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Can't monitor external input thru mic input jack
I am on an Inspiron 8600 which has no line in jack. I want to create somne MP3 files from old cassette tapes which I can play into the Dell through the mic jack. However I cannot monitor the input to adjust volume and start and stop between tracts. I have done the regedit to change "disablemicfromplayback" from 01 to 00, but that does not good. If I plug in a headset to the headset jack, I can barely tell there is input sound only if the input volume is at max, which over modulates the recording.
I also noticed that in the regedit, there is also a "disablemicselect" which is set to 01. I even tried changing it to 00 and neither setting mattered.
Is there a way to monmitor the mic input so that I can hear?
I have made sure that the mic and speakers are not muted. I have made sure that the mic is "selected" as the recording input.
I have read through all the postings and found some discussion, but nothing that works.
Help
GreyMack
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July 1st, 2005 11:00
GM
Jim Coates
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July 1st, 2005 11:00
An 8600 user reported that he also set the value of the key 'EnablePoPBypass' to 0 when he enabled mic monitoring in the registry. Don't know what that does.
What kind of recording software are you using. You set the recording level via the input meters, not by ear because the monitoring occurs before any digital distortion so you won't catch it just by listening.
Jim
Larry Stroup
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July 1st, 2005 13:00
I searched for 'EnablePoPBypass; but none was found. I even searched for 'disablePoPBypass' but none was found. The mic is selected in the recording control. No mutes are on. Right now I am using 3D MP3 Sound Recorder. The volume meter on it is not very usable and I cannot tell when the end of a song comes. I have a copy of Platnium MP3 which has better controls. I have also just downloaded Audacity with the lame addin to be able to see the wave pattern and copy the tracks out to MP3 format.
I still think I should be able to monitor the mic in sound. But so for, nothing works.
Jim Coates
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July 2nd, 2005 01:00
Yes, you should be able to monitor input. There has only been one report of failure of the reg edit to work when the subkey could be found. That was discussed in a recent post. I think the fellow did something wrong the first time because when he did it over it worked.
Aside from that, are you able to make recordings at all of your tapes; i.e., when you record and then play them back do they sound good and can you hear them properly?
If so then you can seperate a long recording into individual tracks by editing the waveform. That's the way I always do it because if I record individual songs I end up editing them anyway to trim beginning and end points, to normalize, etc. So I save a step by recording a tape or album side into the editor.
Jim
Larry Stroup
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July 2nd, 2005 01:00
Jim Coates
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July 2nd, 2005 10:00
About setting levels ... without decent meters the only way to set input gain is how you are doing it now, by checking the recording for distortion. As I said the monitoring doesn't help with that.
In the registry you might find a setting DisablePeakmeters. This line is about 6 lines below DisableMicFromPlayback in my registry. If you change the value from 01 to 00, an input signal level meter will appear on the Recording Control panel. The meters might not be an improvement over what you have now but worth a try?
A couple of things about using the mic jack as a line in, remember to keep 'mic boost' off, and don't be surprised if the recordings are only in mono. It might be worthwhile to invest in a cheap external box like Soundblaster usb Live to get the correct jacks, driver, monitoring, software etc.
Jim