Help - Use a laptop PC as a PA system?

[Larry Gauthier]

I teach college classes in a medium-size conference room that has speakers
built into the ceiling, but no microphone or amplifier for those speakers.
There is a wall jack available where I can plug my laptop in and and play
audio (MP3) files - works great!

HOWEVER - I want to plug a mic into the laptop mic jack and use the PC as a
Public Address system. I can't seem to adjust the sound card to get that
working, and no audio software I have found allows me to do that - run the
mic input through the audio card amp and back out to the speakers.

Am I missing something obvious? Or is this simply something that the sound
cards/software cannot do?

Thanks in advance for your replies,

-larry

[Rich Wilson]

"Larry Gauthier" > wrote in message
...
>I teach college classes in a medium-size conference room that has speakers
>built into the ceiling, but no microphone or amplifier for those speakers.
>There is a wall jack available where I can plug my laptop in and and play
>audio (MP3) files - works great!
>
> HOWEVER - I want to plug a mic into the laptop mic jack and use the PC as
> a Public Address system. I can't seem to adjust the sound card to get that
> working, and no audio software I have found allows me to do that - run the
> mic input through the audio card amp and back out to the speakers.

You don't need software for that... your soundcard should allow you to do
it. If you go into the Windows Volume Control you should see a slider (and
possibly a "mute" button) labelled "microphone" or similar. (If it's not
there, check Properties in the Options menu to see if you can turn it on).
Uncheck the mute switch and adjust the slider!

If that still doesn't work, check whether you can record from the mic OK,
and get back to us.

[Larry Gauthier]

Rich,

Thank you for your reply. I have adjusted the speaker/audio settings, and
still cannot get this Dell Laptop to simultaneously amplify the mic input
AND send sound out the speakers.

Here's what I have tried:

- inset an audio CD and listen to music... works fine
- adjust audio playback controls so ALL of them are ON and volumes are high
- adjust audio record for MIC input and set control high
- Start the Windows Accessories/Entertainment/Sound Recorder:
- mic audio displays on the scope
- mic audio gets recorded and plays back OK

BUT - the mic audio cannot be heard out the speakers in real-time and there
is no audio "feedback" -- which is what I would expect if the mic were live
and being fed out the speakers.

ALSO - put on a set of headphones (bypasses the speakers) and problem is
unchanged.

SO -- I can record and play back audio, but I cannot use the sound card as a
PA and amplify audio.

Is this a software, or a hardware problem? ;-)

-larry

"Rich Wilson" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Larry Gauthier" > wrote in message
> ...
>>I teach college classes in a medium-size conference room that has speakers
>>built into the ceiling, but no microphone or amplifier for those speakers.
>>There is a wall jack available where I can plug my laptop in and and play
>>audio (MP3) files - works great!
>>
>> HOWEVER - I want to plug a mic into the laptop mic jack and use the PC as
>> a Public Address system. I can't seem to adjust the sound card to get
>> that working, and no audio software I have found allows me to do that -
>> run the mic input through the audio card amp and back out to the
>> speakers.
>
> You don't need software for that... your soundcard should allow you to do
> it. If you go into the Windows Volume Control you should see a slider (and
> possibly a "mute" button) labelled "microphone" or similar. (If it's not
> there, check Properties in the Options menu to see if you can turn it on).
> Uncheck the mute switch and adjust the slider!
>
> If that still doesn't work, check whether you can record from the mic OK,
> and get back to us.
>
>

[Rich Wilson]

Hi Larry

Is there actually a slider labelled "microphone" in the playback section of
the volume control?


"Larry Gauthier" > wrote in message
...
> Rich,
>
> Thank you for your reply. I have adjusted the speaker/audio settings, and
> still cannot get this Dell Laptop to simultaneously amplify the mic input
> AND send sound out the speakers.
>
> Here's what I have tried:
>
> - inset an audio CD and listen to music... works fine
> - adjust audio playback controls so ALL of them are ON and volumes are
> high
> - adjust audio record for MIC input and set control high
> - Start the Windows Accessories/Entertainment/Sound Recorder:
> - mic audio displays on the scope
> - mic audio gets recorded and plays back OK
>
> BUT - the mic audio cannot be heard out the speakers in real-time and
> there is no audio "feedback" -- which is what I would expect if the mic
> were live and being fed out the speakers.
>
> ALSO - put on a set of headphones (bypasses the speakers) and problem is
> unchanged.
>
> SO -- I can record and play back audio, but I cannot use the sound card as
> a PA and amplify audio.
>
> Is this a software, or a hardware problem? ;-)
>
> -larry
>
> "Rich Wilson" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Larry Gauthier" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>>I teach college classes in a medium-size conference room that has
>>>speakers built into the ceiling, but no microphone or amplifier for those
>>>speakers. There is a wall jack available where I can plug my laptop in
>>>and and play audio (MP3) files - works great!
>>>
>>> HOWEVER - I want to plug a mic into the laptop mic jack and use the PC
>>> as a Public Address system. I can't seem to adjust the sound card to get
>>> that working, and no audio software I have found allows me to do that -
>>> run the mic input through the audio card amp and back out to the
>>> speakers.
>>
>> You don't need software for that... your soundcard should allow you to do
>> it. If you go into the Windows Volume Control you should see a slider
>> (and possibly a "mute" button) labelled "microphone" or similar. (If it's
>> not there, check Properties in the Options menu to see if you can turn it
>> on). Uncheck the mute switch and adjust the slider!
>>
>> If that still doesn't work, check whether you can record from the mic OK,
>> and get back to us.
>>
>>
>
>

[Todd H.]

"Rich Wilson" > writes:

> Hi Larry
>
> Is there actually a slider labelled "microphone" in the playback section of
> the volume control?

You may have to dig around in the options>properties pick lists of
Voluem Control to select it as one of the things that's being
displayed....

--
/"\ ASCII Ribbon Campaign | Todd H
\ / | http://www.toddh.net/
X Promoting good netiquette | http://triplethreatband.com/
/ \ http://www.toddh.net/netiquette/ | "4 lines suffice."

[Jeff Findley]

"Todd H." > wrote in message
...
> "Rich Wilson" > writes:
>
> > Hi Larry
> >
> > Is there actually a slider labelled "microphone" in the playback section
of
> > the volume control?
>
> You may have to dig around in the options>properties pick lists of
> Voluem Control to select it as one of the things that's being
> displayed....

I second this. On XP, you can go to Volume Control, properties, and see
that Mic is not only listed under Recording, but also under Playback as
well. I'd think you'd want to turn both of these on. Sounds like the
original poster has the Recording Mic switch turned ON, but the Playback Mic
switch turned OFF.

Jeff
--
Remove icky phrase from email address to get a valid address.

[Larry Gauthier]

Jeff,

Thank you! Your comment about enabling the Mic for both <Record> and
<Playback> was the missing ingredient - or at least the detail confirming
that I am doomed. ;-(

For example, my desktop PC sound settings have a "Mic" volume control which
can be enabled for both Record and Playback. Selecting both creates a PA
system - talking into the Mic is immediately heard out the speakers.

BUT - this Dell Lattitude laptop has no "Mic" selection under advanced audio
settings for Playback. So, I can enable the Mic as a record input, but I
cannot enable it (Mic is not on the software menu as a choose-able Playback
item) as a Playback output. <sadness>

Thanks again for the help,

-larry


"Jeff Findley" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Todd H." > wrote in message
> ...
>> "Rich Wilson" > writes:
>>
>> > Hi Larry
>> >
>> > Is there actually a slider labelled "microphone" in the playback
>> > section
> of
>> > the volume control?
>>
>> You may have to dig around in the options>properties pick lists of
>> Voluem Control to select it as one of the things that's being
>> displayed....
>
> I second this. On XP, you can go to Volume Control, properties, and see
> that Mic is not only listed under Recording, but also under Playback as
> well. I'd think you'd want to turn both of these on. Sounds like the
> original poster has the Recording Mic switch turned ON, but the Playback
> Mic
> switch turned OFF.
>
> Jeff
> --
> Remove icky phrase from email address to get a valid address.
>
>

[Jeff Findley]

"Larry Gauthier" > wrote in message
...
> Jeff,
>
> Thank you! Your comment about enabling the Mic for both <Record> and
> <Playback> was the missing ingredient - or at least the detail confirming
> that I am doomed. ;-(
>
> For example, my desktop PC sound settings have a "Mic" volume control
which
> can be enabled for both Record and Playback. Selecting both creates a PA
> system - talking into the Mic is immediately heard out the speakers.
>
> BUT - this Dell Lattitude laptop has no "Mic" selection under advanced
audio
> settings for Playback. So, I can enable the Mic as a record input, but I
> cannot enable it (Mic is not on the software menu as a choose-able
Playback
> item) as a Playback output. <sadness>

Sounds like a limitation of the, most likely, integrated sound card in the
laptop PC. I've got a cheap Gateway PC (a very old P-III) at home that has
similar limitations. If you turn on the digital sound output (so it will
work with the digital speakers that came with the PC), you can't even record
any of the sound coming into the mic or the line inputs.

Jeff
--
Remove icky phrase from email address to get a valid address.

[Rich Wilson]

"Larry Gauthier" > wrote in message
...
> Jeff,
>
> Thank you! Your comment about enabling the Mic for both <Record> and
> <Playback> was the missing ingredient - or at least the detail confirming
> that I am doomed. ;-(
>
> For example, my desktop PC sound settings have a "Mic" volume control
> which can be enabled for both Record and Playback. Selecting both creates
> a PA system - talking into the Mic is immediately heard out the speakers.
>
> BUT - this Dell Lattitude laptop has no "Mic" selection under advanced
> audio settings for Playback. So, I can enable the Mic as a record input,
> but I cannot enable it (Mic is not on the software menu as a choose-able
> Playback item) as a Playback output. <sadness>

OK, try this... in Winamp (www.winamp.com if you haven't got it) use the
"open URL" option (right-click on the play button) and type in "linein://".
Hopefully that'll give you the effect you're after, albeit with a short
delay.