# Line in jack question



## Nemesis (Nov 13, 2003)

Hello All,

I am looking for a simple solution for a Line in on a laptop. It only has a mic and headphone jack built in. Is there a cheap add on I can purchase that will give me the Line in functionality? I need to convert tapes to CDs for an old friend, and this is his laptop, and in order to do this I believe I need the Line in jack. Thanks for any help!!


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## V0lt (Sep 14, 2002)

Well, a line-in isn't a requirement- you'll still get a signal- but it's not ideal, because most sound card 'microphone' inputs have a 5v or so current to power those crappy electret microphones that come with computers. Either that or a preamp. Either way, the input from the tape recorder will be amplified. Which is fine if you turn the volume down on the recorder, but the line-in would be much more suited to the task.


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## Nemesis (Nov 13, 2003)

OKay, So if I want to go ahead and use the Mic jack as a last resort, what should I do for the best quality?
Thanks for the reply.


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## V0lt (Sep 14, 2002)

Just make sure to adjust the volume coming out of the tape recorder as needed so that it's not distorted in the recording. You can just do a record/playback until you're satisfied with the sound. Test it out until you're happy with the way it sounds.

Another thing that I hadn't thought about is that the mic input is probably a mono input, which would mean you'd lose the stereo sound in the recordings. This may or may not be the case, but it might be worth doing the recording on a different machine if you're not happy with that.


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## Nemesis (Nov 13, 2003)

Cool, Thanks for the useful info. Any recommendation on capture software to use? I was looking at Audacity.


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## ecc83 (Oct 7, 2006)

Hi Nemesis,

www.behringer.de Make a widget called UCA202 goes in the usb port and has RCA ins and headphone monitoring, about $30. There are lots of other usb "audio interfaces" on the market but that's about the cheapest. Vista might be a problem tho'.

Audacity will work fine, if you want some bells and whistles, EQ and such, have a look at Cockos reaper. If at some point you want to record vinyl and clean it up download the demo for Sony SoundForge. Unlike most demos it allows you to save and practically everything else, has a great vinyl cleanup facility. Don't dld till you need it tho' it only lasts 30days!

Dave.


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## Nemesis (Nov 13, 2003)

Nice, thanks for the help. 

Will Audacity support USB capture devices?


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## ecc83 (Oct 7, 2006)

Yes Audacity will recognise a usb device. Once you have the device installed (however Blista does that!). Click Edit,, drop down to Preferences and the device should be selectable for playback and record.

Reapers a bit more involved but all audio apps use some form of "preference" or "options".

Dave.


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## Nemesis (Nov 13, 2003)

Great, thanks again. Note I will not be using this with Blista! :wink:


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## mker (Mar 20, 2009)

Nemesis said:


> Hello All,
> 
> I am looking for a simple solution for a Line in on a laptop. It only has a mic and headphone jack built in. Is there a cheap add on I can purchase that will give me the Line in functionality? I need to convert tapes to CDs for an old friend, and this is his laptop, and in order to do this I believe I need the Line in jack. Thanks for any help!!


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## Pauldo (Jun 22, 2008)

Did you try the Behringer link?

ZZounds has the Uphono (from Behringer) for $30, free shipping. http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHUCA202

You could probably get down to $20 for a cheap usb adapter but you would most likely have to pay shipping.

Pauldo


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