3.5mm combo jack does not allow audio in

[perfectofc]

I'm trying to use the Combo Audio jack to bring audio in from an outside source, but am getting nothing through the "Stereo Mix".  I've tried disabling the laptop's built-in mic and setting the stereo mix as the default recording device, but that doesn't help either.

When I try and "test" the device it appears that it's using my mic as headphones instead of a microphone - the concerning thing is that under the stereo mix settings it doesn't specify which headphone jack it's using, whereas the Speaker/Headphone (under playback) has it clearly labelled as "LR Left Panel 3.5mm jack".

Help!

[Huffer]

These combo headphone/mic jacks cannot be forced to work as a line-in port. What exact device are you plugging in? About the only thing that will work is a 3-line plug on a combo mic/headphone set:

http://www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-3172669/mic-headphone-combo-jack-laptop.html

[perfectofc]

Trying to bring audio in from a DJ mixer - out via RCA and into the computer.  Perhaps a USB audio interface is the best bet.

Thanks.

[David_J_W · Accepted solution]

A USB audio interface is strongly recommended for this application. I'm a huge fan of RME audio interfaces, but they're towards the top end of the price range and might be overkill for your application.

Even with the correct TRRS plug, you only have a mono unbalanced microphone level input on the combo jack. If you are using software that can work with ASIO drivers, the latency of ASIO4All is likely to be much higher than ASIO drivers for a USB audio interface.

Before purchasing an audio interface, it's worth thinking about the ports you need now and might need in the future. It is better to have four inputs if you think you might need to connect a second stereo source or a microphone, similarly a separate headphone output and line output can be useful. Make sure, too, that the audio interface has any features you need, such as zero-latency mixing.

If you really just want a single stereo input - perhaps to record your set - a very modest audio interface should be fine. Indeed, if you just want to record your set, something like a Zoom H6 recorder might be better than using your computer. You can use the Zoom device as a USB audio interface (though you cannot use it as a recorder when it is being used as a USB audio interface), but it is perhaps not an ideal choice for the audio interface role.