Analog Audio Input Issues

I've tried several different mics in my audio input port and none of them register. The display in the sound preferences doesn't show anything coming in. However, the mac does notice when I plug my mic in or take it out. There is activity on the preference pain only when plugging it in or unplugging it. Is there a problem with my mac? Is it a problem with the OS? For now I'm using my iSight for sound it but this proves to be a problem because it pics up too much sound.
Please help. I'm rarely stumped but this one got me.

This seems to be a popular solution
http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/imic2/
Amazon have it for 31.49 USD
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006BALQ/sr=1-1/qid=1137281537/ref=sr11/103-5925034-6539830?%5Fencoding=UTF8

Similar Messages

Audio input issue - No stereo... Right channel only.

Hi
First to thank you for taking the time to read and consider this if you do - any help in this would be hugely appreciated
Ok - I'll try to make this as concise as poss but it needs some explanation:
I'm home-recording hobbyist musician. One of the things I would very much like to use the iMac for is to back up old four-track tape recordings, recording them as wav or mp3 as the case maybe and saving them to my hdd. Easy right? Apparently not, so far... let me explain:
On the tape recorder there is only an RCA stereo out (red and white, left and right). The very first thing I did when I got the iMac was download Audacity (the audio software), hooked up a stereo lead to the RCA outs on the tape recorder, and ran it into the line-in port on the iMac, using the 1/8" jack.
Now, sound came in, but only the right channel. The left channel was completely dead (ie when I panned the audio to the left, or if there was a sound in the mix that was only in the left channel, it was absent).
Since then I've bought Logic Pro and and an audio interface and this presents the EXACT same problem... Nothing in the left channel. (please note, I am aware you can "fake" stereo by setting a channel-strip to "mono" so that there is sound on both sides, but get this - it only splits the right channel in two - so you still don't have the left channel or genuine stereo signal frustratingly)
It should be noted that stereo sound is not a general problem on the system. Stereo output is perfect (ie on itunes, cds, online etc - or if I'm using softsynths in Logic for instance) it is solely an AUDIO INPUT issue.
Needless to say I've explored all options in sys prefs to no avail.
It should also be noted that I have also tested the actual output of the tape recorder and used the same leads to line into a home stereo system no problems.
Does anyone have any idea what I'm talking about or how this could be resolved? I am even open to suggestions for peripheral equipment, sofware additions etc - any questions at all, just ask.
Thanks again, any input would be welcome.
EDIT: I also posted this in the general iMac forum. Posting here for people w specific audio knowledge thanks!

Pancenter, thanks once again.
Sorry about delay replying - have had an internet outage here just to add to my woes haha.
Anyway, the good news is that I think I've cracked it:
After updating the OS per your suggestion, uninstalling both Audacity and the m-audio (profire 610), and lastly resetting defaults on sys audio midi prefs I was still experiencing this problem - just on a line-in to Garageband. Pure frustration.
So eventually I just elected (in lieu of chucking the hardware out the nearest window lol) to do a cold re-install of the OS (erase and install option, backup hdd done). As I bought the iMac in January the OS is 10.5.5 I think.
After install, before doing anything else at all, I opened Garageband, set up an audio track and set input prefs to Line in Stereo 1/2 etc, and hooked up the tape unit via rca and the line-in port. The result? Perfect 2-channel stereo.
My personal theory is that the problem was created by the audio interface installation - an m-audio "profire 610" - Tho Audio interfaces are a frickin minefield anyway between Macs and PCS, chipset compatabilities, dodgy beta drivers, worthless gadget-hawking etc etc... I also realised that while my first original attempt was on Audacity I had already installed the profire unit just immediately before (but didn't use it). I doubt it was Logic which is designed specifically for the mac - I feel this theory might be proven when I reinstall these.
So there you go - get the Audio interface right it seems.. And I've got stereo audio.
Thanks for your help and input Pancenter - much obliged.
Peace.

Mac Pro no analog audio input

The analog audio input on my Mac Pro has stopped working. Audio output still OK; USB audio input works fine but nothing from analog audio input.
I know it's getting a signal as I can send the mixer output to a Zoom H4n and it records fine, but I need it to go directly into the computer for tutorial voiceovers. I've tried recording in Quicktime Player, Soundtrack Pro, Camtasia and Screenflow.
I get no volume indication in the System Preferences>Sound panel.
I opened Apple Midi Setup>analog input and I can adjust volume on the two channels but "Master" is stuck at zero. Could this be the problem?

See if a smc reset shakes it loose.
Just to be clear here. Are you inputting into a program and expect to hear it as well? If so, then unless the program itself has some kind of audio playthru to the speakers you need a app like LineIn to handle that function.

Stereo line-level analog audio input?

The analog audio input on my machine seems to be mono only. If I put in a stereo line-level signal it just duplicates the left channel on the right. Is there any way to input a stereo line-level signal through this jack?
ALFRED GUZZETTI

The input source is a DV tape deck. At the head of finished tapes I record bars and tone. The first segment of the tone is on both channels. It is followed by tone on the left channel only, then the right channel only. When I monitor what the computer is getting either through headphones or direct the input to Soundtrack Pro, where the meters display left and right, I hear and see sound on both channels from both the stereo input and the left-channel input (which shows up on both channels in the computer). The right channel only input is not audible or visible on the meter. The computer has always been this way. I assumed, maybe wrongly, that the input uses a stereo jack since these are pretty universal, but that in effect, the input is mono.
Alfred Guzzetti
2.66gHz Mac Pro
OS 10.4.11

No Analog audio input?

Been reading a lot about lack of an analog input option - lots of external devices not working.
Is this in fact true? Does anyone know how to get line level recording into the iphone from a mic or guitar then?
Thx

My understanding is that Apple removed the audio inputs from the dock connector in order to support the new USB Camera connector. However, that makes little sense. The iPhone already had USB connectivity - that's how it connects to a computer and iTunes. And the USB interface/camera adapter only works on the iPad, not the iPhone (although I did hear that you can move pictures from the iphone to the iPad over the USB connector). I suspect the reason for this is that the iPhone's battery is too small to be able to provide adequate power to most USB devices for an acceptable length of time.
But it seems unacceptable to remove fundamental capabilities that are used by many Apple approved hardware devices and software applications without providing some alternatives, or at least some warning.
I pre-ordered an iPhone 4, willing to pay the extra $200 to get it early. And I pre-ordered the new Blue Mikey thinking it would provide better mic input as well as a separate audio input and USB input for charging while recording. But now I find out that the new mic won't work with the new phone, and there's no solution in the works. I also have a Blue Yeti USB mic, but that won't work with the iPhone either (but I hear it does work with the iPad).
Apple, what's the story here? This is a disappointing loss in functionality with no warning for those of us who paid money for hardware and software for recording and can no longer use them on the new phone.
Is there a plan? Will USB mics be supported on the iPhone? Will there possibly be a software update that supports switching the dock pins from USB to/from audio? What is the recommendation for working around this issue?

Analog audio input?

I recently got a PM G5 DP 2GHz (7,3). Before, it was used as an office machine, it's really in a good condition. (Though I should buy a new HD for it, because it still has the factory installed one - I didn't really trust a 5 year old HD.)
*Today I wanted to use the analog input jack, but I found that the analog input is not shown at the Sound prefpane in the System preferences. So I am stuck and I can't use my analog sound input.*
Is this a hardware issue (out ports are working perfectly), or it's some easy-to-solve software issue?
*Currently running 10.5.8 with all the latest updates.*

Man, you're the saver of the day!
I feel like an idiot, I use Macs for a couple years now but I newer used this utility. (Well never owned a PowerMac before.)
I definitely owe you a beer! Thank you!

Ideapad 400 Audio Input Issue

Hey there,
I'm trying to use this computer for audio production and recording and it gave me a lot of issues today trying to get an audio input. There's no specific audio line-in 1/8" jack that I can see, so I tried using the only 1/8" jack there and Audacity wouldn't recognize it as an audio input. So I tried using a USB audio device, which also was not recognized.
Any help on this would be appreciated, I'd hate to have to return this laptop over this issue.

Hi retiredactor
Welcome to Apple Discussions
It sounds like maybe the 3.5mm end is not completely seated into the iMac's input port or you have a bad or mono 3.5mm to RCA cable.
Check out some example's of 3.5mm stereo to RCA cables and an adapter in the link's below.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=31700&DOY=11m7
http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp?cat%5Fid=118&sku=40645
http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp?cat_id=2009&sku=40422&relatedItem=true
Dennis

Audio Inputs no longer work after upgrade to 10.4.10

Anyone else having trouble with audio inputs after upgrading to 10.4.10? Here's my deal:
MacPro dual 2.66, 4GB RAM, running 10.4.10 as of this morning.
Upgraded to 10.4.10 today and the mic on my Plantronics USB headset quit working. 'Phones still work. Here's what I did:
1. Tried multiple audio input devices. None work.
2. Tried all USB ports, problem persists.
3. Tried the 1/8" audio input, problem persists.
4. Zapped PRAM, problem persists.
5. Called AppleCare and they had me do an Archive and Install on the system software, which installed 10.4.7 and the problem went away. Then, at their suggestion, I let Software Update reinstall 10.4.10 and the problem came back.
6. Rebooted the system from a 2nd internal drive running 10.4.9 and the problem went away.
Seems pretty clear to me that this issue is with the OS, yet Apple's support staff insists the problem is "with the data on my boot drive". Thing is, the data on the "problem" boot drive consists of exactly the same applications on the other drives, and only those applications. There ** is no ** data on the boot drive other than the OS and some applications. Yet the other drive I can boot from that runs 10.4.9 and doesn't cause audio input issues contains all sorts of junk.
So, to reiterate, I'm booting from a clean boot drive with nothing but OS 10.4.10 and some pro applications on it and the audio input won't work. I boot from into any other Mac OS on this drive or any other and all is well. Yet this problem is supposedly with my data?
Is anyone else out there seeing issues like this?

I used a UVC-compliant USB Logitech camera (the
Fusion) driverless
under OS X 10.4.9.
FWIW, none of these devices are actually driverless. They rely on drivers either supplied separately by some company (not necessarily the vendor of the product) or bundled into the OS. Usually, the bundled drivers are based on open standards like UVC mentioned in the link. Apple writes a lot of the bundled driver code itself but some of it comes from outside sources like LSI or Intel.
An unfortunate fact of life is that open standards are not always as well defined as they ideally should be. Another is that certain companies sometimes set their own standards that aren't quite compatible with open ones, sometimes to implement real or imagined improvements on an open standard, sometimes to gain a marketing advantage.
The good news is that the market usually -- eventually -- favors the open standard. The bad news is that it often takes some time for this to happen, leaving users -- particularly Mac users, who still represent a smaller market force than those using Windows -- without a solution for an uncomfortably long period of time.
Your best or only recourse for now may be to downgrade to 10.4.9 until this gets resolved, but you should also take into account that not all users are having these problems so it may be something other than the update itself that is causing the problem. I just video chatted with a colleague using an Intel Mac mini who is having no problems whatsoever -- we are both puzzled why he is unaffected while others are.
Sorry this couldn't be of more help.

Audio Input

I have a Powermac G5. Which port is analog audio input? I can't get my microphone to work, and I want to be sure I'm plugging it into the right place.
Thanks.

PowerMacs use a line level input. If you are not using a powered self amplifying microphone you will need a pre-amp. The audio in port has a circle with a triangle on either side pointing toward the center.

Optical Audio - Analog Audio Adapter?

I have been thinking for a while about buying an Apple TV.
One of the main reasons I want an Apple TV is for streaming music through the Apple TV into my stereo system WITHOUT having the TV turned on.
So this means I need to use the Optical Audio port to go straight into the stereo.
I have a Kenwood XD-551 stereo system which is reasonably old and only has Analog Audio input. That means I can't connect an Apple TV to the stereo using an optical audio cable. Is there an adapter I can buy that connects Optical Audio to Analog Audio?
I know I can stream music to the speakers through an AirPort Express (I have a 3.5mm to Analog cable), but I want an Apple TV also to stream HD Movies and TV Shows from iTunes, as well as AirPlay Mirroring from my iPod Touch.
My current set up:
TV --- 3.5mm jack to Analog Audio Input --- Stereo
My intended setup:
Apple TV --- HDMI --- TV
Apple TV --- Optical Audio to Analog Audio Input --- Stereo
I REALLY NEED A SOLUTION TO THIS OR ELSE I MAY NOT END UP BUYING AN APPLE TV

I am also looking for a exactly a similar setup.
streaming music through the Apple TV into my stereo system WITHOUT having the TV turned on
@alexei Ok, so this solution works with you. just to understand the setup,
you connected the apple tv's 'optical digital-audio port' to a DAC using which kind of cable ? links from amazon or other websites will be very useful.
Output from this DAC, you connected to the speaker via 3.5mm jack, correct? again a cable name (both ends) will be extreemly helpful.
With this when you airplayed music on 'apple tv' via itunes just the audio played on your speaker, correct? assuming your TV turned off during the music play.
And when you airplayed video/movies on 'apple tv' it automatically played on your TV.
Just wanted to know, you see only one airplay configured on your iphone/ipad correct ?
If this exact setup works with you..then bingo..I can go ahead buy all those stuff. If you have a different set-up with which you play music and video sepeartely using apple tv then please do share..
Your answers to these quesions will help me to decide if I need to buy Apple TV for music(which is equally important) and watching movies. And the invetsment dosent stop there..therz DAC and cables.
Thanks!
PS: I know I can stream music to the speakers through an AirPort Express, but want to go for apple tv.

Analog Audio on new MacBooks?

I love what I've seen about the new MacBooks. But my primary use is to digitize analog audio and also to stream it back to my home stereo. Can anyone advise about the new MacBook's support for analog audio? Are the stereo mini-plugs (audio in & headphone out) gone?

I found the following about the new MacBooks at the Apple Store:
Headphone port
Headphone/optical digital audio output (minijack)
Support for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone
"Headphone" sounds like an analog audio output, but what about an analog audio input? If not, could anyone advise about the world of quality (but small) A/D converters that would accept analog audio for conversion (to USB?) for streaming into the new MacBook (and recording to an audio editing program)?

Audition 3.0 Sound Blaster Fatal1ty card audio input ASIO issues

I just installed a Sound blaster extreme gamer fatal1ty pro sound card. I've got it working but when I try to open Audition #.0, I get the error about audio input not activated. I can play but I can't record. when I try to, I get a message about the ASIO driver is invalid and change settings in audio hardware. When I go there, the option for input is greyed out. I can record in Audition 1 without any problem so I think I've got the sound card installed properly. Also, I did an upgrade from a Audigy card that worked but had a lot of lag in voice tracking. Any thoughts? Thanks

Download ASIO4ALL, install it and you should be good to go.
Link: http://www.asio4all.com/
Consumer cards like the X-Fi/Audigy series from Creative Labs are not good choices for recording. They're great at gaming (I have an X-Fi on my game machine) and playing movies on your PC but for professional audio applications one needs a professional audio card.

Apple TV2 missing analog audio output for multi-zone system

Found out the hard way that most receivers can't support digital audio in multiple zones (i.e., Zone 2). Since Apple TV2 (ATV2) dispensed with any analog output, if you have a whole-house system that depends on mult-zone to distribute audio to various speakers, you won't be able to use ATV2 to stream music to anything other than Zone 1. The only outputs are HDMI and optical (both digital audio). I think I found a work around (which, of course costs more money) which is a "de-embedding" device from Atlona that takes HDMI in and splits out the audio to analog and passes the HDMI through to the receiver. The analog audio output then lets me connect to the analog in on the receiver so it can stream to all zones. I figure Apple just didn't have enough real estate on the new product to make room for analog, but it's a pain. Hope this helps someone. If anyone knows a better work-around, I'd love to hear it.

I have the same issue with a MacMini I use for music. My solution was to use an inexpensive optical splitter - one feed to the optical input of my receiver and the second to a DAC. Then run standard RCA audio cables from the DAC to the analog Zone 2 inputs.
Here is a link for a DAC
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?cid=104&cp_id=10423&cs_id=1042302&pid=6884&seq=1&format=2
They should have the splitter as well.

Audio Sync Issue With FLME 3.1 and BMIP Card

Hello Folks....First off..Happy Holidays to all. Secondly...have Black Magic Intensity Pro Card (PCI-e) installed on i7, 3.33GHZ, 24 Gig Ram, Raid Controller 2x 600GIG Drives, Win7 64bit etc etc.
Noticed today on a live show...we had an audio sync issue of half to full second. This was being pushed via FLME 3.1 and audio was married to the BMIP audio inputs.
Video input was Component and audio as analog.
Any thoughts why this would happen?
Bandwidth was more than acceptable (pushing 700kbps over a T1)
Appreciate any insight.
Thanks,
KC

Hi!
I am having the same issue with the HD Extreme card. Did any of you find a solution to the problem?
Best regards
Jan

Optical digital audio input port on MacBook Pro

I believe that the optical digital audio inputs on the latest MacBook Pros are defective. I am not sure if the problem is with the hardware or the software.
I use two analog-to-digital converters in my recording studio: the Grace Design Lunatec V3, and the Mytek Stereo96 ADC. Both produce a SPDIF stereo signal with a Toslink output port. I use a Toslink cable with the required 3.5mm adapter.
Both of these converters work perfectly with my 24" iMac. In mid-December of 2009, I got a 15" MacBook Pro. There was difficulty getting the MacBook Pro to recognize a signal from either converter, and when the signal was recognized, the recordings were crackly, pitch-shifted, off-speed, and sometimes parts of the recording would get repeated. All of the settings were adjusted, including the bit-rate and sampling frequency, as well as the Audio Resolution (in both Garage Band and Twisted Wave).
I took the MacBook Pro to the Apple Store, and was very pleased with the service there. My MacBook Pro was replaced with a new one. However, when I brought the new MacBook Pro into my studio, there were the same problems.
At the encouragement of a technician at Apple Care, last weekend I brought one of my converters (the Lunatec V3) to the local Apple Store and made recordings on a number of their machines. The results:
Perfect recordings on the 27" iMac and the Mac Pro. This is in addition to my own 24" iMac.
The same problems - dropped connection, crackly noise, shifts in pitch, and repeated phrases - in two 17" MacBook Pros and one 15" MacBook Pro. This is in addition to the two 15" MacBook Pros that I have tried at home.
I have a case number with Apple Care, but haven't heard back from anyone in a week. I am thinking of just returning the MacBook Pro, but it is a very nice machine in every other way.
Is this an acknowledged problem at Apple, and can a fix be expected?
Thanks,
Mike

What a great job! I've been enjoying making very amateur "audiobooks" for a young grand-daughter recently (simply using a USB mike plugged into one of the MBPs) and emailing her mother the results. Its a great way of remembering old childhood favourites and inflicting them on (whoops, I mean 'enhancing the education of" ) the next generation. Very amateur, but she really enjoys them, I gather. Doing it for real must actually be quite a buzz.
A couple more passing thoughts on the original topic. I guess you will have worked through such things, but does it make any difference whether the MBP is running from power or from battery? The "power in" section of the MBP is located pretty close to the optical port circuitry and might contribute to interference, I guess.
Another possibility might even relate to the proximity of the Mac power adaptor or the computer itself to the other equipment. Have you tried hooking it up to different power outlets, increasing distance between the power block or the computer and the other gear, introducing some shielding, etc etc.
Finally, there can be an issue in which residual current occurs on the body of the MBP itself when it is hooked up using the "duckhead" unearthed powerplug rather than the three prong earthed power lead. I would imagine this, too, could interfere with sensitive gear. (just thoughts from an old audio buff).
Cheers
Rod

Analog Audio Input Issues

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