MacBook Pro Audio Distortion

I have an August 2009, 15" MacBook Pro and while using the headphone output to run a recent show i noticed severe distortion when i turned the volume up above half way, has anyone else had the same problem and is it worth getting it checked at the apple store??

I completely sumbled across the solution to my similar problem. I hope it works for you..
Spotlight search for "Audio MIDI Setup" (Snow Leopard- but I think it was the same for leopard, too)
Change the box which says "2ch-24bit" to something else and then change it back again.
Completely solved my audio issues of slight to moderate distortion at high volume.
Hope this helps
Brookie

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RE: Macbook Stuttering, Audio Distortion

FYI
As discussed in Macbook Stuttering, Audio Distortion,
The solution to this problem is as follows:
The fix is to blow out nearly four years of dust (in my case), using the instructions given here (for replacing a fan...)
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Installing-MacBook-Core-2-Duo-Fan/522/1
You don't need to remove the fan, but go as far as removing the keyboard, and then you can simply use an air-duster to remove every bit of dust you can find.
If your macbook's heatsink (as in my case) was cleaned by a professional in Apple Store, and you still keep having problems with youtube, ichat, skype and have stuttering, audio and video distortion and your 2+ghz intel macbook behaves as if it's an early iMac G3 - you have to do all steps described at ifixit.com.
When I have taken out my macbook's fan (the heatsink was perfectly sterile) I have found a 5mm thick layer of compressed dust blocking 97% of the air exit.
Removing the blockage has helped and my macbook is operating like it's new.
PS: It's sad that people at Apple Store do not do their job properly.

Your processor is momentarily saturated. It's not really a 'defect' that is covered under warranty.
Flash is a widely-known resource hog. It's one of the reasons that Steve Jobs has 'banished' Flash from iPhones and the new iPad, and uses H.264 format video.
Have you also noticed that the fan becomes loud when this is happening? Almost any time the fan starts running at high speed, it's because your processor is working hard and needs additional cooling.
If you look at Activity Monitor when the stuttering occurs, you probably have a combined CPU utilization of the top two or three processes running of more than 100%.
It's also quite possible that the Free memory 'green slice' of the of the System Memory pie chart is quite tiny.
Work-Arounds
1. Run fewer processes/programs. Close and Quit every application that doesn't need to be running while you're watching Flash.
2. Try another browser. Some are better than others at running Flash. I use Safari primarily, but Firefox, Google Chrome, and Opera are also available.
3. Add RAM memory, especially if you still have just 1Gb RAM memory installed. Upgrading to 2Gb or 4Gb (MacBook 2,1 actually only recognizes and utilizes up to 3Gb) will help somewhat. It doesn't cure the processor saturation, but it does give the programs running more 'breathing room' until it reaches the saturation point.
4. ClickToFlash gives you options for how Flash is handled. Free download here --> http://rentzsch.github.com/clicktoflash/
5. H.264 format videos may be less processor intensive.
6. Buy a new Mac with a faster processor and more RAM. Even a 2.26Ghz MacBook Pro does much better than the 2007 2.16, because it uses a low power microprocessor, has 2Gb RAM standard, has a more advanced video chipset, and an unibody aluminum case to help dissipate heat.

Is there a way to stream my macbook pro audio through itunes to basestation

Hey I love to stream my itunes through the basestation but, is there a way to stream my macbook pros audio so I can hear things playing from my safari or final cut or whatever other program to the speakers in airport??? Thanks

Rogue Amoeba's Airfoil should do just what you want. I use if for streaming things like Slacker and Pandora through my Airport Express. It's not free but it's well worth the price. You can try it out for a few minutes (then the sound degrades) to see if it works for you.

MacBook Pro Audio Jack Issues

Hi guys,
So I’m having a really odd issue with my 2009 MacBook Pro 15”. Specifically an issue with my headphone port and my normal 2.1 Logitech speaker system.
I am hearing a buzzing/static/humming (can’t decide) noise from my external speakers when the headphone jack is plugged in. Without performing any action on my Mac, the sound will start, last for about 20 seconds and stop.
I can also manually manipulate this interference issue by doing a few things, like playing audio from a website/media player; watching videos with a media player or opening any site and allowing a flash file to play (YouTube). These actions seem to manually start this strange sound.
Now for the fun part. Whilst the headphone jack is plugged in, removing my HDMI and Ethernet cables seem to stop the noise completely. Touching the outer port with the HDMI or Ethernet will make the sound return. And when I remove the headphone jack and hold the connector with one hand and touch my MacBook Pro with the other, the sound gets louder - more noise.
I have also tried headphones, I can still hear the buzz It’s just not as loud.
I’ve read that this could be a grounding issue. I’ve unplugged everything and changed MBP chargers. The only thing I haven’t tried yet is different HDMI and Ethernet cables.
Any ideas?

Hey there d3adm8n,
This noise you hear when you have coming from the 3.5mm jack sounds to me like it could indeed have something to do with a grounding issue. I would look at the information in the following article about that, named:
Macintosh: Solutions for noise in the audio signal
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
All the best,
Sterling

Why is the right side of my MacBook Pro screen distorted?

I've had my MacBook Pro for 4.5 years and have really had little trouble with it. A little over a year ago, however, someone in my family dropped something on the laptop when it was closed and broke the screen. One trip to the Genius Bar later and we now had a new screen, one that has again given us little to no trouble whatsoever since then.
However, as of a week or so ago the right side of the screen has become distorted. At first, it was a minor annoyance, as it’s only about an inch wide and would come and go at random. Plus, if I applied some pressure to the screen where the distortion appeared, it would go away. Unfortunately, it would inevitably re-appear a short while later, usually if I lightly bumped the laptop or moved it a bit.
Now it’s there all the time. I’ll open the laptop to use it and, after a minute or so, it’ll appear. Now the only way to make it go away is if I close the laptop. I can still use the computer, but the distorted column makes it hard to concentrate, plus I don’t know if it’s wrecking the screen any further. It’s hard to use various programs such as iMovie, as I’ll have to move them around so the distorted area isn’t covering any of my work.
What could have caused this? I installed any and all updates the other day, so everything’s up to date on there. I always keep it out of harm’s way, especially ever since our incident last year. When it’s not being used, it’s always on a soft surface, always under a bed, couch or some other area where our two-year old and cats can’t get to it. I also never keep it anywhere other than our family room or bedroom, where the room temperature is never too hot or cold. Trust me, nothing else has fallen on it since the new screen was purchased last year.
Are there any possible remedies to this? Or is it back to the Genius Bar again? I’m reluctant to try and take it apart at all, but if that’s my only option and there’s an easy method that won’t harm the computer, I suppose I could give it a shot. Or if there’s some video card setting I need to adjust I’m all for hearing about it.

It fixed it self when i picked up to use it this morning. Thanks for the tip I'll try that when all else fails.
If anyone else would like to tell me what they have done to fix this problem I would take any other advice as well.
Thanks, Ashka!

MacBook Pro Audio Problems!

I have been using my new MacBook Pro Retina since Christmas when I got it and loved it. However, I recently noticed that when using my Bose QC15 headphones with it, I was only getting audio in the left channel. I replaced the batteries in the headphone and made sure that the plug is firmly pushed in on either side and am still only getting one channel. I also tried using the headphones with my iPhone 5 and they weirdly worked fine. I want to know if this is a problem with the audio out port on the MacBook Pro or with my headphones which I don't think it is.
Thanks,
Lorenzo

Is SYSTEM PREFERENCES>SOUND>OUTPUT has balance in the center, take advantage of the warranty and have it fixed at an Apple store genius bar.
Ciao.

Macbook Pro Audio not working

Hi there!
The audio of my Macbook Pro stopped working suddenly (actually after i removed my headsets).
I'have tried different solutions including:
plugging and unplugging the jack
rebooting
resetting PRAM
installing updates
verifying disk permissions through disk utility
Any idea about what to do next?
Thank you in advice!
P.S:
This is what appears when I try to turn the volume up or down from the keyboard:
And this is the screen of System Preferences -> Sound:

Then you will have to stick the earphone jack in and out a few times to see if you can trip it. If no success, try a cocktail stirrer or the like and jiggle it inside. If still no success, the Apple store genius bar should be able to solve the problem.
Ciao.

MacBook Pro audio not working. Help?

I bought a MacBook Pro this summer and just last week the audio out stopped working. I tried resetting PRAM and have all the latest updates. All the sound control panel settings are correct, it's not muted.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

just encountered the same problem. had audio going, removed my headphones, but no sound came out. plugged it back in but and no sound through the headphones either.
and i just rebooted with my headphones in and it worked after!

Macbook Pro Audio - Share with Another Computer

I just bought a new set of speakers for use with my Macbook Pro. I would like to be able to keep it plugged in to my docking station but also have them available when I am using my WIndows PC. Can anyone recommend a way to do this? Do I need a KVM switch? I suppose I would prefer a device that switches the audio only, as there is no need for any of the other KVM functionality that would allow me to use the same keyboard or monitor for both computers. What is the safest way to do this? I don't want to break my speakers. Thanks.
sundevil671

Yes, very easy, it can only share a library when it is ON the same network, hence when the machine is off it does not show up.
It is still runnning home sharing but cannot connect via wifi for it to be shared so does not show it.

Connect iPod to MacBook Pro audio line-in port?

My 1st Gen iPod's Firewire port fried recently; it still delivers a charge to my iPod but won't allow it to mount. I can still listen to music with the headphone jack.
What sort of cable can I use to attach my iPod to the audio line-in on my Macbook Pro?

I also have this problem but with a slightly different twist..
I was using my plantronics (old ms gamevoice headset) with 10.5.2 and it worked, then installed the m-Audio Firewire Audiophile beta drivers and neither the audio-in or the m-audio audiophile line-in cause any VU-meter response (nor input) whereas the standard inbuilt microphone does.
After uninstalling the m-audio drivers the situation is still the same.
Oddly - if I plug in the headphones into the line-in (rather than microphone) then speak into them I actually get input audio (and VU-meter response) through the MBP's audio-in.
So the story about no power is used (hence the headphones create enough to register the sound) sounds about true... very annoying as I thought my old headset had died and went out and bought a new one.. that still doesn't explain the audiophile input issues..
Now I fully expect both companies to point fingers at each other.. I don't care - just get it fixed please.

Macbook Pro, audio input

I have a Macbook Pro 13". I would like to use the "Headphone" port as a "Microphopne" port and connect to an external audio input source (Mixer in a DJ set-up) and record my mixes. I have followed the instructions listed on various forums to do this but my computer does not give me the option to change from Sound Output to Sound Input under the tab "use audio port for" which can be found under System Preferences/Sound in the Apple drop down menu. I believe Apple for whatever reason dropped the external mic function on their newer Macbook Pro laptops. What can I do to fix this ?

Perhaps this is what you are looking for...
http://store.griffintechnology.com/catalog/product/view/id/623/s/imic/category/6 2/

Adobe Premiere Pro audio distortion

Hi,
I have Adobe Premiere CS2 and some audio distortion problems. I captured a footage from my Sony DV Digital-8 camcorder. It's a standard DV footage with 16-bit PCM audio. When audio is nearly-peaking (not peaking), it gets distorted in Premiere, but doesn't in other applications (VirtualDub, Media Player Classic, Windows Media Player, mplayer). I'm sure this is because an internal conversion (called conforming) from 16-bit PCM to 32-bit floating point PCM. Project Setting of the Audio Track is 48000Hz 32bit floating point - Stereo for a DV project, despites DV standard supports 16 or 12 bit Audio tracks. In user manual they write the following:
"For maximum editing performance and audio quality, Adobe Premiere Pro processes each audio channel, including audio channels in video clips, as 32-bit floating-point data at the project’s sample rate. To do this it must conform certain types of audio to match the 32-bit format and the project sample rate."
Well, if I'm a professional video editor, I can (and have the right to) decide whether which sample rate and bit-depth are the best for me, but they don't let me set audio other than the default, there is no option like bit-depth available not even when creating a NEW project. No problem if Adobe's genius developers thought 32-bit mixing provides much more quality, but if they forget to implement 16-bit to 32-bit internal conversion correctly, please let me decide to use at least a fallback method.
Thanks for your help
stringZ

Just looking at the waveform confirmed my initial reaction: Way, way
oversteered. Everything is clipped and your best approach is to
reshoot. That some players can handle this seriously mistreated audio
may be caused by audio limiters. They should, otherwise you would blow
up your speakers.
Well, you can say that and if this sample was a music maximized with compressors, it would distort too. Sony Digital-8 camcorder has an internal limiter, so only soft-peaking can occur, but no serious distortion. Media Players (eg. mplayer) don't have limiters unless you specify an external limiter filter. I've already told this isn't the clip you want me to re-shoot. This is a sample I created to show you the problem. I sent this to one of my friends who has Ulead MediaStudio Pro 7.0. It doesn't distort there either. Have you tried loading it to an audio editor like Audacity or Adobe Audition? You can see no hard-peaking or distortion if you zoom in the waveform.
Waveform at 00:00:00:21. No distortion, only high levels can be seen on this waveform.
Waveform after 00:00:00:21. Soft peaking in right (bottom) channel.
I'd appreciate if someone took this seriously instead of repeating "reshoot it" and "high levels".

Macbook Pro audio port not working.

I purchased a new Macbook Pro notebook about 4 weeks back. The audio port for headset does not work. I tried calling their support. Before I could speak to someone I was kept idenfinitely on hold for more than 10 minutes. I then disconnected. Terrrible service for the price they charge for their products.
Please help me solve the audio problem.

Have you tried a PRAM rest?
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1379
Ciao.

Retina Macbook pro audio quality is bad in windows 8.1

Like the title states, my Retina Macbook pro's (2012 model) audio quality is very bad in windows 8.1. It is unbearable to listen to music on it. I am using the latest bootcamp drivers, 5.1. I believe this is a driver problem, as it sounds fine in OS X. I tried to find the proper driver myself with no luck. I feel this is unacceptable on a computer I spent so much money on. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Yes...
I also just recently purchased a MacBook Pro retina 15 (mid-2014) with bootcamp (windows 8.1) installed. While using my windows partition, the MBP seems to be running a bit hot, at least hotter than the OS X partition.
As for comparison, I have the 2012 MacBook Pro retina 13 with bootcamp (windows 8.1). It does not get as hot as the 15, and in fact, I don't think it runs hotter than OS X...
Any thoughts? Is it perhaps because I have the NVIVIDA dedicated graphics and in the windows partition, IRIS PRO isn't running?

Retina Macbook Pro Speaker Distortion

I bought a Macbook Pro with Retina Display back in 2012 and recently I have had problems with the left speaker. The sound produced by the left speaker sounds very distorted (that awful buzzing noise you hear from old speakers when the volume is turned up high). The thing is, my machine has outlived it's warranty and I don't want to spend money on another machine, so I'm hoping to god that it isn't a hardware problem. I'm willing to pay a little to get the speakers replaced. I'm reluctant to upgrade it because to my knowledge, this is the last remaining model of the retina macbook pro line that accommodates an SSD upgrade. Have anyone had this issue and solved it? If not then how much does it usually cost for the speakers to be replaced?

Go to the iFixit.com and Powerbookmedic.com web sites for parts, prices and instructions. It may be a good idea to have the MBP checked at an Apple store genius bar. The evaluation will be free and you may find that the replacement cost may be modest.
Ciao,

MacBook Pro Audio Distortion

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