interface?

[cookies]

Im new to audacity and I was wondering if i need an actual interface in order to record. Can i just plug a mic into the microphone jack on my laptop? And also, do i need an interface to directly record into the computer?

[billw58]

Im new to audacity and I was wondering if i need an actual interface in order to record. Can i just plug a mic into the microphone jack on my laptop? And also, do i need an interface to directly record into the computer?

You can indeed just plug a mic into the microphone jack on your laptop. If your laptop does not have a line input (and it probably doesn't unless it's a Mac), you'll need a line-input USB interface.

This might help: http://manual.audacityteam.org/index.ph ... _Recording

-- Bill

[kozikowski]

<<< Can i just plug a mic into the microphone jack on my laptop?>>>

You can just plug a computer microphone in there. Computer microphones are powered from the computer and use a special connection very different from conventional microphones. Second illustration....

http://www.kozco.com/tech/audioconnecto ... ctors.html

...I saw they have a special name for those now, like, 5 volt phantom microphones. Something like that.

If you do have a conventional microphone like a Shure SM58...

http://www.shure.com/proaudio/products/ ... cn_content

You can do that, too, but it's a lot harder because you have to build the adapter...

http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/UnbalBalAdapter.jpg

I've never seem one of these commercially available.

So past that, you'll be wanting a USB adapter to get one of those into your computer.

Koz

[cookies]

Im new to audacity and I was wondering if i need an actual interface in order to record. Can i just plug a mic into the microphone jack on my laptop? And also, do i need an interface to directly record into the computer?

You can indeed just plug a mic into the microphone jack on your laptop. If your laptop does not have a line input (and it probably doesn't unless it's a Mac), you'll need a line-input USB interface.

This might help: http://manual.audacityteam.org/index.ph ... _Recording

-- Bill

alright thanks ill look into one of those