USB Mic (static, robot sounds)

Only in the last month or so, I have been having problems with my usb mic(s). When I am using Ventrilo, Skype etc., after a while people say I sound like a robot and or get a ton of static. I have tried using different headsets, different usb ports etc etc., only to have it keep occuring.
Any ideas on what I can do? Is this a sound board going bad? Is it maybe something with 10.5.7?

This likely has to do with USB Clocking. Mac OS 10.5 is actually pretty bad with this. Have a read of this article and follow their recommendation for creating an aggregate audio device. Even if you have only one mic it sometimes seems to fix things:
http://www.macworld.com/article/138535/2009/02/audio_input.html
Message was edited by: CdaveC

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USB mic static, robot noise after period of time

Hello everyone,
This is the original issue: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2166616?start=75&tstart=0
I have some answers (not solutions) for this issue and a response from Apple's engineers regarding the it.
After extensive testing, recording the audible issue, sending system captures to Apple and working with Tier 2 support - I've finally recieved a response that they are acknowledging there is a software problem within OS X. They initially told me this was likely hardware issue or third party problem but finally concluded they needed to fix Apple drivers.
HOWEVER - there is currently no timeline for this fix. In order to show Apple how important this problem is to us all there are 2 things you can do (please do BOTH):
1) Submit a bug report here: https://bugreport.apple.com
     - be very detailed!
     - the more bugs apple gets regarding this issue the higher they will prioritize a fix.
     - Apple DOES NOT monitor these forums and will not accept your complaining here as official report.
2) Call Applecare (if you have coverage) and report the issue.
     - Offer to send them a system capture (a small tool they will send to capture your system details etc.)
     - tell them about the many discussion on thier offical forums where they can get more info
     - offer to assist them in any way possible to have this problem further identified and fixed
Doing these things will help fix the issue faster. Please take 10-20 minutes of your day to do these things!
I can confirm that the issue hapenns on ANY Mac post-10.5.7 with virtually ANY (7 different brands tested) third party USB microphone.
I hope you will all take quick action and help apple solve this annoying problem.
Thanks and goodluck!

This likely has to do with USB Clocking. Mac OS 10.5 is actually pretty bad with this. Have a read of this article and follow their recommendation for creating an aggregate audio device. Even if you have only one mic it sometimes seems to fix things:
http://www.macworld.com/article/138535/2009/02/audio_input.html
Message was edited by: CdaveC

USB Mic Static

I have a MXL USB .007 microphone. I just got a MacBook Pro and was excited to record on it, but come to find out, the audio drivers for Leopard create static in recordings. I've looked around the forum and there doesn't seem to be one answer to this problem.
Should I expect a software update from apple fixing this problem or should I give up on the hope that this problem will ever be fixed...

I'm having exactly the same problem, I doubt it is MXls' fault. I confirmed it by listening to Typeshape's recording.
Its such a frustrating sound to hear.
I'm running a MXL mike or Roland Digital Piano into a Behringer Xenyx 802 mixer which is going into a Behringer UCA202 USB DAC.
I updated from 10.5.2 to 10.5.4 hoping that the update would solve the problem. While I was given about 40 minutes of static free recording, it came back with a vengeance after the that. At low levels. Coming in from the microphone or the keyboard.
At first I thought it was the behringer gear as admittedly equipment made by that German-Chinese collaboration doesn't really have the sturdiest reputation. However, based on these threads it appears to affect many makes of equipment:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7298133&#7298133
and here:
http://www.homerecordingconnection.com/forum.php?action=view_thread&id=14657&frm =1
I did attempt to use the 'go back to the pre 10.5 USB audio driver hack' included in the above link but it only had limited success. Worked for a while then kept on staticing.
This has got to be the most frustrating problem. Its surprising, given the high number of music users that are mac loyalists, that Apple have not been able to solve it through 2 revisions of Leopard.
I don't have any solutions. However, perhaps others might take comfort in the fact that they are not alone!
Further insights here:
http://createdigitalmusic.com/2008/05/28/mac-os-x-1053-released-addresses-usb-au dio-issues/#comments
http://createdigitalmusic.com/2008/07/01/mac-os-x-1054-fixes-airport-issues-with -logic-what-about-other-apps/#comments

Dual USB Mics - Imbalance of sound in Podcast

Hi
My wife and I are creating a PodCast in Garageband (first time using GB!). For the Podcast, we purchased 2 Blue Snowball USB microphones, including Pop filters.
I have followed the directions outlined here. No problem following the various steps, however, I have not used "Soundflower" yet.
When all is installed, Mic # 1 (male voice) sound comes through very clearly (quite loud). By contrast, Mic # 2 seems "distant" - voice recorded has a lot of echo and does not have the "presence" of Mic 1. To be sure the microphone was not defective, I switched the USB wires (they are both plugged directly into my iMac). The effect experienced with Mic 2 now shows up in Mic 1 and vice versa.
I have also noticed an error message appearing when I restart the computer (perhaps has no effect). The error says AudioPcDriver.kext incorrectly installed. Given it's an audio extension, I thought perhaps it might be contributing to the microphone imbalance.
Appreciate any feedback or guidance here.
thanks

Hi HT
Thanks for responding.
I tapped each mic. Only one showed sound recording. I switched the USB cables. No problem with the mics as the lack of sound on one mic switched to the other mic on the GB panel.
Here's a few screen shots:
Audio Midi Panel:
Male Track
Female Track
Thanks for the help.
Message was edited by: Hawaiian_Starman

Robotic Sounds at End of Songs

So on my new laptop, nearly all of the songs I play, the ending goes into an static/robotic sound of the song. Like the song is still playing, you can hear it, but more robotic like. Any help fixing this problem?

Hey deadlylaugh,
If you are having an issue with iTunes for Windows playing your songs with poor sound quality at the end of songs, I would suggest that you troubleshoot using the steps in this article -
iTunes and QuickTime for Windows: Audio does not play or plays incorrectly - Apple Support
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Be well,
Brett L

Output sound distortion when USB Mic Connected

Hi everyone,
Really appreciate anyone’s help on this sound distortion problem.
I have been using the new 2014 iMac 27' for last 8 Months, bought Brand New, and recently updated to Yosemite. Everything worked fine including recording, until this update.
I'm using Blue Yeti USB Mic for recording, and few days after the update I was trying to record in GarageBand and the output sound (via headphone connected to USB MIc) started to distort and then suddenly dropped the bitrate/ sound and I could only hear some clicks. I reinstalled the GargeBand, still its the same distortion happens. The sound gets back to normal, only for few seconds, after I unplug the USB cable from the Mic device. And I tried changing the bit rate and again sounds starts to drop after few sec. This happens only when I connect the Blue Yeti USB Mic and sound output from the Mic itself. Same thing happens with iTunes as well. Output sound from Internal mic and speakers are working fine as normal.
I tried connecting the USB Mic to my Windows laptop and its working fine with the Cubase 5 without any problem. So the problem is with the output sound, when external Mic connected.
I don’t know the solution for this. Have checked on every single blog/ thread, sill couldn’t find the answer I’m looking for, to fix this.
It would be great if you have any kind of a solution for the same.
Info : FYI
Mac
OS X Yosemite: Version 10.10.2
iMac (27-inch, Late 2013)
Processor : 3.2 GHz Intel Core i5
Hard-drive : 1 TB SATA Disk
Ram: 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M 1024 MB
Built-in Output:
Default System Output Device:       Yes
Manufacturer:                                  Apple Inc.
Output Channels:                             2
Current SampleRate:                      48000
Transport:                                        Built-in
Yeti Stereo Microphone:
Default Input Device:                      Yes
Default Output Device:                    Yes
Input Channels:                               2
Manufacturer:                                 Blue Microphones
Output Channels:                            2
Current SampleRate:                      48000
Transport:

Nope. The larger buffer didn't work. What did work was running a cord out of the 1/4-inch jack from the direct box to a 1/4-to-1/8-inch adapter and then into the mic/line-in jack on my computer. I set GarageBand to use the built-in line-in and had no static problems. It's a stopgap until this gets fixed.
A post by LinuxMercedes on Oct. 3 at http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=8158914 may provide a solution.

No sound when AT2020 USB mic is connected.

Followed set up instructions I can see logic pro x recognizes the mic but I get no sound. I will only get sound from my USB keyboard when the USB mic is disconnected.

Did you select the USB audio in the audio menu ? Have you created an audio track on the arrage page and selected the proper input source (AT2020 USB) and lastly did you record enable the audio track or the (I) at the bottom of the channel strip to audition the incoming audio signal?

USB mic - No Sound

Hello,
I am using a MXL 006 USB microphone with Logic 8, but cannot get any sound at all. I have followed all the steps in the instruction booklet, the red light is on, I have connected via the USB port on the Macbook Pro, not via a hub, but still no sound.
Any suggestions on what the problem maybe?
Mc

And have you set the mic as the audio driver in Logic?
Really, these USB mics are a really crappy invention in my opion (not that you asked for it, of course!
Fine for doing something cheap and cheerful in Garageband, but moving onto Logic Pro, you really should get something a bit less computer-novice like...

Help With Audition CS6: Adding windows sound to accompany USB Mic

Hey Guys,
I have a Blue Yeti USB microphone that I wil be using to create a podcast with a friend over skype. When I am setting up audition cs6 I cannot seem to get the USB mic AND skype audio to be recording at the same time. Is this because I do not have a dedicated sound card, or is there something else I am missing?
On a side note, when I set the multitrack to the stereo mix, it says that there are two different types of audio signals and wont record.
Thanks for your help!

dancalgary wrote:
I have been using Audition on this computer for the past few months now. The computer itself is an Alienware laptop, with the most optimal specifications we could get. So right away ram, disk space, disk writing speed, processor, and sound hardware should not be an issue at all.
I take it that you are using the internal sound hardware, then. If this is the case, then you could easily have problems with the sound device, because there isn't a single laptop made that has a decent sound system in it. For a start, none of them support ASIO - which is inherently what Audition uses to produce its output. What happens to get around this is that Audition has to provide an internal extra driver to drive the default sound driver, and this is at best a compromise. If you want decent sound from a laptop, then you need an external sound device with an ASIO driver.
As for W8, well I'm with Bob on this one. It's new, slightly weird, and as with all M$ operating systems, all bets are off until at least the first service pack is issued. If you have anti-virus software that's any more aggressive than AVG, then turn it off. The other common gotcha is wifi - some systems manage to give a massively high priority to wifi polling, and sometimes just turning it off completely is the only way to get any sort of performance at all. I must say though that lately this doesn't seem to have been anything like as much of an issue as it used to be back in the bad old days...
But, if you have badly stuttering playback, then it sounds as though your HD streaming isn't working as it should, and that something else is getting priority access to the drive - which is sometimes where virus scans can catch you out. You really do need to stop pretty much everything unnecessary running, one way or another. And get an external sound device that uses ASIO - this effectively bypasses most of the OS, and gives Audition pretty direct access to the device.

How do I get sound out when I plug in a USB mic?

How do I get sound out when I plug in a USB mic? I cannot hear my instrument tracks either. It will record my vocals, but I can't hear them. If I unplug the mic and restore the internal devices, then I can hear all tracks, including the vocals. I'm sure there's a simple solution.

Hi
Prior to Logic 9, you cannot separately choose Input/Output audio devices, so you either have the USB Mic, or the Built-in audio (or an external audio interface).
To set up for 'mixed' devices, you need to use AudiMIDI Setup (Utilities folder) to create an Aggregate Device.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3956
Note that I recall that it was 'sensitive' to which order you create the devices with some USB Mics.
HTH
CCT

USB mic sounds low on GarageBand

I just purchased a Samson CO1U usb mic for my podcast on GarageBand and the sound is very low. How can I fix that so it sounds like the built-in mic?

The Samson comes with a pre-amp software - use that to boost the volume! Also, look into the Audio/Midi Utility and make sure that your mic is a mono source, not stereo.

USB Mic Problems - Static/Echo/Weird Noises

When I am using my USB Mic (Tritton AX 720) is sometimes get static echos and weird noises. Its very sporadic it randomly comes and goes, I have tried a lot of combinations nothing works the static comes when it wants and leaves when it wants. Does anyone have any solutions?
Thanks a lot!

I'm having the exact same issue on two different Mac Pros with three different USB based headsets. It happens consistently with every single use, after about 45 minutes or so. In fact, almost 45 minutes on the dot.

How do you record video with usb mic and have the audio from garageband be the sound when recording and not just your normal voice but garage band effects for youtube?

How do you record video with usb mic and have the audio form garageband be apart of the video when recording, meaning the audio from garageband and echo and not just your normal voice for youtube post?its not add the garageband audio its just normal voice from mic no effects is going thru?

Hi Life93,
What you describe would be possible by recording your video, then removing the audio from it and adding audio from GarageBand once the video is in iMovie (I presume here that you are using iMovie for your video production. Other applications may need different methods.)
See this thread on how to remove the audio from a clip in iMovie -
Is there a way to separate audio from a video c...
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/1779767
To add audio from GarageBand use this article -
iMovie '11: Add a sound clip to your project
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH2255
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Brett L

No Sound from USB Mic

I can't get sound from my mic. I have my guitar plugged in and have sound from it but not the mic. I tried setting up an aggregate device but it didn't work. When on my sound screen I have input volume from the mic but still no output. I only have one choice for my output and that is headphones. What am I doing wrong?

Hi moxie39, I have been fighting with my Snowball USB mic and read your post. I made an aggregate device that consists of the USB mic and output as you mentioned (I also tried USB mic and built-in-input), but I cannot change in the LE8 preferences to a different device. It doesn't give me an option to change it to an aggregate device only a built-in-mic and built-in-input, neither of which work. Any suggestions from you or from anyone?

Device ID on Sound Input for USB Mic

I have a usb mic and I and trying to use th esound pinput configure VI. I need to input the location for my usb mic. But going to device manager says my mic is at location 0000.0013.0000.002.000.000.000.000.000.
I obviously cannot use that in the location input on the vi. Is there a simple way to get around this?

Updated: Here is a snippet of code on the left. The default is 0, the standard mic in on a sound card. But since this mic isn't on a sound card I am not sure how to use its location. Or whether this is simply a different and better way. Any one else run into this problem?
Here is a photo of the properties under the device manager.

USB Mic (static, robot sounds)

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