Keyboard to Computer

[3Styler]

I've composed and saved a song on my electric keyboard at home at would like to put it onto my computer in mp3 format or anything, just basically a file that I can play and send.  i think my keyboard has only a few ports, outline for headphones etc.  ne ideas on how i cud transfer from keyboard to computer?  ne ideas/help at all much appreciated. thnx in advance.

[Tweed]

Your computer would need to have a sound card with a line input. Connect this input to a line out (preferable) or the headphone socket on the keyboard. The sound card should have come with software to allow you to record. Windows usually has this software, and there are many free ones available. If using the headphone as output be carefull the recording levels. Turn the volume down on the keyboard and gradually increase until the recording levels are just below the red. Then compress the file into MP3 or WMA. Alternatively, you could record the midi, if the keyboard has a midi output, but it wouldn't sound the same on different machines.

[3Styler]

so even though its a very new computer I would still have to buy a sound card? and is the line input sold with the soundcard?

[Tweed]

You're more than likely to have a soundcard, in fact the same circuitry is built in as part of the motherboard on most machines, but a seperate card would be better quality. The line in is part of the card, and can be found on the back of the computer. They are usually 15mm stereo jack inputs, like a small headphone jack.