Audacity Forum

Hello:
I've been using this version for several months and am very pleased. However, I need more input volume. Waveforms barely register on the meter. I can't change Core Audio source from built-in microphone or built-in input; I'm using a Sony ECM-MS907 mic, NOT something built-in. Is there a way to change this? What other parameters can I fiddle with? I'm not a professional audio person (obviously), and I don't know anyone who has Audacity. Can you help?

Many thanks!
medren

<<<Can you help?>>>

No, or at least I can give you information, but I can't solve your problem.

The information from the Sony web site claims that this is a perfectly delightful, self-powered condenser microphone with dual capsules and effects patterns. It's stereo and will plug directly into a Sony MiniDisk recorder or a Sony DAT recorder, and several of the user comments were very complimentary about how it worked when used like that.

It will not, however, plug easily into a computer.

The stereo input on your Mac (assuming it's a newer one) is expecting an audio signal roughly 1000 times louder than what your microphone can produce. This microphone won't plug into a PC, either, because although many of them have microphone inputs, they're all mono--not stereo--and apply battery voltage on one of the connections. This could damage the microphone.

I don't see a good way out. You have a microphone that's incompatible with your computer and was intentionally designed that way.

Koz

Hey Koz:
Thanks for your, um, input. While I'm disappointed at what you had to say, I'm glad to know in which direction to go now, which apparently is "get a mic that is compatible with my Mac." My Mac is new, a MacBook purchased in January, and I think manufactured last summer. It is 10.5.2, Leopard, and has Intel duo-core processor, although I haven't done the boot camp thing with Windows, and won't, because I believe it'll just lead to complications I can do without. I had enough problems with Windows, which I why I switched to Mac after using PCs for 14 years. I have used this microphone very happily with my mini-disc machine, which is why I thought it would work with this Mac.
Thanks again.

You could always record on the minidisk, then record from the minidisk player into the Mac.

If you are lucky, you may even be able to plug the mic into the minidisk player and the output from the minidisk player into the Mac and record straight into the Mac (effectively using the minidisk player as a microphone pre-amp - however this will depend on whether the minidisk player can do this.

<<<You could always record on the minidisk, then record from the minidisk player into the Mac.>>>

So I hit it a lot closer than I thought. Yes, double recording would work. It lets you be a lot more portable as well--and gives you hardware backup. We like hardware backup.

<<<"get a mic that is compatible with my Mac.">>>

There are no microphones compatible with our Macs. There are conventional microphones that take a signal booster, MicPre, or mixing desk; and then there are non-audio microphones.

USB Microphone
http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/USB_Microphone.html

That seems to be an early version that has some minor errors in it, but you get the idea.

Koz

I use exactly this microphone on my Windows XP set-up, but it is connected to my PC via an external USB "soundcard" - I use the dirol UA-1EX.

It was bought originally for minidisc work (until the scrotes who broke into my house stole the portable recorder grrrr....) - but it works very successfullyn for me on Audacity.

WC