Stereo Mic Recording on a Computer?

[binar]

Fellow Forum Members,
Newbie here as it relates to recording with a mic connected to a computer. I have a mono mic with a 1/8" jack (with one black ring around the tip). This mic is connected to my Mic port on my motherboard. I'm using the onboard audio with the included driver called IDT Audio Control Panel and an app called Smart PC Recorder.

The problem I'm having is that I'm getting sound only out of one speaker since I'm using a mono mic. Can anyone out there recommend to me what stereo mic I need to buy and/or software app that will let me produce my voice recordings in stereo so that the sound comes out of two speakers instead of just one?

Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[gecko zzed]

Your options are limited.

Your PC sound card only provides for a mono mike input, so that's what you are stuck with.

In Smart PC Recorder, try clicking onto "mono mix" in its "recording parameters" panel.

If you want to do better than this, you will need to do at least two things:

1 Buy a dedicated audio interface for recording work

2 Get a dedicated audio recording program (such as Audacity, Reaper or whatever).

 

[binar]

Followup Question

Your options are limited.

Your PC sound card only provides for a mono mike input, so that's what you are stuck with.

In Smart PC Recorder, try clicking onto "mono mix" in its "recording parameters" panel.

If you want to do better than this, you will need to do at least two things:

1 Buy a dedicated audio interface for recording work

2 Get a dedicated audio recording program (such as Audacity, Reaper or whatever).

Gecko Zzed,
Thanks for your post. I Googled Audacity and learned that it's a free app which is real sweet. Just want to make sure I'm understanding you correctly. Is Audacity actually capable of taking my voice recording created using a mono mic and somehow through software magic able to convert a Mono sounding WAV file to a Stereo sounding WAV file so that it comes out of two speakers? If this is true I have to say Audacity is an awesome piece of code. Obviously, I'm going to try this app out, because your first option that relates to buying a dedicated audio interface for recording sounds very expensive. Thanks for the help.

 

[gecko zzed]

Is Audacity actually capable of taking my voice recording created using a mono mic and somehow through software magic able to convert a Mono sounding WAV file to a Stereo sounding WAV file so that it comes out of two speakers? .

yes . . . it will do exactly that.

Obviously, I'm going to try this app out, because your first option that relates to buying a dedicated audio interface for recording sounds very expensive.

As you have discovered, Audacity is free. You can do a lot of experimenting with it.

However, if you start getting into recording more seriously, you will discover that the quality you get from plugging a mike straight into your soundcard will leave you unhappy. At that point it will be time for you to investigate a dedicated audio interface.

 

[hairylarry]

Audacity

Hi,

I read my voice over parts into my iriver h300 using the internal mic which is mono.

Then I import the mono wav file twice with Audacity. This puts the two identical mono tracks one above the other.

Then I choose Make Stereo Track from the menu.

This creates a wide mono signal. Both right and left speakers play identical mono tracks.

Works great. My favorite voice over mic. I don't even need a pop filter. I just speak about 6-8 inches away from the internal mic. What a trip.

Now to record stereo takes two mics.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

 

[TomT]

Just to make sure you are aware of this. Taking a mono recording and doubling it to both sides of a stereo file is the same thing as leaving it mono, except that it will be louder.

If you leave it mono, it will play out of both speakers and be the same minus the volume change.

Audacity is a great program, even if it wasnt free. The FX processing stinks, but it can be used.

There are plenty of freeware plug ins that will simulate a stereo image from a mono file, but if its voice over I cant see why that would matter (mono should be fine).

The plug ins are just messing with Phase, since stereo cant be created only captured.