Thought this would have been a very commonly solved problem but can’t seem to find a solution having searched around the web for a long while.
Here’s what I’m trying to do.
Play my guitar into a guitar fx processor so I can use it’s line out/L into the line in on my PC Audigy 4 sound card. I also have/need my headphones plugged into the sound card line out.
I’m hearing guitar in left ear only, yep I know its a mono source via mono cable to the line in but…
Wondering if there’s some way I can force windows to let me hear the guitar in both ears while I play along with other tracks I’ve recorded instead of in just the left ear.
I can record ok and hear the recorded track through both ears on playback if I’ve selected a mono recording but want to hear what I’m playing in real time in both ears of the phones not just 1.
You could try setting the line-in to “mono” in the Windows Sound Control Panel “Recording” tab. This may or may not work, depending on the sound card drivers.
Some possible outcomes:
It works perfectly, and Windows treats the Left input as a mono source.
Windows won’t let you select mono for this device
Windows allows you to select mono, but it makes no difference
Windows allows you to select mono, but the sound card can then not record.
Windows allows you to select mono, but the recording is then garbage.
Some other “bad” result.
Alternatively, you could use a “splitter” cable that has one input jack socket, connected to two output jack plugs.
Note that if you use a splitter, it should be made with “shielded cable” (a “microphone splitter”, not a “headphone splitter”) so as to avoid picking up hum.
