laptop headphone out to monitors?

A

adam

New member
I am using a laptop for recording with Sonar. It is working great, but when I try to hook my powered monitors up I get all the sound on one side, a very weak signal on the other and panning chances doesn't do anything.

Right now it goes headphone out --> 1/8th inch to 2 1/4 splitter --> cable with 2 1/4 at one end, rca at the other --> left/right rca in in monitors.

What is going on?

I will be upgrading to a better souncard in august, when I get a new computer (through my job, lease is up on current ibm t20)

Thanks
 
if the panning works when you plug headphones into your sound card's 1/8 socket, then the problem isn't your laptop it is the splitter.

i had a splitter that did the same thing because it was not a stereo splitter. Tip-Ring-Sleeve to dual Tip-Sleeve.
 
Agreed on the splitter issue. Of note, however, is that you would probably get better sound quality if you took the "Line Out" of your T-20 to the Powered Monitors as opposed to the "Headphone Out".

I am also currently using a T-20 to record with Sonar, but am using Creative's Sound Blaster Extigy (external sound card). The signal to noise ratio for a consumer sound card is awesome. I did some scratch tracks with it yesterday and the recordings are so clear and crisp - with no hiss at the top end. Very nice. The advantage of the external card is that I can use it with any computer (internal sound on laptops are notoriously poor). So if you had it now, when you traded in your T-20, you would keep the Extigy and just plug it in with your new laptop (it connects via USB port).

Keep on recording. :cool:

-bm
 
Thanks Bibleman. My t20 doesn't have a line out, so headphones are it. I think I might spring for a Layla or Mona Laptop, or the Presonus (if it comes out this summer).

I'll look into the extegy for something a little lighter.

BTW, I am amazed thus far with the sound quality of the laptop sound card, though it is a bit "dull" sounding, which I have to compensate for with eq. Can't wait to hear a "real" soundcard.
 
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