Really no Mic in on a Mac Pro?

[kork]

My friend just bought a Mac Pro and now has issues getting a simple headset to work with it. It seems like the line in does not amplify the signal so whatever he speaks into his microphone is too faint to be recorded. Now I wonder if he does something wrong or if it is really true that a $3000 Mac has no support for a 3.5mm mic in which is available on even the cheapest PC and also on my MacBook Pro. I am not talking about any fancy stuff like phantom power or so, just a plain simple 3.5mm microphone that works everywhere else. Any insights in how to get this to would be greatly appreciated.

[sidewinder]

You might want to look at the "Sound" preference pane in "System Preferences".

S-

[kork]

Well we did. And we raised input to maximum. We connected some MP3 player to the input and it worked pretty well. The microphone did not. The same microphone works pretty well on all other computers we have tested...

[Plutonius]

My friend just bought a Mac Pro and now has issues getting a simple headset to work with it. It seems like the line in does not amplify the signal so whatever he speaks into his microphone is too faint to be recorded. Now I wonder if he does something wrong or if it is really true that a $3000 Mac has no support for a 3.5mm mic in which is available on even the cheapest PC and also on my MacBook Pro. I am not talking about any fancy stuff like phantom power or so, just a plain simple 3.5mm microphone that works everywhere else. Any insights in how to get this to would be greatly appreciated.

You need a powered mic (not the simple 3.5mm mic). I highly recommend a logitech usb mic.

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Desktop-Microphone-Black-Silver/dp/B00009EHJV

[Cindori]

Now I wonder if he does something wrong or if it is really true that a $3000 Mac has no support for a 3.5mm mic in which is available on even the cheapest PC and also on my MacBook Pro.

this is correct.

[thegoldenmackid]

Chances are if you spend that much money on a tower, you aren't going to want the quality that a 3.5mm mic has.

[Consultant]

For professional audio applications, you always want to use an external sound card.

[Plutonius]

Now I wonder if he does something wrong or if it is really true that a $3000 Mac has no support for a 3.5mm mic in which is available on even the cheapest PC and also on my MacBook Pro.

All Macs require powered mics (including the MacBook Pro). Note - Your MacBook Pro was probably using it's internal mic when you were testing the external 3.5mm on it. Do a search on the topic in Macrumors and you will see that you need a powered mic with a Mac.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=98180

[kork]

For professional audio applications, you always want to use an external sound card.

Hmm, i see. Is there any sound card you could recommend?

[alphaod]

Hmm, i see. Is there any sound card you could recommend?

What's your budget and application?

[kork]

Well audio recording and processing, preferably with 5.1 support. Budget I'm not sure yet, but it doesnt have to be the cheapest thing on earth...

[goMac]

Also of note... The Mac Pro has optical audio in... I don't know much about the port... but I'd assume it's conceivable you could buy a device to input to that port.

[nightfly13]

You might consider getting a webcam/microphone solution. I have a logitech webcam with build in mic via USB and that covers two bases for me.

[Tesselator]

Chances are if you spend that much money on a tower, you aren't going to want the quality that a 3.5mm mic has.

I agree! I have about 20 or more "good" mics some running well over $2,000. The best mic I've ever used for voice however is the Heil PR-40 which has all the qualities and specs of a >$2K mic but costs only about $200 to $250. Sweet mic!

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511QD2RS94L._SS500_.jpg
http://www.heilsound.com/pro/products/pr40/


You do need an audio interface for it tho!
I like the Edirol and M-Audio units myself. Currently I'm using the $800, 10-input, big honking, slightly old, UA-1000:

http://www.roland.com/products/com/UA-1000/images/top_M.jpg (http://www.roland.com/products/en/UA-1000/)

and also the M-Audio Ozone which basicaly has the functionality of this: http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/FastTrackPro.html but with a keyboard and control surface.

http://www.disk.cz/disk/img/OBRAZKY-WEB/M-AUDIO/Ozone/ozone_IO.jpg

I have more than a few other audio interfaces but I like these best in the home user price range.

Whatever you choose have fun and good luck!

[GoKyu]

I've been really happy with the Snowball Mic (http://www.bluemic.com/snowball/) from Blue Microphones.

You can usually get one a little cheaper from Amazon (right now they're running about $75.)

It's fully powered by USB, so there's just the one USB cable, and that's all you need to deal with.

[kork]

You do need an audio interface for it tho!

Do you know an audio interface that would support 5.1 output as well and would also work in bootcamp?

[Syonidism]

I can also suggest the Razer megalodon for you if youre into gaming too.

but imo its more than just a gaming headset:

-7.1 sound
-external usb powered sound card ( less gpu usage for your mac / however small )
- ambient noise cancelling (both mic + headset)

and overall a nicely done quality razer product which i always trust.

PS: I also hate the fact that my mac pro cant just decipher the simplest of mics. i mean... come on. Also the lack of card reader on this bad baby twists my pants.

[Tesselator]

Do you know an audio interface that would support 5.1 output as well and would also work in bootcamp?

I think any AI that has an optical connection like the Mac can accept 5.1 or 6.1 or even 7.1. The thing is that most of them will not drive speakers and lots of them do not have enough analogue jacks for separated output to a mixer or whatever. You'll probably still need a downstream processor to process the signal.



.

[seisend]

Well I got professional Microphones and stuff, but I just would like to have a Mic that I can hide or just is very small. just for talking in skype and stuff... Don't want to put on a headset or speak into a dildo on my desk.

[Tesselator]

Well I got professional Microphones and stuff, but I just would like to have a Mic that I can hide or just is very small. just for talking in skype and stuff... Don't want to put on a headset or speak into a dildo on my desk.

No dildos? How about a flat tittty-looking thing?

http://www.spksound.co.th/images/productall/14112551143739.jpg

It even has a push-button nipple. :D




.

[seisend]

No dildos? How about a flat tittty-looking thing?

http://www.spksound.co.th/images/productall/14112551143739.jpg

lol.... cheap.... price ... :) I mean something like a phone loudspeaker thingy. you placed it anywhere on your desk , maybe behind the screen. Just for PC and under 100 bugs . ;-) Nothing professional, just simple easy and for skype etc.

[lesreaper2009]

I know this is a really old thread, but it's really stupid to not have a mic in. I edit movies, and I just want to put on a damn headset to talk on skype.

Another Apple fail. Ugh, I'm really getting ready to leave this company.

[GoKyu]

I know this is a really old thread, but it's really stupid to not have a mic in. I edit movies, and I just want to put on a damn headset to talk on.

Easy, buy a Logitech USB headset - runs anywhere from $30-40, and worked great for me using Skype. I don't use this method anymore because my phone has Skype, but I do use it to record audio for videos I put on YouTube.

[CaptainChunk]

A USB headset or a USB sound card dongle can do the trick if you need something simple.

Modern MBPs have mic-in functionality provided you use a device (like the iPhone earbuds) with a 3-ring mini plug, IIRC. Outside of that, you're stuck using an external device or audio I/O card.

[ActionableMango]

There is no Mic In. Use any USB Microphone, firewire microphone, or get a USB adapter such as the Griffin iMic to use your existing microphone.

Also, some current model Logitech USB keyboards also have a Mic In port.

Apple Cinema Displays also have a mic.

[Macsonic]

You may want to try the USB Logitech headset H530 as it is for Mac and Windows:
http://www.logitech.com/en-us/webcam-communications/internet-headsets-phones/devices/7115

The mic works here as this is what I use to chat. Its plug and play with the Mac Pro. No need of drivers or any sound card. Costs about $50 dollars. Music or chat works fine too. Normally if you want a mic it is available only on the Apple cinema display which is more expensive