> Are you using an interface to get audio into your computer? If so, > you should also use it to get audio out. The DA converters in the > laptop are far from the best. Also, don't be surprised if going with > the cheapest solution is at least partially to blame. Just as good > mics are extremely important to a good sounding recording, Monitors > are as well. Also be aware that in some cases near-field studio > monitors a designed to be extremely accurate at close range and can > have a very small sweet spot when positioned correctly. Listening > outside that sweet spot can sound pretty dismal. Were you listening > to commercial releases in iTunes or listening to your own projects? > Another possibility you must consider is that the monitors are > telling exactly what you need to know... the mix has problems. > > A basic rule of thumb says to put as much money as you can afford > into any step where you are converting from one type of energy to > another, i.e. Good mics are critical to convert acoustic energy into > electrical energy, good AD converters convert analog into digital, > good DA converters turn digital into electronic energy, and good > speakers turn electrical energy into acoustic energy. Everything else > in the chain certainly has its role, but can't make up for > deficiencies in any of these critical processes. (In other words > great preamps cannot turn a radio shack mic into an AKG 414, but an > AKG 414 might make a radio shack preamp sound amazing!) > > Stuart Holmes > I fixed the problem by hooking up a preamp as you suggested. Thx a lot.