Hardware:
First, get a cord with a 1/8" male stereo headphone plug on both ends. Radio Shack has a 6ft cord (#42-2387) for about $4.00. Then, you need a good stereo tape player. Most modern boom boxes will work just fine. Plug one end of the cord into the headphone jack on the boom box. Plug the other end into the 'AUX IN' jack on your PC sound card.

Software:
Now, you need a good program that will record to wav files. The standard Windows Sound Recorder can work, but it's real clumsy and not very good for working with larger wav files. I use a program called AudioView, which came free with my Gateway PC. You can purchase AudioView yourself for about $20.00 as part of a larger package called AudioStation32. I think they even have a free version that you can download. You could also try download.com (click on "MP3 & Audio") or Audio Utilities.

How To:
The trick for getting a good wav file recording is setting the volume levels just right. There are several volume levels that you have to work with:

• your boom box volume
• your PC speakers
• master volume in the Volume Control program
• wave volume in the Volume Control program

My first suggestion is the play a tape in your boom box and listen to the sound coming out of your PC speakers. If you're not hearing the sound in your PC speakers, then your 'auxiliary in' jack might be muted. To check that, open the Volume Control application by double-clicking the little speaker icon in your system tray.¹ Look for the 'Auxiliary' setting, and make sure the 'Mute' option is NOT checked. You might also be able to adjust the volume control for the 'Auxiliary In'. If that still does not work, you'll have to check your documentation. Somehow, you've got to get your 'AUX IN' jack to receive sound.

Then go ahead and record a small wav file. Maybe just record the first 20 seconds or so of a song. Now, I can't give you the details of how to do this in your software. You'll have to read through your program's documentation. In AudioView, I just click the 'Record' button, which puts the program in 'record pause' mode. Then when I'm ready to start recording, I just click the 'Play' button.

Now, play your wav file back and see how it sounds. The main thing to listen for is volume. You should compare it to other wav files that you may have downloaded from the internet. Or compare it to other music you have on your PC (like maybe an MP3 file). For example, play another wav file and play the one you recorded. The goal is to get the volume just right. If it's too low, just re-record it and increase the volume on your boom box. You might also try adjusting the volume control for your 'AUX IN' jack in the above-mentioned Volume Control application. The first time I did this, I probably spent an hour or two experimenting. But once you find the right combination, right it down. Remember this for next time.

- HFDB