Microphone sound settings and stereo mixing on PC (differences)
Any PC can be used to convert old audio cassettes to MP3, to dictate speech and write automatically, to record audio from a website that transmits music or even as a home-made karaoke machine, thanks to its audio outputs that can make the computer as a complete recording studio.
In this guide we are going to find out the meaning of the recording devices of a Windows PC and the audio configuration options and then the differences and the way to use the three inputs that should be included in the standard sound cards of most computers namely: Microphone, Line in input (which is another input for the microphone) and Stereo mix.
Sometimes the SPDIF digital input can also be found, but it is rarely used.
It is also possible to add special devices such as digital terrestrial TV tuner cards to PCs.
To find the audio configuration options of the recording inputs in Windows, go to the Control Panel> Audio> Recording tab.
You can quickly open the registration devices tab also by right clicking on the volume icon on the desktop.
To choose the default audio source, highlight the device you want to use and click Set default.
Most applications will automatically use the default device to record audio, except for some special dictation software that may require a separate source.
However, if you turn the microphone on, just speak to see the green bar light up which means its working.
By selecting the microphone, you can open Properties to adjust some settings.
In the General tab there are some basic information about the device and the option to disable the microphone if it is not used (which for security reasons should be disabled because some malware could activate it and "listen").
If you are not sure if the microphone is working, you can go to the Listen tab to play the sound recorded by the microphone with the PC speakers.
You can then talk to the microphone and hear the voice coming out of the speakers in real time.
Obviously, this works best if you use a suitable, quality microphone and then using the headphones, so that the sound of the speakers does not return to the microphone creating a terribly annoying effect.
It is therefore not possible to sing to the microphone using the computer in this way.
If you use multiple playback devices, you can choose from the drop-down list with which to listen to the microphone.
The Stereo Mixer allows you to record any sound that is played by the computer.
For example, if we are watching a video on the computer, we can record the audio without having to put the microphone next to the speakers, but using the Stereo Mix function and an audio recording program on the computer.
Even with the audio recorder included in Windows it is possible, without any particular difficulty, to choose Stereo Mix as input and record any sound coming from the computer.
It is therefore worthwhile to activate the stereo mix and remember to use it when you want to record a music, the dialogue of a movie or anything else
In the Layers tab there is the volume slider which is very important for adjusting the microphone sensitivity according to your needs.
If the sound of the microphone or the recordings are disturbed, it may be necessary to turn down the volume.
On the Advanced tab, you can change the default format for the audio.
By default, it is set to channel 1, 16 bit and 44100 Hz which is the quality of the CD.
There are many other options, including the DVD quality to use if you have a nice professional microphone, or the quality recorder that you should use to not have a disturbed sound.
If you return to the Recording tab, select Microphone, you can click on the Configure button to see the Speech recognition configuration window that is not available in Italian.
If we had a Windows PC in English we could then write a text dictating words.
The Stereo Mixerallows you to record any sound that is played by the computer.
For example, if we are watching a video on the computer, we can record the audio without having to put the microphone next to the speakers, but using the Stereo Mix function and an audio recording program on the computer.
Even with the audio recorder included in Windows it is possible, without any particular difficulty, to choose Stereo Mix as input and record any sound coming from the computer.
It is therefore worthwhile to activate the stereo mix and remember to use it when you want to record a music, the dialogue of a movie or anything else.
In all programs it is possible to ambiate the Stereo Mixing audio input to record the sounds of the computer instead of the microphone .
If stereo mixing is not available, it means that the sound card does not support the feature
