Line in vs Micro jack

A

arda21

New member
I have been wondering about this for a while, and now I would like to hear your opinions if possible: I have searched some in the computer recording forum, and saw a post with one sentence that said 'line in is better than micro', well I want to dig into that if possible;

I am into recording samples via my guitar, hooked into my mixer, and from it's master out to EITHER line in jack, or micro jack of my soundcard/computer...

I am searching for the best results in terms of hiss and loudness, also need to mention that I am using wavelab 5 first to record them before carrying into recycle then to reason(is that a valid way?)

lately I felt that line in has more hiss, but at the same time, louder in terms of volume, maybe my ears are messing up, so I would like your opinions in terms or differences of Line in/micro jacks for this kind of recording,

thanks in advance.

Arda
 
what soundcard are you using?
the problem with the sound is probably your soundcard as a whole....not the different size of connections. 1/4", 1/8", XLR, RCA, TT....they're all just different ways of connecting the same signal using different connections.
 
the soundcard is the one that comes up with the motherboard (Asus A7N8 Deluxe) which is a pretty good motherboard for its class with 5.1 amp on it.
but of course it is definetly not a pro soundcard, but mainly works fine.

I am not sure about different sizes you mentioned, but both line in and mic jacks are lets say typical discman headphone jack size, mic on the front of the pc, line in is at the back, next to the motherboard's speaker out (line out)
jack. are there any things to check the level of the hiss?

i tried reducing and playing around on the mixer that my guitar is connected to, but even with 0 level on the guitar the hiss is present, however i also tried disconnecting frm the master out of the mixer (on the computer part line in is still connected) no hiss, so it is not static to the cable (i think)

i am trying different things, and listening to them carefully as we speak,

thanks for the replies,

arda
 
i forgot to mention:

my roland vs 840 mixers master out is RCA (red and white)
so when i am connecting to the computer i connect one side RCA. one side normal discman headphone sized jacks into the line in or micro in of the computer.

do you think i should also try headphone out of the mixer?
 
Your question, as stated, isn't sensible. A "micro" jack, by which I assume you mean the standard minijack connector (as used on consumer soundcards and on the headphone outs of portable CD players, etc.) is a kind of physical connector. A Line In is a function of a connection, regardless of the physical implementation. Line Ins are implemented as minijacks, RCA jacks, 1/4" jacks, 1/4" TRS balanced jacks, XLR... so are Line Outs, and Mic Ins...
 
my guess....
the micro in you're talking about is actually MIC in (or microphone in). In other words, it's adding more amplification to your signal than what you're sending it. This might explain why the Line In has no or signifiantly less noise. I'm confused on your connections though. You say you have RCA connected as well as 1/8" (micro)??? What's the RCA connected to?
 
ok I am totally need to clarify this out or what:


My guitar is connected to the mixer,
and mixer's master out, is two white and red (thats called rca right?)
jack, and the other side of the cable is standard consumer heaphone jack like, going into my soundcards EITHER microphone in, or a jack called 'line in'
(thats whats called on the manual of my motherboard/soundcard) which sizewise the same with its microphone in, so both of them recordable into the computer, all i need to do is to specify the one I choose in windows, (volume control, recording, so i just tick either 'line in' or 'microphone')

I understood what you guys meant by the term line in, as an universal way of saying regardless of the size or name of the jack, but in this case, my computer's system labels that jack 'line in' and the other microphone in.

I am still testing the hiss levels, I am not sure which one is working, and/or if I have additional options.


cheers,
arda
 
a LINE IN accepts LINE level signal. i think you're still confused on this. there are two "basic" forms of signal. you have Microphone level signal which is a very level of electricity that comes from a microphone. You plug the microphone into what is called a preamp or in your case the Microphone input on your soundcard. Preamplifiers are necessary to amplify the relatively low electrical output levels of microphones (-60 dBu) to levels that are comparable to Line Level (-10 dBV to +4 dBu).

The signal that is coming out of your mixer would be a Line Level signal, so you'd want to plug it into the jack that is made to accept that signal, so that it doesn't amplify it more than it needs to be.

The different connections has nothing to do with the signal level that is being sent down the cable. They are just different ways to plug your gear into other things. Just like how different keys for your locks are different sizes...they all do the same thing: open the door. (however, there is a difference between balanced and unbalanced connections...but you look into that later). The micro plug you're talking about is also called an 1/8" plug. They are smaller connections because they are cheaper to make and smaller for consumer/manufacturer usage (the whole idea that "smaller is better").

the hiss sound you're getting has been increased because of amplification in the Mic preamp that you're plugging into. if the line level signal isn't any better...it may also have to do with the soundcard you're using. Motherboard souncards really aren't that great, especially for recording guitars or anything. You may want to look into getting a dedicated soundcard for your computer....you'll see the quality of your recordings increase dramatically
 
benny, thanks for sticking up with me on this...

so you said exactly this:

"The signal that is coming out of your mixer would be a Line Level signal, so you'd want to plug it into the jack that is made to accept that signal, so that it doesn't amplify it more than it needs to be."

so then I am guessing, I need to plug my master out from mixer, to what is called 'line in' on my PC's soundcard... so rather then microphone input, I should stick with 'line in' however if microphone input is amplifying the signal that is been sent through it, it means I should get a louder sound if I took that route, however I think it is vice versa in my case, when I listened to it.

what about cleanness of sound, what would you suggest in terms of getting rid of hiss and other artifacts?

thank you very much again,

Arda
 
arda21 said:
what about cleanness of sound, what would you suggest in terms of getting rid of hiss and other artifacts?
Click to expand...

getting a new soundcard. i really think that would help (and not one from the shelves of Best Buy or anything). try looking at M-Audio.com. They have some nice stuff for pretty reasonable prices.
 
Another point about the Line In and Mic In on a cheap soundcard -- the Mic In is a mono jack and the Line In is a stereo jack. It accepts both a left and right line level signal from a stereo miniplug.
 
ok so i there is left and right channels involved when i plug it into line in instead. i have been testing for a while, and you guys were very helpful, so i am gonna go with line in, i guess...
 
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