Most PC sound cards can record analog sound from an external device. Examples of such devices include cassette players, LP players, VCRs, portable music players, personal voice recorders, etc. Also, virtually all sound cards can record sound coming through a microphone.

In this tutorial, we will cover the following topics:

Signals and cables.

The first step is to connect an external device to a sound card with the appropriate cable. Most audio cables are inexpensive and can be bought in local consumer electronic or computer stores.

Different devices can produce sound of a different intensity or level. To accommodate these differences, a PC sound card usually has two different input jacks.

The Line-in jack is designed for so called line-level signals and does not use a pre-amp. You may need to read the manual for your device to find out the level of its sound output.

• an output is marked as line out, line, or line level
• an output is intended to be connected to amplified speakers
• an output is intended to be connected to non-amplified headphones
• a high-end microphone marked as line level.

Many devices have more than one output. In such cases, it is always preferred to use line level output and connect it to Line-in.

For the vast majority of consumer-grade sound cards, Line-in are stereo 1/8’’ jacks.  You need a 1/8’’ (stereo or mono) audio cable to plug into these jacks. A stereo cable has two rings (usually black) on its tip; a mono cable has just one.

Most external audio devices also have 1/8’’ stereo output jacks. In most cases, you need an audio cable with 1/8’’ tips on both ends. A microphone usually comes with a cable attached and this cable is usually mono.

In some cases, more complex cables (or adapters) are needed. For example, many home stereos have two mono outputs instead of one stereo. And many of them also have an RCA plug instead of 1/8’’.  In this case, you need a Y-shaped adapter with a 1/8’’ stereo and two RCA monos.  Another example is when you want to record from two microphones to get a stereo signal. You need a Y-shaped adapter with a 1/8’’ stereo and two (female) monos in which to plug microphones.

Recording settings.

Click Option button in main window of Power Audio Recorder.

If you could not find Line In or Microphone,click Options->Properties menu. 

Select Recording ratio and check Line In or Microphone Properties dialog. 

Check Select checkbox in Line In or Microphone item of Wave In dialogl. 

For each recording-input, you will notice a Select checkbox and Volume slider. If you want to record from Microphone, check the Microphone Select checkbox. If you want to record from Line-In, check the Line-In Select checkbox. If the recording volume is too low, turn up the appropriate Volume slider.