Reference Guide

1204
Hardware setup
Set up to record digital audio
Microphone direct-In
Microphones can be plugged into the sound card’s mic input. Some inexpensive microphones are
made especially for use with sound cards and come equipped with 1/8 inch jacks. However, better
quality microphones take better quality cables, which do not terminate in 1/8 inch jacks. The
following diagram illustrates how to connect a microphone that terminates in a 1/4 inch jack:
Home Stereo, CD player, radio tuner, preamp output
The output of a stereo component can be connected to the sound card’s line in, using a dual RCA to
1/8 inch stereo mini Y-adapter. Many portable cassette players come with this kind of adapter, or
even with a single cable with all the necessary jacks. In the following diagram, a stereo component is
connected to the Y-adapter using standard RCA cables:
Internal CD player
If you are using your computer’s internal CD player, and it does not have its audio outs connected
internally to the sound card, run a cable from the CD player’s Headphone jack to the card’s Line In
jack. If there is no Headphone jack, you’ll need to use an external CD player.
Microphone
To sound card microphone input (mono)
XLR to 1/4 inch microphone cable
1/4 inch to 1/8 inch adapter
STEREO
RCA / left
RCA / right
ADAPTER
Y-adapter:
2x RCA to 1/8 inch stereo
1/8 inch stereo
sound card
line in