I noticed that the new iMac does not seem to have an audio input. Does this give anyone else pause about purchasing it ? I myself have some analog audio files to upload to my iMac, and this could be a problem. Has anybody used an analog mic to USB adapter and can comment how they work- if at all ??? I was waiting to buyone of these new iMacs, but may wait until my audio project is over.... Thoughts
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New iMac...where is audio input
- Thread starter rjpcbean
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Possible Solution - USB audio input
I am going to look into a USB audio input/output device I foundon the internet, that I probably can get for about $20.00 - I wil test this with my old iMac and MacBook Pro before buying the new iMac - not that I can do that for months anyway... What is the possiblity that the headphone port is both input/output ? I may also visit an Apple Store in December/January and try to test this live before purchasing.... I hope more details will be available about this, but I imagine everybody is obsessed with how "thin" it is. I didn't see that as a major advantage in a machin that sits in one place facing forward for months or years at a time... I am quite interested in the fusion drive, just wish it had a bigger option for SSD - say 3TB/256 or 3TB/512 or even 3TB/768 - but the price would probably be out of this world..
I am going to look into a USB audio input/output device I foundon the internet, that I probably can get for about $20.00 - I wil test this with my old iMac and MacBook Pro before buying the new iMac - not that I can do that for months anyway... What is the possiblity that the headphone port is both input/output ? I may also visit an Apple Store in December/January and try to test this live before purchasing.... I hope more details will be available about this, but I imagine everybody is obsessed with how "thin" it is. I didn't see that as a major advantage in a machin that sits in one place facing forward for months or years at a time... I am quite interested in the fusion drive, just wish it had a bigger option for SSD - say 3TB/256 or 3TB/512 or even 3TB/768 - but the price would probably be out of this world..
I noticed that as well. Seems a puzzling omission. I've got an M-Audio USB interface that takes a microphone and guitar input and I'm happy with that.
Yes, I use several different. But as always, you more or less get what you pay for. Prices has moved down considerably the last few years, but for top quality you need to pay. The cost is partly due to needing analog components where the price has not moved down along with the digital revolution.
Only one example: a unit I own and like is the RME Babyface. Retail lists it at $799. Quite a chunk of money, agreed, but the sound quality is well above the audio input of any Mac which I request as I use it to record symphony orchestras. This is professional quality, useable also in a commercial studio setting, although a "real" studio tends to go even higher in price. It fits my usage as I can connect two microphones for stereo recording and feed them 48V phantom power (which my mics require), and it lives most days in my setup doubling as monitor controller. But that is my situation.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Babyface
There are literally hundreds of USB interfaces on the market, priced from a few tens of dollars up to 6000 dollars and more. I find it hard to recommend any one specifically as your requirements on sound quality probably are different from mine.
You should be able to get a working unit for less than $100, but how much less is a bit difficult to say. By working I mean that it runs well with the mac without hiccups and that it has reasonably good frequency range and reasonably low self noise. Even low priced units today offer about 90dB signal to noise ratio, and with careful use this is about what you get from most CD-s ( maximum S/N ratio of a CD is a few dB-s more, we could have a very long discussion about exact figurers here, but lets not do that ). It is about the kind of quality you get from the built-in sound inputs on macs. Some units allows you to connect microphones directly without losing quality, other units require external preamps for mic inputs or loses in sound quality. It all depends as people say.
Perhaps others can chime in with their experiences.
// Gunnar
Nope!
Looks like you'll need a USB device.
The audio port says it supports apple headphone mics only, which means only mics configured correctly will work.
So if it works on your iDevice, it will work on your Mac.
And THAT'S why they did it. Make sense now.
Not that I'm happy about it.
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Only headsets that work with iDevices will work on the iMac.
Frustrating.
Time for USB options!
Looks like you'll need a USB device.
The audio port says it supports apple headphone mics only, which means only mics configured correctly will work.
So if it works on your iDevice, it will work on your Mac.
And THAT'S why they did it. Make sense now.
Not that I'm happy about it.
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Only headsets that work with iDevices will work on the iMac.
Frustrating.
Time for USB options!
iMac mini ( new) still has audio in/out- separate
I have been looking at the new Mac mini, and I am increasingly being tempted to buy it instead of the new iMac. I never thought I would do this, but it's performance is impressive, it is way cheaper, and seems more versatile than the new iMac....HDMI, in/out audio, USB 3, 16 GB RAM, and the fusion drive ( albeit only the TB...at least for now) all make it very attractive vs the new "super thin" iMac.....anybody else considering this ?
I have been looking at the new Mac mini, and I am increasingly being tempted to buy it instead of the new iMac. I never thought I would do this, but it's performance is impressive, it is way cheaper, and seems more versatile than the new iMac....HDMI, in/out audio, USB 3, 16 GB RAM, and the fusion drive ( albeit only the TB...at least for now) all make it very attractive vs the new "super thin" iMac.....anybody else considering this ?
It's time to get up to speed and buy a USB audio interface folks. You'll be glad you did. They start at $30.
Don't get a $30 interface though, It'll be crap.
Regardless of this, decent USB audio I/O's are much better and have far better ADCs in and many more inputs, often including DI inputs as well as XLR and other balanced connectors.
Also has the benefit of not damaging/dragging off the desk your mac if you trip over a cable.
The thunderbolt ports double up as minidisplayports which can easily transmit HDMI signals.
I'd like to go thunderbolt to HDMI to hook up to my LED if possible. Can I go Thunderbolt to Optical on my AVR? Is there even 2 thunderbolt ports?
I'd rather bring this thread back than create a duplicate.
I recently took delivery of a late 2012 27" iMac and I'm in the same position as the OP regarding the audio input. I have a Turtle Beach gaming headset (X12) that I use on my Xbox but I fancied trying it on the iMac. I realised that there was no line in/mic so I had to just use the built-in mics on the iMac. There's no problem with this as they seem to work great but I can't hear my own voice in the headphones as you can when using it on the Xbox. This might sound weird to people who haven't experienced this but it's a feature of the headphones and I really got used to it. Is there a workaround to get this working on the iMac, maybe with one of the USB 3.0 ports? I had a look around and came across the Griffin iMic but I'm not sure if it's exactly what I'm looking for. I had a look on Amazon (.de as I'm in Germany) and I saw there's the iMic and the iMic2 - I'm not sure what the difference is. Anyway, thanks in advance!
I recently took delivery of a late 2012 27" iMac and I'm in the same position as the OP regarding the audio input. I have a Turtle Beach gaming headset (X12) that I use on my Xbox but I fancied trying it on the iMac. I realised that there was no line in/mic so I had to just use the built-in mics on the iMac. There's no problem with this as they seem to work great but I can't hear my own voice in the headphones as you can when using it on the Xbox. This might sound weird to people who haven't experienced this but it's a feature of the headphones and I really got used to it. Is there a workaround to get this working on the iMac, maybe with one of the USB 3.0 ports? I had a look around and came across the Griffin iMic but I'm not sure if it's exactly what I'm looking for. I had a look on Amazon (.de as I'm in Germany) and I saw there's the iMic and the iMic2 - I'm not sure what the difference is. Anyway, thanks in advance!
The "missing hardware" was one of the reasons I went with a Mini instead of an iMac.
I already have an external audio/MIDI interface (Edirol FA-66), but it's Firewire. The 2012 iMac doesn't have FW either. So I would have had to buy a new USB audio interface if I got the iMac.
The other thing missing on the 2012 iMac is the Infrared sensor, so if you've got an Apple remote, it won't work. The Mini has audio in, FW and IR.
I already have an external audio/MIDI interface (Edirol FA-66), but it's Firewire. The 2012 iMac doesn't have FW either. So I would have had to buy a new USB audio interface if I got the iMac.
The other thing missing on the 2012 iMac is the Infrared sensor, so if you've got an Apple remote, it won't work. The Mini has audio in, FW and IR.
Thanks for the feedback. Is there a specific USB audio interface that you recommend for my situation? I see that the Griffin iMic is mentioned a lot but is it any better than the much cheaper USB audio in solutions?
The iMic seems fine to give you the function of an audio-in socket via USB. I've not used it, so I can't recommend it.
My Edirol box connects my Mac to an amp and speakers, as well as providing a loopback so I can record the computer's output as an input. I also run MIDI cables to an old keyboard. I can record stuff portably with XLR stereo mics on my MacBook with it too.
I haven't seen anything on USB that matches most of the mid-range FireWire self-powered Audio/MIDI interfaces. No doubt that will change with USB3 devices coming out over the next year or two.
My Edirol box connects my Mac to an amp and speakers, as well as providing a loopback so I can record the computer's output as an input. I also run MIDI cables to an old keyboard. I can record stuff portably with XLR stereo mics on my MacBook with it too.
I haven't seen anything on USB that matches most of the mid-range FireWire self-powered Audio/MIDI interfaces. No doubt that will change with USB3 devices coming out over the next year or two.
Thanks for the reply. I just read about this based on some feedback directly from Turtle Beach. It seems like it'll do the job.