Ripping vinyl from laptop

[Instrumental Asylum]

So my usual method is to rip the vinyl on the desktop and bring it to the laptop on a usb to start sampling. I originally tried ripping directly to the laptop (in audacity and directly to Ableton, with the laptop plugged into the wall) but the end result sounds like ass. I'm assuming that the difference is that I route the audio in through the blue line-in hole in the desktop, but the laptop just has a mic input. Next year I won't have access to a desktop, so is there any (hopefully free) method I can effectively rip vinyl onto the laptop?

[jyri]

Buy an external audio interface for your laptop.

[Instrumental Asylum]

So that's what a sound card is? These seem relatively affordable, but what the hell is this thing? Is this like an internal one just for desktops?

[jyri]

Yes, that's an internal one for desktops. Pretty much any enty-level interface will do for recording your records and there are under $200 interfaces from various manufacturers. I'd look at the likes of M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Presonus AudioBox USB etc.

[Instrumental Asylum]

What about something dirt cheap?
Buy.com - Behringer External Sound Box - USB - 16 bit - External
Buy.com - iKey Portable USB Audio Interface - USB - 16 bit - External
I'm not really willing to spend $150+ just to have a line-in port

[jyri]

Should get the job done better than a mic in and won't be a huge investment so you can upgrade if you have need for it.

[Xabiton]

When we are talking music the audio quality is important. All inputs are not the same but you will figure that out on your own. I used to sample with this interface Lexicon Alpha | Sweetwater.com its solid and only $60 now I used it for like 4 years and eventually got this earlier this year Propellerhead Balance with Reason Essentials | Sweetwater.com. The sound difference is large but you can get great results from either.

[Instrumental Asylum]

I just want it to be comparable to a desktop's line in port. I feel like it wouldn't be that hard for them to put one in a laptop in the first place.

[Xabiton]

The one in your desktop probably sounds like shit to be totally honest. If you are recording audio using stock computer soundcards is just not a good idea

[Instrumental Asylum]

And another thing I don't understand is how you get a bad quality sample when ripping from mp3, but then anyone else is ultimately hearing your beats as mp3s. It certainly sounds a million times better to me when the original sample was off a record. Maybe sounds just becomes richer when pressed onto vinyl?