How to Record Inline With Nero

Two 1/8-inch male audio wires and a male RCA wire.

Recording inline with the Nero suite is easy once you have mastered the hardware aspect. While most electronics such as MP3 players have a headphone out jack, a male-to-male cord is necessary to connect the device to the computer's microphone in jack. If a guitar is to be recorded, the connection out from the guitar is 1/4 inch, while the microphone in is 1/8 inch, so a converter has to be purchased. Luckily, these are very cheap. Once the device is plugged into the computer and ready to play, Nero SoundTrax or Nero WaveEditor will do the rest. Both are included free with the Nero suite.

Things You'll Need

• Nero SoundTrax
• Computer with microphone or line-in jack
• Double male ended 1/8 inch audio wire
• Converter plug, 1/4 to 1/8 inch

Instructions

1. Plug one end of the audio wire into the headphone jack or output of the device to be recorded and the other end into the microphone jack or line-in on the computer.

2. Start up the Nero audio recording program of your choice. Both WaveEditor and SoundTrax are able to record from the microphone or line-in jack.

3. Select "Record" from the "Audio" menu. Click on the red circular "Record" button to start recording in Nero WaveEditor. If Nero SoundTrax is being used, the settings will need to be changed, so the "Recording Settings" box will open.

4. Adjust the sound resolution, whether the sound is stereo or mono, and where the file will be saved. When finished, click the "OK" button to open the "Recording Console" window.

5. Select the desired input line, where the audio device is plugged into the computer, and move the "Record Level" slider until the levels are in the medium yellow range. Red means the sound will record distorted.

6. Click the red circular "Record" button to start actually recording inline from your playback device.

Tips & Warnings

• If there is no headphone out jack on the device you wish to record on, look for a red and white connector. Called RCA jacks, these can be used to record audio with the help of an RCA to 1/8 inch adapter cable.

• If the computer does not have a microphone in jack, you may have to purchase an audio card.

• Make sure the line out of the device to be recorded is not being amplified. This could potentially ruin the computer, or at best create a terrible recording.

• Watch the microphone input's gain. Too much could create a distorted sound while too little and the audio might not be audible.

References

• "Nero 9 SoundTrax Manual"
• "Nero 9 WaveEditor Manual"

Resources

• "Creating an Audio CD Tutorial"
• "Editing Audio Files"
• "Example 1/4 to 1/8 Adapter"
• "Male to Male 1/8 Inch Audio Wire"
• "1/8 Inch to RCA Adapter Cable"