I can record from inbuilt microphone on 3 different laptops.
But nothing is recording when connected to hi-fi amp. I haven’t tried to record anything for several (5 or more) years, and I used to be able to. At least, I think I used Audacity, I know I started off with Polderbits, and switched when I replaced a laptop and couldn’t register Polderbits on new one.
Any suggestions please.
For the record, one laptop only has a USB C socket, so leads from amp need an adapter. Oldest one has a normal audio socket. 3rd has a multi- headphone/mic socket.
The “multi- headphone/mic socket” probably needs to be switched between headphone / mic in the system settings. Or it is a connector for a real headphone with a mono mic-in and a mono headphine-out. So, it is probably not worth trying to use this.
What you need is an “external sound card” which translates your sound (from the line-out of your amplifier) to USB (or USB-C). I myself have here a “Griffin iMic”, but this device is no longer available for many years (maybe you can get one used?). Others in this forum recommend a Behreinger UCA-202, which I have never seen. And there are many others.
Besides this, depending on your operating system, you need to grant access for Audacity to “Microphone” (every sound-in is “microphone” for an OS). In Audacity and probably also in system settings, you need to select that external sound card as input source. It usually has the expression “USB” in the description.
You need a line-input (color coded blue on a soundcard in a desktop-tower computer).
Most laptops have only microphone-in and headphone out. Mic-in can “work” but line level signals are about 100 times stronger than a microphone signal so you usually get poor quality. And the mic input is often poor quality anyway.
The Behringer UCA202 is popular and inexpensive. I have an ART USB Phono Plus, which has switchable phono-line inputs and a recording level control. Or there are lots of higher-end USB audio interfaces with switchable mic/line inputs.
Higher-end USB audio interfaces usually have an XLR & 1/4-inch TS/TRS combo jack. Pro microphones use XLR connectors and for line input you’ll need a cable-adapter with 1/4-inch TS plugs (like a guitar plug). They are incompatible with “computer mics.”
That should “work” but with poor quality. And it’s probably mono.
You need a special 4-conductor TRRS plug to make the mono microphone contact. And again, it’s “wrong”. (A regular headphone plug will work fine for headphones.)
Maybe you had a computer with a regular soundcard?