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The place for Cakewalk beginners to discuss everything Cakewalk.
alanj
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Apr 21, 2006 2:44 am

Post by alanj » Fri Apr 21, 2006 2:51 am

hello everyone, i was hoping to get some advice. i know absolutely nothing about computers and hooking things up to them, i was told i could run a four track to my laptop and record that way, but i cannot seem to get any sound to register, but that could also be from not knowing how to navigate cakewalk, i read through the guide, but no help...

am i making a rookie mistake?

is it possible to hook a microphone straight up to the laptop, and record that way?

any advice would be a big help to me, i write so much music and i am aching to get it online and out to the world...thanks, alanj


andychap
Posts: 685
Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2003 7:26 pm
Location: UK

Post by andychap » Fri Apr 21, 2006 3:21 am

When you say using a 4 Track do you mean just using it like a pre amp to boost the signal into the Laptop? If so then you need to connect the line outs of the 4 track to the line in on the Laptop (if it has one) then just plug the mic into the 4 track and use the faders/trim pots to get the best poosible signal in.

You can just connect a microphone to the laptop to record but they are very noisy and poor quality inputs designed more for multi media mics than proper dynamics.

The whole sound system on the laptop will not give great results, they will have high noise floors and poor latency with no dedicated drivers. In the long run you would be better of looking at a USB or firewire audio/midi interface.

Make sure, whatever soundcard you are using that it is set up correctly in the Option > Audio menu. You will probably be using MS WDM drivers so run the wave profiler to get the settings automatically set to the optimum.

You don't say what version of Cakewalk you are using but when you want to record make sure your soundcard is selected as the input on the track and that you have armed (R button on the screen) that track for recording. Once it is armed you then be able to see the meters move and here the sound coming through the PC speakers. Set you levels and once ready hit record on the screen or press R key on the keyboard.

Have a read through this link it will probably explain things a lot clearer than I can.

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