Need Help on Microphone Input for Laptop

[ALAN E NORTH]

I just installed Hoster-lite and find the software easy to work with, etc.

I am not a professional KJ or DJ-I just like to fool around with this stuff for Karaoke parties.

No trouble hooking my new laptop up to a second monitor (TV) and the songs play beautifuly from the laptop.

But, I cant' seem to get a microphone to work! Perhaps I just don't understand what is needed.

I simply plugged the microphone from my karoke player into the mike input jack on the laptop. Apparently, this isn't the way to do it as the mike was dead.

I searched the 'help' menu in Vista-no help. The 'adjustments' found in the Realteck driver info seem to be for recording and not for live broadcasting.

Is there any way that I can get the microphone to output along with Hoster ?

Do I need a different kind of microphone ? I'm wondering if I need a self powered mike-since the one I have apparently gets its power from the karaoke machine.

This is probably very basic for you guys-but is a problem for me.

Any help would be appreciated.

Al North

[billyo]

[quote=ALAN E NORTH;88676]I just installed Hoster-lite and find the software easy to work with, etc.

I am not a professional KJ or DJ-I just like to fool around with this stuff for Karaoke parties.

No trouble hooking my new laptop up to a second monitor (TV) and the songs play beautifuly from the laptop.

But, I cant' seem to get a microphone to work! Perhaps I just don't understand what is needed.

I simply plugged the microphone from my karoke player into the mike input jack on the laptop. Apparently, this isn't the way to do it as the mike was dead.

I searched the 'help' menu in Vista-no help. The 'adjustments' found in the Realteck driver info seem to be for recording and not for live broadcasting.

Is there any way that I can get the microphone to output along with Hoster ?

Do I need a different kind of microphone ? I'm wondering if I need a self powered mike-since the one I have apparently gets its power from the karaoke machine.

This is probably very basic for you guys-but is a problem for me.

Any help would be appreciated.

Al North[/q

you need to plug your laptop to your karaoke player using one of the input or the audio out ,and just plug your mic into the mic input of the karaoke player, but the easiest way of doing it is to get yourself an affordable mixer, you need to get a y cable 1/8 to either 1/4 or rca cable, plug the 1/8 end of the cable to your laptop and the 1/4 end to left and right of one of the channels on the board, or the rca end to the cd/tape input.and the mic , plug it into any of the mixing boards channels.

[ddouglass]

Originally Posted by ALAN E NORTH

I just installed Hoster-lite and find the software easy to work with, etc.

I am not a professional KJ or DJ-I just like to fool around with this stuff for Karaoke parties.

No trouble hooking my new laptop up to a second monitor (TV) and the songs play beautifuly from the laptop.

But, I cant' seem to get a microphone to work! Perhaps I just don't understand what is needed.

I simply plugged the microphone from my karoke player into the mike input jack on the laptop. Apparently, this isn't the way to do it as the mike was dead.

I searched the 'help' menu in Vista-no help. The 'adjustments' found in the Realteck driver info seem to be for recording and not for live broadcasting.

Is there any way that I can get the microphone to output along with Hoster ?

Do I need a different kind of microphone ? I'm wondering if I need a self powered mike-since the one I have apparently gets its power from the karaoke machine.

This is probably very basic for you guys-but is a problem for me.

Any help would be appreciated.

Al North

First I would imagine that your Karaoke player microphone is most likely the wrong impedence for the laptop mic input. Unfortunately mics that work directly on laptops are not that good a quality for music but are more meant for spoken voice.
That aside most of the Windows settings I have seen is usually set to mute the microphone input as a default setting. If you have the "volume" icon in the tray (bottom right side) then double click on the icon and look for the microphone input control, unmute it and adjust its volume level to what you need it at. If Microphone is not there then click on "Options" and check the box next to it.
You really are not going to get the sound quality or volume level directly from the laptop. You really need to have an amplifier and speakers. The amp should have microphone input so you can use your karaoke players microphone directly into it or get an inexpensive one from Radio Shack or Best Buy.

[ALAN E NORTH]

Billy O and Dale,

Billy O,

Thanks for the advice; I realize that I could plug the mic into the karaoke player and use it that way-but the whole purpose of using the laptop (for me) was to avoid lugging the karaoke player around if I went to somebody else's house.

I was really hoping to use just the laptop plugged into the TV set. Neverthelss, if that is what I have to do, I will do it.

Dale,

I tried the volume icon in the lower tray. There
doesn't seem to be any mic switch or option box (Vista).

There are some 'mixer' adjustments-but nothing related to 'muting' the mic. I'll keep looking around Vista for some kind of mic control.

I will also try a mic made for computers.

Thanks for trying.

[billyo]

you wont get a quality sound that way, like i said if you get yourself and affordable mixing board, amp & a set of speakers, then buying hoster lite is money well spent

[marklwood]

I use an external soundblaster live box for this very thing. Mic input and better sound quality. About the size of 2 decks of cards.

[ALAN E NORTH]

Mark,

After playing with this thing extensively, I don't think there is any way to get the mic input to come out of the same speakers as the music. It seems that the mic on the laptop is strictly for recording-or maybe for telephone calls. There doesn't seem to be any way to have the mic output join the music output.

My aim here is to not carry a whole bunch of extra equipment around. Your suggestion sounds like it might fit the bill for me.

Please give me some details as to model number-hook up, etc.

Thanks for the help.

[Roy Dennis]

If you are after something just for home use, try this: Click on this link, Don't paste it into your browser.
http://solodeals.com/Behringer-502-5...oogle-GB&id=uk

This site is from the UK but is shipped under Amazon for less than $45 but you may be able to find the same unit nearer home if you search the Internet.
Obviously you still have to plug this into an amplifier or have a sound source with an aux in connections.

[marklwood]

Originally Posted by ALAN E NORTH

Mark,

After playing with this thing extensively, I don't think there is any way to get the mic input to come out of the same speakers as the music.

My aim here is to not carry a whole bunch of extra equipment around. Your suggestion sounds like it might fit the bill for me.

I haven't used it in a couple of years. I used it that way for a family get together one year and just hooked it to the TV. I don't remember having any trouble with it. You may be missing something. Did you follow Dale's instructions in post #3? The only thing I did was adjust the mic volume in audio properties. You may just have it set to mute, or the volume all the way down.

I don't have the sound card with me right now, it's at the bar. I looked at the current soundblaster live box online, and the only difference between it, and the one I have, is the output. Mine has RCA outputs. Mine is also 16-bit and the current one is 24-bit.

[ALAN E NORTH]

Mark,

This may be exactly what I am looking for-but I have to clear up one important point.

You said that you hooked it up directly to the TV. That would be wonderful because I wouldn't have to lug extra speakers around.

If I understand you correctly, I could connect the 'speaker' (line out) plug to the live box and also plug a mic into the live box; both sound sources would then be transmitted to the TV.

If that's correct, then this is just what I want !

I did some poking around on the internet and found a number of comments on this item. The one that concerned me was that it doesn't work with Vista-then again somebody else said it did.

I'll call Creative directly to find out-but please let me know if my above assumptions are correct.

[ALAN E NORTH]

Roy,

Thanks for your input on this situation; please read my comments (above) to Mark and let me kow if this item will do what I want.

I appreciate your help.

[Roy Dennis]

Hi Alan
As you say you have a new computer I presume it is Vista.
I have the a sound blaster card which I have had some years and you can do as Markelwood says, I use mine for recording mostly. The software that came with it no longer works on Vista machines but the product still works, but what I would say about it is it can be a bit of messing around with the sound controls in vista to get it working. Alright once you get used to it.

With a mixer such as I pointed out there is no software needed, just plug the required leads in and power adapter and you are ready to go.
I have not got the actual mixer myself, so I can't say how good it is but there are a couple of reviews on the site to help you with your decision. It can be connected to a TV with phono (rca) connectors.

Should you opt for one of the newer sound blaster options, read the computer requirements first because even some of the newer ones don't mention Vista.

[ALAN E NORTH]

Roy,

Thanks for your help; I will look into both items. My primary concern is getting both the music from Hoster-Lite and the voice from the singer out of the TV-as I don't want to drag extra speakers, etc around if I go to a friend's house.

[Lonman]

Have you went into sound properties via the control panel? Look under the recording tab when the mic is plugged in, does it recognize anything plugged into that port? If it does, then go back on the taskbar in the lower right where the little speaker (sound) icon is & right click open volum mixer, you should also see the mic input here as well.
If it doesn't recognize the mic via the control panel, that mic is not compatible with the computer (Vista).

For best sound quality you might consider a small mixer, plug & your mic & laptop into it & then the mixer to a stereo system (preferred) or tv.

[ALAN E NORTH]

Lonman,

I know now that the mic is working OK because I ran a test and recorded my voice on the computer and it played back OK.

It appears that you & Dennis & Mark have answered my main question-how I can get the mic output and the computer output both into the TV ?

I will look into the sound card/mixer situation and when at home, I will plug it into my stereo system. When at a friend's house, I will use whatever they have-stereo system or TV.

I want to thank all three of you for your wisom and experience. This stuff is all new to me. I've been an MTU customer (and fan) for several years now-although I am not a karaoke pro.

[marklwood]

Originally Posted by ALAN E NORTH

Lonman,

I know now that the mic is working OK because I ran a test and recorded my voice on the computer and it played back OK.

Sorry it took me so long to reply, but it looks like you got there. As Roy said, the soundblaster software doesn't play well with Vista. It doesn't stop me though. I don't load the software in XP either. I prefer not to add the extra load to my computer. The hardware will plug and play in Vista or XP, you just can't use the software.

[ALAN E NORTH]

Mark/Roy,

Now that I have an answer to my question, I need to know which model to buy. I prefer the soundblaster external to the English model because it has an external protective case, whereas the English model appears to be a board w/o any protective case.

However, there are very few of these soundblaster models around and the Creative web site doesn't even show it any more. It must be an older model no longer supported by Creative.

If it's not asking too much, please go to the Amazon.com website using the URL below and see if this is the model I should buy-or if you think that Creative now has a different, more current model that would do the same job.

I appreciate your input-as I sure don't want to buy something that won't work-because of my limited knowledge in the area.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...3127433&sr=8-1

Thanks for your help,

Al North.

[marklwood]

Hey AL, that is the one I was talking about. I bought 2 refurb units for $10 each a 5-6 years ago and have had zero problems with it. I don't load the drivers (too much overhead) and it just works. If you are still online, check out this auction on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/Creative-Sound-B...3A1%7C294%3A50

This is the older version that I use on my show machine. I have an extra as a backup (no you can't have it) And just can't seem to find a reason to upgrade. It has been reliable and never had to worry about it.

[ALAN E NORTH]

MARK,

I saw that one on E Bay-but didn't want to bid until I knew it was the right one.

I went back and did place a bid.

Seems that you stay up as late as I usually do.

From one Night Owl to Another---Thanks !

Now I know what to do for sure.

[marklwood]

Originally Posted by ALAN E NORTH

I went back and did place a bid.

Seems that you stay up as late as I usually do.

From one Night Owl to Another---Thanks !

Good luck on the bid. I am fairly sporadic on the late nights. I never know when the insomnia will come The nice thing is the house is quite this time of day.