mic with laptop

[wudy]

I am trying to use a mic plugged into a laptop then to an amp but I can't get any sound through independant speakers, what do I need to do to get it working?

[carlton23]

Try gently pulling the plug that goes into your laptop out a little way, thats what I find works with my battery radio.

[ChuckFickens]

As ever stating what version of windows helps with any computer question...

answering blind, then double click on the little speaker down by the clock to bring up the full mixer, click options > properties and switch the mixer to recording controls, then take the tick out of the little mute box under the microphone slider.

(watch out for feedback, there is a reason the mic doesn't playback through the speakers as standard)

[Milvus]

Why do you need to plug the mike into a computer before the amplifier?
Are you adding effects, or recording?
Are you using a USB mike that hasn't a jack plug to connect directly with the amp?

[wudy]

I am using windows 7, the reason I am not plugging the mic into amp is beacause the amp does not have a mic input

[ChuckFickens]

on windows 7 right click on the speaker icon and select recording devices click once on your mic in the listing of recording devices (probably be the only thing listed) and then click properties at the bottom. once that window has opened click on the listen tab and put a tick in listen to this device.

If you also click on the levels and enhancement tabs there may be some settings that require tweaking to get the best audio results.

[Milvus]

Chuck, is that going to put out a feed to Wudy's external amp and speakers. It seems to me that the mike signal is already amplified and is ready for either the laptop speakers or speakers directly attached to the laptop. Running it though to an external amp would need the mike signal to be provided as an unamplified passthrough wouldn't it?

[ChuckFickens]

Milvus, yes it will, it will just loop the mic back out of the speaker/line output mixed in with whatever other audio is being played. Basically using the computer as a multi-track mixer. As standard windows only uses the mic for recording, it doesn't play mic inputs back out through the speakers so you can hear yourself to eliminate feedback, hence why it has to be un-muted for playback.

[Milvus]

Thanks Chuck