Equium L20-197: No line-in jack - How to record from an external audio source

Hi,
I'm generally very pleased with my Equium L20, but am now finding a few annoyances that I guess are cost-cutting issues. For instance, there's no onboard mic, so need to buy one for Voip purposes. And I would like to use this laptop to record from an external audio source, but now discover that there is no line-in jack, and it seems the microphone jack is mono only, even if it was possible to configure the audo card to use this for line-in source.
I'd be very grateful if anyone has any ideas for a workaround perhaps using a USB port.
TIA
Keith

Hi R2D2,
Thanks for your quick reply - it set me on the right track and I've been googling for similar solutions available in the UK. I've since found this product - http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/flypage/product_id/9326 and redhawk has pointed me at something by Creative Labs which I'll try and track down.
Regards
Keith

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How to record from an external source

I recently bought a hp envy 17" and I cant figure out how to record onto this laptop. I have to jacks on the left side, one with an icon of a headphones, the other with an icon of a headset. I want to be able to take input a stereo jack to record into one of these and record into a program like Audacity. Under device manager it says I have an ATI High Def Audio Device. How do I record from an external source? Thanks.

@toolchic, first make sure that in the IDT HD Sound properties [right click the IDT ICON near the clock, which says "Controls IDT Audio Settings" on mouse over the icon], and choose "Open Audio control panel".
Next choose "Recording > Settings". Here choose the input you want to record with. In your case choose "Integrated Microphone Array" on the top left. Click "Settings" just bellow, slide the bar to "10db boost" on the right, and slide the recording level bar about midway up [at the bottom of the window where all the volume controls for all recording devices are].
While you/re there, it's a good idea to mute the "External mic", and mute any other recording device that you do not need. Next, click the "Processing" tab below the settings tab, and choose "Reduce noise". Leave all the others unchecked. for these will produce a not so nice sound. This helps to eliminate fan noise and other background noise in your recording.
Now when you open your preferred digital audio program e.g.. Audacity [it's free and pretty easy to use, see link below], you can choose the INTEGRATED MIC ARRAY in the recording options. Choose that and then "arm" the track for recording [Usually an icon with R in the recording controls] Next click "record" to begin recording. Of course these steps depend on the digital audio recording program you're using.
If you don't have a dedicated digital audio recording program, and if you have windows 7 or vista, you can record long sessions with the default Microsoft recording program [this program is useless in XP, for it only records for like a minute or so, maximum!. A dedicated program such as Audacity records depending on how much hard drive disk space, or close to that.
@fritz, in essence, input jacks of most current notebooks, external computer mics are mono, but they use a stereo mini jack [or 3 band, if I understood you correctly]. These are the same as regular earphone jacks. One band is signal, one is earth, and the other is +5 Volts to drive the condenser [these are known as "condenser mics"]. But if you use a dedicated studio type recording mic, then you need a dedicated preamp, and if it is a condenser as apposed to a dynamic mic, the preamp needs to supply what's known as "phantom power" [typically 45v] through the input jack where the mic is plugged into.
However, if you record from the mic in/line in jack of a line out of say a mic preamp, channel mixer deck, CD/DVD/TV etc., then this has to be a stereo mini jack [has 3 bands]. Special cables with 2 [stereo] RCA jacks to mini jack are the ones to use. That is if the line out connector of your recording course is RCA [your typical TV/CD//DVD audio / video out or in are RCA connectors e.g..].
Did this help?
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/
be-well

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This information is for anybody with Memory issues
Concerning a TOSHIBA EQUIUM L20-197 Laptop, purchased from PC World or Groups (PC World/Currys/Dixons)
I purchased this laptop for Christmas for my daughter,
The sales man assured me at the time that he would recommend buying Norton internet security suite, because it was half the price when you buy any PC or Laptop.
What he did not tell me is, when you load the Norton software, the operating system is so slow it is just about unusable!
This problem is down to memory issues, the motherboard should have 256MB, but the operating system only gets 192MB due to the Graphics card steeling 64MB.
The answer to this problem is firstly the Graphics card should be set to 128MB in the Bios setting; this is not possible with the memory only being 256MB on the motherboard.
Secondly, the minimum requirements for Norton internet Security and Windows XP is 256MB not 192MB.
Being an Engineer myself and pointing out this to the Manager at PC World, he allowed me to purchase the memory locally and refunded the difference due to the price.
I purchased 512MB DDR2 533PC-320 for 27.48 the Toshiba now works like a dream.
One last point I do not recommend any body to install Norton Go back on your Laptop that comes with Norton internet Security, when you have Windows XP it just takes up too much space on your hard drive and you have System Restore anyway.

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Hi mate,
hehe, looks like a technician is here. :) Its a really good idea to making it step by step because every good techie acts like you. So I do, and it helped me many times.
Regarding your question: the battery must not be connected to start the machine, so if the machine wont start up even just with AC connected then you can be sure that a really serious hardware problem is present.
In such case, you can either remove everything (HDD, CDROM,etc) and try it again. You can also exchange the AC-adapter and the RAM. So, if the machine still wont start up, then contact an ASP (Authorized Service Partner) and ask for a hardware checkup/repair. That would be the last resort.
Heres a link to find the nearest ASP in your country:
http://eu.computers.toshiba-europe.com/cgi-bin/ToshibaCSG/generic_content.jsp?service=EU&ID=ASP_SUPPORT
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irinla wrote:
... How can change that iMovie would use the external mic instead of built-in?
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The audio sounds really bad I want to sound better with the mic. For sure now in iMovie 11 there's an equalizer which makes a difference but I still can't make the sound more "close", it sounds more like eco.
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EZ Jim
Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz Mac OS X (10.6.6); MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.6)
LED Cinema Display; G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11); iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9); External iSight; iPod4touch4.2.1

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Equium L20-197: No line-in jack - How to record from an external audio source

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