Umm, I don't think any of us use the internal sound card for audio recording.

Internal sound cards do not have the proper dymanic range or headroom of a good sound card.

Internal sound cards can only degrade your audio more so than record a decent sound.

I guess it really depends on what you are recording and how you are interfacing it in the long run.

Certain converters will give the option of calibrating the levels to a certain amount so that the dynamic range of the head room gives you more input or gives you less input.

Certain instances of material being recorded are the factor here as to how loud or how much input you want to record at.

Depending on the converter chips on the sound card is also a very huge factor here.
16 or 24 bit? Most likely they are 24 but you never know. They could be 16 bit and at that point you will want to record the signal as hot as possible to truly get the most out of the digital bandwidth!

With 24 bit converters it's not as necessary to record the hottest signal possible any more.

Remember that during the recording stage you do want a good decent level but it does not have to be a really hot signal. Record a decent level that can be used in the mix with everything else.

In the long run the short answer to your question is that there are no preset settings. You need to play around and determine what's best for each situation and also to get a better sound card.

Opus :D

Thank you Opus-

I'm sorry I sent you on that incredible explanation...... because I'm using and external Edirol soundcard/box thing. I should have said upfront what my deal was.

So I go through Edirol UA-5 to Cakewalk HS XL. I'm set at 24/44.1 .. I don't really have any input level issues but I always jump when I see something I don't understand. So when I saw this other guys Windows Mixer setting higher than mine I'm like "hey- his is bigger than mine"

So I had to ask.

Can you tell me then- if my input levels are satisfactory as shown in my Cakewalk meters, do I have nothing to worry about?

Thats really it

thanks alot

Alan,

If your sound card's record level is affected by the Windows mixer, you should probably set the level to maximum. On sound cards I've tried, if you set the software record level too low you'll overdrive the card's input stage before you can reach zero in your recording program.

It's easy enough to find out for sure with your own sound card. As an extreme, set the Windows mixer's record level to 1/4 way up or even less. Then go into Sonar and increase your mike preamp gain trying to get an adequate level in Cakewalk. If you can get it up to zero - which I doubt - then play it back and see if it sounds okay. And then you'll have your answer.

--Ethan

also... I notice a difference in metering between my soundcards meters (via the control panel) and my music software. I am always careful to have the soundcards metering up (as it is usually faster for reading transient peaks on my system as well) and use that to check my input and output levels.