http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=124907
-A mic input accepts signals from microphones or other devices that output
at "mic level", which is very, very low. So those inputs include a preamp,
which boosts the mic level by roughly 4 to 10 times (depending on
impedance/operating level, as discussed below), so it can be recorded at a
suitable level.
-A line input is a signal that is already at the higher level that a mic
preamp would boost a mic to, such as a CD player, iPod (line out, not
headphone out, which is much hotter), camcorder output etc.
-A mic plugged into a line input will be almost inaudible. Something like a
CD player plugged into a mic input will distort horribly. That's why the two
level standards exist.
JE
"Jonno" <johnno@mail.invalid> wrote in message
news:Xns9D10E03DA65C7CA7D4@unknown.sj.astraweb.com...
> On 21:46 30 Jan 2010, Shenan Stanley wrote:
>
>> Vince wrote:
>>> I am having trouble recording a cassette player onto XP.
>>>
>>> (1) I play a cassette recorder into my PC's line-in and I can hear
>>> it clearly in the speakers.
>>>
>>> (2) I select line-in on XP's recording control (SNDVOL32.EXE).
>>>
>>> (3) However when I press the record button on Audacity, there is no
>>> audio signal displayed on the graph.
>>>
>>> I also tried XP's Sound recorder (SNDREC32.EXE) and Windows Media
>>> Player.
>>>
>>> Can you advise?
>>
>> Plug it into the MIC instead.
>
> (A) I turned the cassette player right down and played into the PC's mic
> input. A VU meter utility shows nicely fluctuating audio levels and the
> recording is generally ok but sound qaulity is poor.
>
> ( Next I selected the PC's line input instead of the mic (and removed
> all input/output leads). This time the recording level went to max. I
> still get a max reading with the line-in sensitivity turned down to the
> first "click" in XP's Recording Control but when I turn it a tiny bit
> lower, the max level vanishes. Max or not, I don't hear the input audio
> and nothing gets recorded.
>
> What's happening?