'Crackling' Sound when I try to record myself singing

[mllebelle]

Ok, so I only got Audacity because I want to record myself singing properly with backing tracks, etc.
I have a Macbook Pro, and I recorded myself singing on Audacity by importing the instrumental track, and then creating a new track and recording my voice along with it. I also put headphones in when I was recording myself singing because I heard that's the best way to get better sound.
It's all fine except when I have to sing louder and there's crackling noises. I've tried adjusting the volume but it doesn't get rid of it.
Is there a better way to record yourself singing?

[kozikowski]

Overwhelming chance the microphone or the microphone amplifier channel is overloading. That would be the microphone you didn't tell us anything about. What, exactly are you singing into?

Koz

[mllebelle]

I'm not using a mic, just singing to the laptop

[kozikowski]

Very cool! I always wondered what would happen if someone did that instead of all those fancy wires.

You do have a microphone. It's a little thing behind the grill just to the left of the "fn" key if you're on a 15" MacBook Pro. So don't cover that up with your hand while you're recording.

Apple > System Preferences > Hardware > Sound > Input > Internal Microphone > Adjust that slider so your loudest note does not cause that bouncing light meter to go all the way up -- to the right.

Nobody will award that microphone any prizes, but it should be OK. I guess it is possible to overload it if you are a particularly energetic singer. Then you have no choice but to do to an external microphone.

See if the adjustment helps.

Koz

[mllebelle]

It worked. Thank you so so much.

[kozikowski]

If you wander around the forum, you know we put great stock in the personal experiences -- and samples -- of the posters. So, when you get a performance you're happy with, please Export as FLAC and post four or five seconds of it here. That may be all that fits.

I was going to say reduce it to mono from stereo to save space, but that's a little involved in Audacity 1.2.

You may have the only singing performance into a MacBook Pro of anybody who's posted. That makes you a celebrity.

Koz