[LAU] Software algorithms?

[Paul Coccoli]

On 11/2/07, david <gnome at hawaii.rr.com> wrote:
> Paul Davis wrote:
> > On Thu, 2007-11-01 at 08:27 -0700, william estrada wrote:
> >> Hi group,
> >>
> >>    I wish to thanks all of you for the responses about 'better mics'.
> >> I think I need to clarify what I am looking for.
> >>
> >>    I'm writing a suite of programs to be used for a 'Voice Messaging
> >> System'.  The system will be used during field events where communication
> >> from PC to PC will take place. There by the need for inexpensive hardware.
> >> We are dealing with cheap HAMs here after all!  So supplying everyone with
> >> a mic is going to be costly to begin with.  A preamp, which is the best
> >> solution, will be too costly.  So I need to build a software fix.
>
> I think what you need is to use cheap computer mics, not music-quality
> ones, that should only need to plug in to an 1/8th-inch audio in
> connection on a sound card. I don't think those kinds of mics require a
> preamp of any kind.
>

Yes, they do.  The preamp is built-in to any soundcard with a "mic"
input.  A sound card mic input will be high impedance (a.k.a. Hi-Z)
and have an amplifier (called a preamp in this case) on it in order to
bring the signal up to line level (before it hits the ADC).

But I agree that is what the OP wants, assuming the computers in
question will have mic inputs (I think most motherboards have them
integrated these days).