CompTIA A+® Certification All-In-One For Dummies®, 2nd Edition

6.3. Looking at Other Multimedia Devices

Two other multimedia devices that are popular in today's systems are MIDI devices and microphones. Sound cards typically have a microphone port (also known as a mic port) and a MIDI port.

6.3.1. Microphones

The microphone port on the computer is indicated with a little pictograph of a microphone. You can use the microphone port to plug a standard microphone into the computer. If you have a microphone whose cable will not connect in the mic port, you need to head to your local electronics store and find an adapter. After you plug in the microphone, you can use it as a recording source as long as you have specified it as a recording source in Windows.

To set the microphone as a recording source in Windows XP, follow these instructions:

1. Choose StartAll ProgramsAccessoriesEntertainmentVolume Control.

   Here, you can set the levels for each type of input and output device. For example, when recording, you want to make sure that the level on the microphone is not too high lest the recording will sound distorted.

2. To ensure that the microphone is set as a ...