Souncard Line "OUT" (if none??)?

[suling]

Hello, wondering if you can help? I use an IBM laptop to collect sounds(from MiniDisc, VCR, wherever,..), alter them in software, then send "out" to my 4Track recorder to do final mix, then record from the 4Track to mix down to computer again in order to burn cd's. The problem is I have no "Line-Out" on my soundcard(only Line-In, Microphone, and Headphones. On this site someone had stated to never use the "Headphones" jack as a line out. He mentioned a headphone jack that has a volume control, what is that? Is it also called a Volume Control Box(saw one, a mini-jack plug to a inch wide/inch&1/2 long box, volume knob on it, then continuing to another mini-jack plug) Is that the same thing and is it the route I should take???
Thanks, Garet G.

 

[Chris Shaeffer]

I've used the headphone out on my plop-top for ages and, other than sounding like a laptop headphone output, it seems to work fine. I've sent it into recievers, mixers, cassette four tracks, and I never had a problem setting leves correctly.

I'm not sure why you would need an external volume control for you headphone out since you probably have a software mixer that you can use to turn it down if you need to. I typically leave mine full up anyway when I have it plugged into something.

Just a side note, but why are you sending stuff to your four track? Is there other music there that you are mixing the computer sounds with? If not, why not just record on the computer? Save yourself the transfer from digital to analog and back? Just curious.

Someone will probably be along shortly to invalidate everything I just said.

Good luck!
Chris

 

[Slackmaster2K]

If it is a headphone output, then there's a good chance that cranking the output volume to 100% in the software mixer will for all intents and purposes give you line level, or near it anyhow. Try sending some commercial song (like from a CD) out to your four track at 100% volume out the headphone output and see if it doesn't clip.

Slackmaster 2000

 

[maddrummer]

This may be a stupid suggestion(i really don't know) but if u got some kinda of software so you could mix whatever it is right in your computer you could avoid having to bounce it to a four track then back to your computer. Just a thought.

 

[suling]

Thanks for the info guys,.... yes by the way I do use the 4Track to mix sounds from computer with music from keyboard, acoustic instruments, use of EFX, etc... It's the way I've always done it, I've never tried recording my acoustic instruments/sounds directly into the computer(just don't know how clear and clean they would sound). Can I record from a piece of software that I use to record the sounds onto computer to record from that to another form of software to manipulate it? Could I attach an EFX processor to a computer for final mixdown? That's the advantages to the 4Track, but I'm open to suggestion(any software out there that will do this, that I can try?), new o using the computer in the aspect of making music.

Thanks,
Garet G.