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Electronics => Projects, Designs, and Technical Stuff => Topic started by: iXod on August 14, 2023, 09:32:28 pm

Title: Digitizing audio on a laptop
Post by: iXod on August 14, 2023, 09:32:28 pm
A friend has an old Lenovo laptop running Windows 11. The laptop has no dedicated sound card with input connector.

I am telling him that the microphone connector on the 4-wire headphone/mic connector can be used as an analog audio-input port.

I know there some hardware has the ability to switch out the preamp if it detects a line-level at the input.

Is such an input configuration common on PC laptops?

Other suggestions for digitizing audio on a laptop?

Thanks,
iX
Title: Re: Digitizing audio on a laptop
Post by: Benta on August 14, 2023, 09:43:32 pm
Well, mic input would normally just be mono. Is that OK?
Title: Re: Digitizing audio on a laptop
Post by: themadhippy on August 14, 2023, 09:53:51 pm
Quote
Other suggestions for digitizing audio on a laptop?
usb soundcard?
Title: Re: Digitizing audio on a laptop
Post by: boB on August 15, 2023, 01:17:09 am

There are several different USB audio I/O devices on say, Amazon that are pretty good.

I have used a few and they seem to work fine for digitizing.

Use the stereo line input.

Here is one such interface that worked fine...
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-7-1-USB-Sound-Card/dp/B002LM0U2S/ref=sxbs_sbv_search_btf?content-id=amzn1.sym.f15d2f09-357d-4995-986d-e924fbe183e3%3Aamzn1.sym.f15d2f09-357d-4995-986d-e924fbe183e3&crid=L6NHVZ26D8V4&cv_ct_cx=USB%2Baudio&keywords=USB%2Baudio&pd_rd_i=B002LM0U2S&pd_rd_r=df8828fa-caaa-4b73-9121-39370a33f017&pd_rd_w=1lBrr&pd_rd_wg=dxB5j&pf_rd_p=f15d2f09-357d-4995-986d-e924fbe183e3&pf_rd_r=8DRMNFP48XA8VH6VJTMN&qid=1692062157&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=usb%2Baudio%2B%2Caps%2C205&sr=1-1-a61ee601-6e56-4862-a8a2-1d3da5a5406f&th=1 (https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-7-1-USB-Sound-Card/dp/B002LM0U2S/ref=sxbs_sbv_search_btf?content-id=amzn1.sym.f15d2f09-357d-4995-986d-e924fbe183e3%3Aamzn1.sym.f15d2f09-357d-4995-986d-e924fbe183e3&crid=L6NHVZ26D8V4&cv_ct_cx=USB%2Baudio&keywords=USB%2Baudio&pd_rd_i=B002LM0U2S&pd_rd_r=df8828fa-caaa-4b73-9121-39370a33f017&pd_rd_w=1lBrr&pd_rd_wg=dxB5j&pf_rd_p=f15d2f09-357d-4995-986d-e924fbe183e3&pf_rd_r=8DRMNFP48XA8VH6VJTMN&qid=1692062157&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=usb%2Baudio%2B%2Caps%2C205&sr=1-1-a61ee601-6e56-4862-a8a2-1d3da5a5406f&th=1)


boB
Title: Re: Digitizing audio on a laptop
Post by: magic on August 15, 2023, 10:34:46 am
Depends on the audio chip and software.

Back in the 2000s it was a big deal that many "HD Audio" chips supported "re-tasking" - oftentimes jacks could be switched even from output to input and vice-versa.