Might there be a problem with my MacBook's audio in?

[PDiPietro]

This is audio related, but involves the technical issues of the MacBook itself, so I figured that I would ask here.

I've been wanting to record in GarageBand with my guitar/keyboard, and when I got a 1/4" to 1/8" stereo jack from Radioshack today (about $4), plug it into my guitar cord (which is a pretty decent to good quality), and then plug the 1/8" end into my MacBook C2D, turn the Line In setting on in both the System Preferences and in GarageBand's preferences (and turn on the Monitor so it outputs through my speakers), I get nothing. However, if I put the jack in about halfway, it'll play albeit with a bit of static, presumably because it's not in all of the way.

I know that Preamps are recommended for Line In and recording, but I don't think that it should be doing this, should it? It's not as if Apple's pages about setting up a guitar says "Oh, this won't work if you put the jack all of the way in, but will somewhat if you go halfway and twitch it around a bit until the sound works".

Is it a technical issue?

 

[mattscott306]

It could be the hardware, but it could also be the radio shack cable. We all know radio shack isn't the best quality, but monster Cable sells the same thing, I used it for about a year, and that one worked fine.

Really, unless you have another 1/8" piece of equipment, there really is no way you can see if it is the macbook (that I know of).

 

[PDiPietro]

Well, I'm hoping that it's just the jack. If it's the hardware, then I won't look forward to having to get it fixed.

I do need to get a preamp, though, which may be part of the problem.