Trying to record in stereo on laptop

[saw192837]

Howdy

I am totally new at this. I want to record a classical guitar (it has no electronics on it at all) and vocals in stereo, on my laptop.

My laptop is a toshiba a75 s209 with a realtek ac97 audio card; it has two 1/8 ports, a headphone and microphone, respectively.

If I buy a single microphone, I can only record in mono (I haven't tried it yet but I am just guessing).

How do I get both microphones on?

The last time I recorded was years ago, when I used a boombox that had two microphone ports (right and left) which let me record on tape, which of course I no longer use.

Cost is more important than quality; I just need a basic system.

Please help, thank you

[Riverdog]

I would buy two separate mics and a cheap mixer...
Buy a "Y" cord from Radio Shack that has a stereo 1/8" plug on one end and a "left" and "right" RCA / 1/4" plug end on the other...

- Plug the two mics into the mixer in two separate channels
- Pan the mics hard left / and hard right
- Plug the main outputs of the mixer through the right and left RCA / 1/4" plug ends
- Plug the 1/8" plug end into your laptop

- Record in stereo...

Monitor with headphones / or a set of stereo speakers...
Rudimentary / But functional...
Hope this helps..

[XLR]

You won't get good results using a mic input on a laptop, but if it's in fact a line input that could work using a mic and preamp (two mic's and pre's if it's a stereo jack). If you really do just have a mic input, you'll need to go in using a USB, firewire, or PCMCIA audio interface to get reasonable quality.

If you don't care too much about the audio quality you could use a single "computer" type mic (with a 1/8" plug) and record in mono, doing the guitar and voice one at a time using multitracking methods. Just check to see if your soundcard is a duplex type - meaning it can record and play at the same time. Then get multitracking freeware by Audacity or Multitrackstudio and you're set. The sound quality of those types of mic's and the preamps built into laptop soundcards are nowhere near the richness and clarity you can get with something like an MXL 603s mic ($100) and a Tascam US122 USB interface ($200) that has preamps and A/D converters built in.

Tim

[Riverdog]

That's why I suggested getting just a cheap mixer like that little mx-602 or something from Behringer and a couple mics...

Using this could improve his quality - if as you say - the input on the computer is a line input - The small mixer would negate the need for the pres and give him a way into the computer for maybe 100.00 / 150.00 without overdoing a recording situation..

I agree with the USB input if it's a "mic" input...
I also agree with lawler's statement about using 'computer mics'...
It would be good to have 'something' other than just a computer mic...
They're flaky, and don't record well at all...

Saw, Are you just looking for a scratch pad to record ideas to give to people or record in a studio?

Let us know - there may be other suggestions...

Hope this helps...

[iratecaller666]

Hey I had a similar issue a few years ago.

Turned out that the 1/8 input didn't support stereo!

It was purely a mono jack and wouldn't work in stereo despite all the well wishing.

I saved my pennies and purchased a m-audio audiophile USB.

[mr ryan]

I have pretty much the same question, actually, but here's my setup:

I have an Echo Indigo IO, DMP3 preamp, and an old Tascam portastudio 424. i've only recorded once so far into my dell 700m with Adobe Audition 1.5, but without the 424. so i can record in stereo with 2 different mics then if I pan the two mixer channels on the 424 hard left and right then, correct? I guess I have to go through the dmp3 first and then to the 424, in order to use the Y cable RCA L and R outs into the Indigo, right?

I'll be traveling a lot in the near future, which is why i got the indigo for the laptop-but is there a cheap, but good, mixer anyone suggests for being portable (the 424 is quite hefty). I only need 2 channels, and will take my dmp3 with me too, so I don't need it to have a preamp built in either. Any suggestions are welcome. thanks

[TimOBrien]

My obligatory standard reply:

Immediately get a good beginner recording book (spend $20 before you start spending hundred$ or thousand$) that shows you what you need to get started and how to hook everything up in your studio:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/076...books&v=glance

Good Newbie guide:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm

Other recording books:
http://musicbooksplus.com/home-recording-c-31.html


Plenty of software around to record for free to start out on:

Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net

Kristal: http://www.kreatives.org/kristal/

Other freebies and shareware: www.hitsquad.com