Audio Input to MP3

First this is the Dimension Desktop section of the forum.  You should post Inspiron hardware questions in the Inspiron section.

However, the microphone input is not stereo, only mono.  If you want stereo you should consider an external USB unit that will allow you to "record" stereo to the hard drive from a unit such as a tape player.  I was in Best Buy yesterday and saw such a unit, I don't remember the name or cost but it was designed to do the recording to a unit that does not have a Line In.

Second, your will need a "recording" program to record to the hard drive.  The device I mentioned above came with needed software or you can find many programs that will record from the microphone input.  The major CD burning program suites, such as Nero 6 or Roxio Easy Media Creator 7.5 come with recording programs that will "record" either in wav form (full fidelity) or MP3 (compresses - not full fidelity).  They will also convert wav to MP3.  There are many others around including the popular shareware program "Polderbits".

Finally, a comment on recording from a headphone jack (output).  Those types of outputs have the EQ (tone) compensated so it sounds good on headphones - it is not a "flat" no EQ added signal.  A "line out" is the preferred output to use.

Stuart,

Fireberd is correct that the Inspirons mic jack is mono. Even if that doesn't matter to you, there is a problem in that if you connect a regular stereo cable to it, it will only hear and record one of the stereo channels. You would need a stereo-to-mono adapter plug to get both channels recorded if you go through the mic jack, but they will be summed to mono. Your best bet is to get an external usb or pcmcia soundcard. Soundblaster is a popular brand.

Although I respect everything Firebred says, I personally wouldn't hesitate to use a headphone jack of a good piece of equipment as the signal source for recording.

Jim