Jim Leonard | Recording the PC speaker via line-in @JimLeonard | Uploaded April 2015 | Updated October 2024, 7 hours ago.
Simple demonstration of how to record the PC speaker if it doesn't have a jack. While there are very many ways to do this (see oldskool.org/guides/speakerrecording for options), I like the simplicity of a line-in cable with alligator clips connected to the shielding of the cable, and the other to the plug. The video demonstrates "tapping" the PC speaker with one clip on one of the speaker leads, and the other clip connected to the PC's case as ground. Just be careful not to connect the ground side of the line-in to either side of the speaker (the non-hot side is connected internally to +5V in the XT, not GND as you might expect).
The audio is being generated by a pulse-width modulation technique, which is why the recorded waveform looks goofy, but the resulting audio captured is audibly valid: PWM gets smoothed out by the full combination of low-pass filtering in the system (the speaker, the soundcard doing the sampling, and your ears).
Simple demonstration of how to record the PC speaker if it doesn't have a jack. While there are very many ways to do this (see oldskool.org/guides/speakerrecording for options), I like the simplicity of a line-in cable with alligator clips connected to the shielding of the cable, and the other to the plug. The video demonstrates "tapping" the PC speaker with one clip on one of the speaker leads, and the other clip connected to the PC's case as ground. Just be careful not to connect the ground side of the line-in to either side of the speaker (the non-hot side is connected internally to +5V in the XT, not GND as you might expect).
The audio is being generated by a pulse-width modulation technique, which is why the recorded waveform looks goofy, but the resulting audio captured is audibly valid: PWM gets smoothed out by the full combination of low-pass filtering in the system (the speaker, the soundcard doing the sampling, and your ears).
