About recording stereo file

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iefyp
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 4:08 am

About recording stereo file

Post by iefyp »

Hi all,

I wanna know that can I use two sound cards to record two mono sounds to the left and right channel of a stereo signal?

Thanks
DewDude420
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Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2005 11:15 pm
Location: Washington DC Metro Area
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Post by DewDude420 »

tell me first...why can't you pipe the stereo signal into your one sound card...are you recording from two microphones?
DougDbug
Posts: 2172
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 3:33 pm
Location: Silicon Valley

Post by DougDbug »

*I think so... I think if you open the Windows Mixer (software), and select record, you should see all of the inputs from both sound cards.

I don't remember if the Windows mixer has a left-right "pan" control... you would need that, if you wanted to direct the sound to only one channel. (I can't check it out right now. The system I'm on now doesn't have a sound card, so no mixer either.)

If you do want to use 2 microphones, then 2-soundcards is NOT the way to do it. Get a cheap mixer (hardware-electronics, not software). Most soundcards don't have very good microphone inputs. (Too much background noise... hiss and/or hum.)

Just about all mixers have microphone inputs and line-level outputs. You can use the mixer as a mic preamp, and to control the levels, without actually "mixing". You may need an adapter-cable or two. The mixer will probably have 1/4" phone-jacks or RCA-jacks for input and RCA jacks for output.

You can find a stereo mixer with 2 microphone inputs for under $100. Radio Shack has a 4-input stereo mic mixer for $40.

*EDIT -
I changed my mind... I don't think you can mix two soundcards in real time.
I'm on a different system now, Win98 with a sound card. If you open the Windows mixer, go to OPTIONS->PROPERTIES->RECORDING, you can only select one sound card at a time, and (on my system, at least) the mixer doesn't "mix" in the recording mode. You can only select one input at a time (or mute all).
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