Line-in recording on a laptop?? Is it possible??

brutus

Hi All,

I have recently become the proud owner of a HP dv1355 laptop . However , one the reasons that I purchased it was for music production and to record mixes straight from my turntables on the laptop..however it appears there is no-line in recording facility present...I have since been informed that this is generally the case with laptops, that manufacturers generally don't bother including one..is this the case or am I missing something ?? If it is the case , (if possible) how would you go about making some sort of a line-in connection , from the research I have carried out it might be possible using some sort of USB adapter..could anyone shed any light on this ?? Any sort of help will be greatly appreciated!!

saibhne

The smart answer would be to invest in a USB card alright - plenty of them around (e.g. m-audio) that will do the job for you and add some extra functionality.
However, if you don't fancy forking out the money you could try being naughty and taking the headphones output from your mixer to the mic in on your laptop. Be careful though and keep your headphone volume and the mic in record levels down when trying it for the first time...

red_ice

You should have both mic and line-in. Make sure you have selected mic in your volume options and not line in.

hf

John

red_ice wrote:

You should have both mic and line-in. Make sure you have selected mic in your volume options and not line in.

hf

Most standard HP laptops don't have a line in, just mic and headphones. Mine doesn't have a line in.

Karoma

Firstly, confirmed: no Line-In.
You do have Mic-In -> but,TBH,the input will be **** quality ..
You're best to go with an external soundcard (Creative, and m-audio are usually the better brands to go with.. have a look around, if you're unsure: post again.)


From HP spec's (specific as far as your model only..)
External I/O Ports:
1 VGA port; 3 USB 2.0 ports; 1 IEEE-1394; 1 RJ 11 modem connector; 1 RJ 45 Ethernet connector; S-video TV out; Remote control infrared port (Remote Control optional); 2 Headphone-out, 1 microphone-in ports; Cable docking connector

Jason Paris

Brutus,

Take Saibhne's advice: get an audio/MIDI interface that connects to yer laptop via USB or Firewire. Does it have Firewire ports?

I had the same question 5 years ago when I bought a laptop. At that time, I bought a device called the UA-100, from Edirol. It's served me well all this time.

Cheers,

Jason

brutus

Jason Paris wrote:

Brutus,

Take Saibhne's advice: get an audio/MIDI interface that connects to yer laptop via USB or Firewire. Does it have Firewire ports?

I had the same question 5 years ago when I bought a laptop. At that time, I bought a device called the UA-100, from Edirol. It's served me well all this time.

Cheers,

Jason

Cheers lads..

Done some further research and yes..its looks like there isnt a line-in.To be honest , I am quite annoyed that after spending that much money getting a l/t complete with numerous features but doesnt have something as basic as a line in, according to a few of the shops I rang up looking for help this is apparently due to lack of demand and/or laziness of the manufacturers .I can record sound through the mic but yes, the quality is abysmal.It looks like I'll have to buy an external USB device..it'll probably work out ok anyways as I'm going to have to get another sound card anyway.

Jason Paris

brutus wrote:

It looks like I'll have to buy an external USB device..it'll probably work out ok anyways as I'm going to have to get another sound card anyway.

Even if the laptop came with a line-in port, I'm sure you'll be happier with a dedicated, external interface.......they're so much more functional.

Incidentally, Edirol don't make the UA-100 any more; I think the UA-1000 has superceded it, but its purpose should be very much the same.

Cheers,

Jason

Savman

aye, stoopid manufacturers had the same problem myself :mad: :mad:

Jason Paris

Savman wrote:

aye, stoopid manufacturers had the same problem myself :mad: :mad:

I remember, 10 years ago, buying a new Mac computer. It was reputed to be an awesome machine.

Given the Mac's long reputation for being the "pooter of choice" amongst "serious" music/video guys, I thought it'd be a fantastic addition to my little music studio.

When I got it outta the box, I discovered it would only support MONO audio. Couldn't feckin believe it!

Mercifully, I was able to return it for a full refund.

I could end the tale there.......but a few months back I tried the same thing: bought a new G5 Power Mac with Logic Pro, rightly considered one of the finest recording programs around.

While there's no denying how powerful Logic is, I just can't come to grips with its interface, and many little quirks.

So *again*, I'm parting with a Mac. You'd think I'd just learn my bleedin lesson and stick with what I know (ie, Windows & Sonar music software)!!