Lately, I've been playing with music, converting some of my old LPs and generally turning my PC into an integrated part of my stereo sound system. Frankly, this aspect of the PC is often overlooked. Obviously, if your PC is providing necessary functions for you and you are satisfied, no problem. On the other hand, if you are looking to expand the capabilities of your system beyond normal desktop functions, music is a good place to begin.

In the days when the only computers were mainframes, I was heavy into audio. Until recently I've been neglecting that interest, but old habits die hard, and I'm finding some interesting options in combining this interest with my PC.

In my particular situation, my stereo and my computer are in the same room. For quite some time I've had them connected. Nonetheless, I've only recently begun exploring greater capabilities, those that go beyond simply using my PC to play CDs. First, if you have speakers for your PC as well as for your stereo you can get near surround sound quality. In fact, with a sound card that supports surround sound and a surround sound amp for your stereo it's perfect.

Many people don't realize the rear speakers on a surround setup don't need to be identical to those up front. Go to a concert and sound comes from the front-- the rear simply provides ambience. Hence, you can set yourself up using your stereo speakers for the front and your PC speakers for the rear; remember that the rear speakers should be slightly less in volume than the front or the front becomes the rear and rear becomes the front.

There are all kinds of potential configurations and even if you have a good 5 speaker surround sound system for your PC, it's amazing how much richer the sound is when you include your stereo speakers, and if you're playing games, it puts you in the middle of the action in a way you never imagined. The best PC speakers are pretty good, often very good, but you have no idea what you are missing until you connect to your stereo and include its speakers as well.

Check your soundcard manual for the proper inputs and outputs on your card located at the rear of your PC. You can get audio cables from your local Radio Shack or most component shops that deal in audio equipment. Check the manual for your receiver or amplifier for proper input and output as well. You may have to experiment a bit, on some systems you have to use auxiliary on others it's simply line in and line out.

You will probably need the proper connectors for changing the single output line from your PC to a dual line splitting into the left and right channels on your stereo. You will also need a similar connector to change the left and right channels to a single input for your PC. Be sure to get the proper connectors as some such connectors are for stereo reproduction while others simply split the sound without actually channeling the sound and that's mono not stereo. Ask the shop for help if you are unsure. They are helping a lot of people do this sort of thing today.

Once you are connected, this is where the fun begins. If you have a lot of old LPs (For those under 30, an LP was a 12-inch vinyl disk on which we used to have recorded music, much as we do today with CDs) and a CD-writer, you can try converting the LPs to CDs.

You need an application with the proper capabilities to do this. If you have a CD-Writer and are using Adaptec Easy CD Creator, the full retail version of the product includes an application called "Disk Doctor." "Disk Doctor" not only allows you to record music to your PC from an external source, it also has options that will help you remove ticks and pops from old recordings.

A note of caution, removing ticks and pops is not an exact science, it's time consuming and also frustrating. Often, you end up removing "good sound" as well as the bad so be careful. Nonetheless, there are several products on the market that can handle that chore if you're interested and "Disk Doctor" doesn't suit your needs.

This is a little time consuming but one of the things you'll find, once on your PC, is there's a lot you can do to that sound that may bring new life to those old recordings. First, if you are into MP3s, I don't recommend recording your LP selections directly to MP3. MP3 is a method of music compression and the results are better if the sound is already on your system as a .WAV rather than recording directly to MP3.

In general, I'm not a big fan of MP3s. They're great if you have an MP3 player and using it when you exercise, walk or jog, but as an overall music player, MP3 tends to distort the sound, especially if you record directly to MP3 as mentioned above. Consider what happens when you constrict the neck of a balloon as you release the air, the tighter the constriction the higher the pitch. That tends to be what happens with MP3s, causing music to be higher in pitch and to lose some breadth.

A somewhat less versatile but very easy to use application for recording music to your PC from an external source is MusicMatch Jukebox which can be downloaded for free. It's fast, easy and provides very good sound reproduction. Amazing as it may seem, there is a difference in sound reproduction depending upon which application you are using for this purpose. There are enough free and trial versions around for you to be able to experiment to find the program that gives you the most pleasing results.

Also, MusicMatch Jukebox has the availability of a plug-in called DFX. DFX is $19.95 and is available at the MusicMatch site. There's a time limited trial version and I highly recommend giving it a try. If you've recorded some selections from your old LPs to your hard drive, they will come alive. Even if you have a CD Player connected to your stereo, playing CDs on the PC's CD-ROM drive using MusicMatch and DFX the sound will be much more dynamic.

If your PC is connected to your stereo, the difference can be dramatic. Add to that some of the effects currently available with some soundcards such as the ability to create a concert hall environment and you actually surpass the sound to which you've become accustomed from your home system.

Check soundcard manufacturers for cards with the ability to add such effects. The Creative SoundBlaster Live Value card has this capability and can be purchased for around $50. There are probably others with similar or greater capabilities, check manufacturer web sites for specs, capability and compatibility with your system and what you wish to do.