Play audio through my computer?

Drackonos · Post by **Drackonos** » Sun Aug 23, 2015 3:20 am

Hello everyone. I am thinking about buying/playing around with a keyboard and have my mind on the Korg Kross 88 if I do decide to take the plunge. My question at the moment is can I/how hard is it to play sound through my computer in real time? I understand I need external speakers/headphones for the system but at this time I don't want to spend a lot more money on a speaker system and I am not that fond of headphones/am not sure what a good pair would be for a system like this anyways. I would like to be able to play the audio through my computer speakers if possible while I am playing on the keyboard. I have read some things about actually recording the song and transfering the audio to the computer afterwards but I wanted to make sure if/how I would play it in real time through my computer. Could I just hook, I believe it's 1/4" plugs into the back of the keyboard and convert them to the smaller plug to plug into the line in jack on my computer and have that work easily or is it more complicated?

Thanks everyone.

Bald Eagle · Post by **Bald Eagle** » Sun Aug 23, 2015 10:21 am

It should work ok but the quality will depend on the sound card. If you're not happy with the results you may want to consider a low cost audio interface.

Drackonos · Post by **Drackonos** » Sun Aug 23, 2015 12:55 pm

Ok, so I can just run it through the line in port on my computer then? Are the audio interfaces you speak of basically just another way to get the sound into my computer or is there more too them that would make them preferable? Thanks for the reply.

Bald Eagle · Post by **Bald Eagle** » Sun Aug 23, 2015 5:46 pm

Yes, you should be able to use the line in on your computer. I would assume that it has 2 line in jacks for L/R connections.

An external audio interface is another way to input the sound into your computer. You connect your synth to the audio interface and then connect the audio interface to your computer with USB or FireWire. An audio interface is generally better quality that the sound card that comes with a PC.

There are many choices for audio interfaces. An inexpensive one will support 2 channels while higher end will support many connections and provide many additional options such as effects and mixing.

If you are going to be using small inexpensive PC speakers then using a higher quality interface may not really be useful. But if you plan ahead and intend to connect other gear in the future an audio interface may be worth looking into.

Drackonos · Post by **Drackonos** » Mon Aug 24, 2015 1:13 am

Ok cool. I believe my system only has 1 line in port. I will try this out before I decide on getting an interface or not for now. I am running an older set of Logitech 5.1 surround speakers set up as only 2.1 right now. They work fine for most everything I do at the moment so I was hoping they would work for this, at least for the time being. Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions.

WindriderMetal · Post by **WindriderMetal** » Mon Aug 24, 2015 7:13 pm

That 1 line in port will probably only be monophonic (it's intended mostly for things like microphones on gaming headsets) so you won't get the full stereo quality of sound that the Kross is capable of.
You only need something as simple as this, though (and the cables to connect it up):
http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCA202- ... +interface

voip · Post by **voip** » Mon Aug 24, 2015 8:30 pm

My PC line-in and mic-in soundcard ports are both stereo. The mic-in port also carries 2.9Volts DC to the tip and the ring connections on the jack to power electret microphones.

Not sure that using PC speakers is the ideal solution, unless the speakers are good quality with a wide frequency response extending down well into the bass region.

A comfortable and well-fitting set of headphones or earphones will almost certainly give the best audio experience, and save upsetting the neighbours. The ear/headphones can be connected directly to the headphone jack on the Kross. Start with minimum volume setting if using headphones, as the levels can be extremely high.

Drackonos · Post by **Drackonos** » Tue Aug 25, 2015 1:02 am

Hi guys. I tried to find out some info about my line in port and failed miserably lol. It is on board audio from Realtek. ALC1150 is the version. My manual did not give any real info about the line in port, just the normal mic/speaker ports. I guess I will see what happens when the keyboard gets here.

I did order a set of headphones for it to be able to play around with it quietly and so the kids can use it when it is on the stand in the other room. I picked up http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MDR7506 . The reviews i read about them sounded like they might work for a beginner set.

If I do end up needing an interface, what should I be looking for? At most I would have the keyboard hooked up to it, maybe a mic eventually to play around with, but I mainly only care about the keyboard. I would like to avoid paying a lot, but I also want to make sure it works well also. I am a PC user if compatibility is a problem. I have no idea what to use for a DAW at the moment...something else I need to learn a lot more about. At least some of them allow me to trial them.

Drackonos · Post by **Drackonos** » Wed Aug 26, 2015 1:59 am

Hi guys. The keyboard came in today. Sounds fine on both the headphones and my computer through the line in jack. I had ordered a dual stereo 1/4 to 1/8 cable to hook the keyboard to my computer with and it appears to work. I am sure it probably isn't the best thing ever, but it sounds good enough for me to learn with for now. I underestimated just how big this keyboard is lol. I can just barely fit it on my desk after moving everything out of the way. The 61 key version would have been better for my desk, but after looking around, I decided that if I get serious and really try to learn to play then I wanted it to be as close to the feel of a real piano to learn on while I am doing it.

Thanks for the help guys.

Bald Eagle · Post by **Bald Eagle** » Wed Aug 26, 2015 12:24 pm

Congrats, good luck and enjoy.