SuperNoob needs help...

[Giskard]

I apologize if I'm not posting in the correct forum, but here goes...
I have 2 MXL V63MBP mikes and a Creative SB Audigy 2 ZS Notebook soundcard, and I would like to record live in stereo.

1. Will these mikes work well without a preamp going into the soundcard?
2. What is the simplest method of connecting these 2 mikes to the single 3.5mm
stereo input jack on the soundcard?

Please remember, I know almost nothing about audio, so try to explain it in terms I hopefully will understand.
Thanks, everyone.

[AndyH]

Microphones require a microphone preamp. Most Creative soundcards come with a low quality built-in preamp. I don't know if any of them are stereo; most are only a single channel.

The line level input is stereo. A microphone on a line level input must have a microphone preamp between it and the input. Most decent microphone preamps include phantom power but it can usually be turned off to accommodate different microphones.

Many adapters and cables exist to input from two separate devices, one for each channel. The best is a cable with a mini plug on the end that goes into the soundcard and two separate device appropriate jacks on the other ends of a Y arrangement. Large adapters plugged into mini-jacks on soundcards make dandy levers to put the jack off the circuit board.

[Giskard]

Thanks AndyH, I'm off to find a microphone preamp.
If you should happen to know of a no-frills battery operated preamp for $200 or less that would work with my 2 MXL V63MBP microphones, I would be eternally grateful. Also, thanks for the tip on adapters, that makes good sense.