OK, you asked for it 
Probably more info than you were looking for, but...
When I was recording directly to my laptop using the onboard soundcard, I had to turn the input level WAY WAY down, almost to zilch. Double-click the sound icon in your system tray (bottom right, next to the time), then select Options > Properties, then select Recording, and adjust the microphone (not line-in) level until your signal no longer clips and even 3db lower than that (cuz you WILL go higher than you think
) [edit: In the "Snowflakes for Talkbass" I mention below, I was peaking at -12db, to give you an idea] Remember: You can always increase the gain, but if you clip on the recording, you've recorded the clip and there's nothing you can do to get that back. The only caveat here is that you may introduce noise with the gain... Just record in 24 bits and you will have plenty of headroom.
Record with your laptop open and keep your eye on the waveforms. If it clips (or even gets to -3db) then turn down the microphone input level some more. If/when it clips again, turn it down even more. At the end of the session, make a mental note of where the level is set so you don't have to waste so much time the next session dialing it in.
As a slight improvement over the built-in microphone, you can get yourself a dirt-cheap microphone. We have a shop here called Princess Auto that carries 'stuff' and 'surplus' and they had a bin of $6 microphones, each with ~20' cables. Not highest quality, but nice to be able to place the microphone. The problem with a single microphone is you have room acoustics to contend with, and where to place the mic in relation to the amps, drums, walls, etc. That said, you can place it feet away from your laptop, and you won't cry so hard when the guitarist kicks the stand over.
What does a single microphone sound like?
First, I should add that none of these recordings are "polished", just jam sessions that I have massaged into something that can be listened to.
Head over to http://ReverbNation.com/GriffinKings and listen to the track labelled "Snowflakes for Talkbass (Demo)". I just put that up there to show the 'best' quality you can get from a single el-cheapo microphone.
What does a multi-microphone setup sound like?
Next, have a listen to the "Snowflakes In The Summer" track. This one is pretty much the same song, still from an informal jam session, but recorded with a Tascam US-2000 16-channel USB interface into my laptop. For that session, we had (I believe) 7 microphones (el-cheapo) and my bass was thru my DI (8 channels total). From there I could mix-and-match levels.
Compare the two. Night and day for clarity and the ability to hear instruments.
I'll keep the "Snowflakes for Talkbass" up for a week or so, but for obvious reasons I'll be removing it eventually
Probably more info than you were looking for, but...When I was recording directly to my laptop using the onboard soundcard, I had to turn the input level WAY WAY down, almost to zilch. Double-click the sound icon in your system tray (bottom right, next to the time), then select Options > Properties, then select Recording, and adjust the microphone (not line-in) level until your signal no longer clips and even 3db lower than that (cuz you WILL go higher than you think
) [edit: In the "Snowflakes for Talkbass" I mention below, I was peaking at -12db, to give you an idea] Remember: You can always increase the gain, but if you clip on the recording, you've recorded the clip and there's nothing you can do to get that back. The only caveat here is that you may introduce noise with the gain... Just record in 24 bits and you will have plenty of headroom.Record with your laptop open and keep your eye on the waveforms. If it clips (or even gets to -3db) then turn down the microphone input level some more. If/when it clips again, turn it down even more. At the end of the session, make a mental note of where the level is set so you don't have to waste so much time the next session dialing it in.
As a slight improvement over the built-in microphone, you can get yourself a dirt-cheap microphone. We have a shop here called Princess Auto that carries 'stuff' and 'surplus' and they had a bin of $6 microphones, each with ~20' cables. Not highest quality, but nice to be able to place the microphone. The problem with a single microphone is you have room acoustics to contend with, and where to place the mic in relation to the amps, drums, walls, etc. That said, you can place it feet away from your laptop, and you won't cry so hard when the guitarist kicks the stand over.
What does a single microphone sound like?
First, I should add that none of these recordings are "polished", just jam sessions that I have massaged into something that can be listened to.
Head over to http://ReverbNation.com/GriffinKings and listen to the track labelled "Snowflakes for Talkbass (Demo)". I just put that up there to show the 'best' quality you can get from a single el-cheapo microphone.
What does a multi-microphone setup sound like?
Next, have a listen to the "Snowflakes In The Summer" track. This one is pretty much the same song, still from an informal jam session, but recorded with a Tascam US-2000 16-channel USB interface into my laptop. For that session, we had (I believe) 7 microphones (el-cheapo) and my bass was thru my DI (8 channels total). From there I could mix-and-match levels.
Compare the two. Night and day for clarity and the ability to hear instruments.
I'll keep the "Snowflakes for Talkbass" up for a week or so, but for obvious reasons I'll be removing it eventually
