line level) and turning the laptop's mic volume input right down, because in my experience the input stage gets grossly overloaded and then you adjust the level of that overloaded signal :-( So if you want to input a line-level signal you need an external sound adaptor that plugs into USB - and you need one that has a line-in socket. Fortunately I bought one a few years ago when I thought that the sound card in the laptop I had at the time had failed (though it later came back to life spontaneously and worked right up until the laptop died due to CPU/motherboard failure). Now this "surplus" adaptor has proved very useful because my present Win 7 laptop has no line-in socket. |
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Stereo INPUT on laptop?
Big_Al wrote:
I know the only input I have is a mono microphone jack. And all the searching I've done for stereo audio "input" does not seem to grab the concept of input in the search and I find lots of USB audio dongles that have stereo outputs and one mono jack input. As I see it they would be used if my current audio hardware broke and USB still functioned. Does anyone know of a way to get stereo input on a laptop or does a laptop actually have stereo in circuitry if I got the data in? Using a Dell Inspiron N5110. IDT 92HD87B1 There's a good chance this is HDAudio. HDAudio, one of the features, is jack retasking. This means the Headphone and Microphone jacks on the laptop, can be swapped for one another. If a microphone is plugged into the Headphone jack, a dialog box is supposed to pop up asking for verification you're using a microphone. And then you can record from it. This means then, by induction, that stereo is needed for both, so they can have identical feature sets. You can use Audacity, a male 1/8" to male 1/8" audio cable (one of my favorite audio debugging cables), then simply set Audacity to record, touching each of the metal contacts with your finger to insert some "hum" into the channel. In no time at all, you'll have confirmation of stereo. (Tip=Left Ring=Right, Sleeve=ground) Paul |
#10
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Stereo INPUT on laptop?
On 6/28/2015 9:02 AM, Big_Al wrote:
I know the only input I have is a mono microphone jack. And all the searching I've done for stereo audio "input" does not seem to grab the concept of input in the search and I find lots of USB audio dongles that have stereo outputs and one mono jack input. As I see it they would be used if my current audio hardware broke and USB still functioned. Does anyone know of a way to get stereo input on a laptop or does a laptop actually have stereo in circuitry if I got the data in? Using a Dell Inspiron N5110. If you find that your mic input is not stereo, and you don't need the complexity of the M-Audio device that was suggested by Keith, there are a slew of simple units available, like: http://www.amazon.com/Syba-SD-CM-UAU...udio+interface -- Best regards, Neil |
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Stereo INPUT on laptop?
Stormin' Norman wrote on 6/28/2015 10:29 AM:
On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 10:19:24 -0400, Big_Al wrote: Stormin' Norman wrote on 6/28/2015 9:16 AM: On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 09:02:44 -0400, Big_Al wrote: I know the only input I have is a mono microphone jack. And all the searching I've done for stereo audio "input" does not seem to grab the concept of input in the search and I find lots of USB audio dongles that have stereo outputs and one mono jack input. As I see it they would be used if my current audio hardware broke and USB still functioned. Does anyone know of a way to get stereo input on a laptop or does a laptop actually have stereo in circuitry if I got the data in? Using a Dell Inspiron N5110. Something like this? http://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-M-Trac...ywords=m-track A bit overkill but it might solve the issue. I look into some more on reviews of it. Thanks. I will be curious to read the final solution to your requirement, especially if you are able to find something less expensive or complex. Please post back when you have satisfied your need. Found this: http://www.amazon.com/3-5Mm-Audio-Ca.../dp/B00NV29FNW Seems to cover all the bases. Not sure about signal level issues but I want to capture some cassette tapes so the record output of the deck should work. |
#12
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Stereo INPUT on laptop?
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#13
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Stereo INPUT on laptop?
Big_Al wrote:
I know the only input I have is a mono microphone jack. And all the searching I've done for stereo audio "input" does not seem to grab the concept of input in the search and I find lots of USB audio dongles that have stereo outputs and one mono jack input. As I see it they would be used if my current audio hardware broke and USB still functioned. Does anyone know of a way to get stereo input on a laptop or does a laptop actually have stereo in circuitry if I got the data in? What exactly do you want to do? If you get stereo data in (in the form of a file), you'll get stereo when you play it. Of course, the file has to have been recorded in stereo. Just for jollys, I tried recording (using Windows Sound Recorder) on my Acer laptop. There is no choice of bit rate or file type when saving, everything gets saved as 96 bit wma. Seems too high for mono, chintzy for stereo.. |
#14
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Stereo INPUT on laptop?
In message , Keith Nuttle
writes: [] Have you checked the specification of your computer? The stereo plug and mono plug on a cursory view cane look the same. However there are actually two parts to the Stereo plug so it can carry the stereo signal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phone_...or_%28audio%29 The mic. input often uses the same type of _connector_ - three connection, tip ring sleeve - as a stereo plug; however, the circuitry inside the PC often uses the third terminal to supply the bias voltage that "electret"/"condenser" microphone elements require. There is a standard colour code (the plastic ring around the connector): green is stereo out, which will drive some headphones (the 35 or more ohm ones), or external amplified speakers. (On _very_ old sound cards, it might even drive non-amplified speakers, but we're talking original soundblaster era, possibly predating the colour code.) Pink is mono microphone input. Light blue is stereo line in. I haven't seen a _laptop_ with line in for a while. It's usually there on a desktop. The cheapest form of USB external "soundcard" - of which there are many - also have only stereo line out (green) and mono mic. in (pink). You _can_ get ones that _do_ have line in: the more expensive ones have a breakout box that might even have phono sockets, possibly even two mic. sockets and/or a phono preamplifier (for use with a naked turntable cartridge). You don't have to go for very expensive though; I've seen ones with stereo line in for about 7 pounds, as well as around 20, 45, and even more. (You could also look at the video capture devices: those usually have dual audio input channels. I don't know how well the software they come with handles audio-only use though. They also can be very cheap; I've seen them for under a fiver, for which I'd expect grotty, but if used for audio alone - if they can be - they might be perfectly OK!) However, on many laptops, if you create a recording using the mic. input, it will produce a file that appears to be stereo: it's only when you listen to it (or ideally, play it on something with an X-Y display like GoldWave) that you realise it's put the same thing on both channels. -- J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf "When _I_ saw him, he was dead." "uh, he looked exactly the same when he was alive, except he was vertical." (The Trouble with Harry) |
#15
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Stereo INPUT on laptop?
In message , pjp
writes: [] Most pc and laptop setups I've seen (in fact perhaps ALL) besides having a mic input also have both a Line-Out (what drives you speakers) and a Line-In connection. These can be treated the same as an Input/Output stereo pair same as on the back of a stereo amplifier. I think you've not looked at laptops lately (-:. I haven't seen (a new) one of those with a line in (blue) connector for some years, only the line out (green) and (mono) mic. input (pink). The line in (blue) _is_ still fairly common on desktop systems, whether they have a separate soundcard or on-motherboard sound. (I'm guessing the prevalence of line-out-and-mic-in-only kit may have something to do with the increased existence of Skype-type headsets.) [] -- J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf "When _I_ saw him, he was dead." "uh, he looked exactly the same when he was alive, except he was vertical." (The Trouble with Harry) |
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