Here’s a problem-solver for a problem you may not have realized you needed solving but once it gets solved, many promising audio production opportunities come to mind.
How do you reliably get audio from a laptop/tablet computer into a signal chain? One professional solution is Radial Engineering’s Trim-Two, something of a DI box for laptops/tablets.
The Trim-Two takes the audio from a laptop’s/tablet’s (usually) 1/8-inch headphone output, isolates it, balances it and outputs it to stereo XLR connectors or dual mono. From there it can be sent to monitors or a mixer. It also has 1/4-inch and RCA inputs as well for other pieces of equipment or instruments such as a keyboard. A level control is included.
The Trim-Two is passive and needs no power. Like Radial’s other little boxes, it’s made of practically indestructible 14-gauge steel. Price: $149.