Microphone input to MacBook

[Theale]

Hi
I want to use a standard dynamic microphone with a stereo mini jack plug to record voice on Audacity on my MacBook OSX running Leopard.

I have looked under 'systemn preferences' > 'sound' > input' (third tab along) and looked at the drop-down menu which offers 'internal microphone' or 'line in'.
I do NOT want to use the internal microphone as the external one will give me better quality. But if I select 'line in' and then plug in the microphone I get no reading and hence no recording.

I am sure there is a simple step somewhere that I am missing, as I was able to do this with no probs using Audacity on my PC.

Help / advice VERY welocme please.

[steve]

The signal level of a microphone is very very small, whereas "Line" inputs are very much larger. If you try and record a dynamic microphone through a "line in", the recorded signal will be so small that it'll be as if there's anything recorded at all. You need to amplify the microphone signal first, to around "line level". You can do this by using a pre-amp, or a little microphone mixer.

[kozikowski]

This is where the Windows people have the last laugh. Many if not all Windows Laptops have a Mic-In connection and while it's far from perfect, it does work. Macs have only Line-In which is expecting a signal roughly 1000 times louder than the one coming out of the back of a dynamic microphone.

You are supposed to amplify and mix your show ahead of time in a high-quality mixer and then feed the line level signal into your Mac. I've recorded top quality live voice tracks for theatrical shorts like that and it works perfectly.

Another way out is to use a USB microphone. USB microphones have amplifiers built-in and deliver finished audio to the Mac. Unfortunately, Audacity doesn't always get along with USB audio devices, so you takes your chances.

I'm gritting my teeth as I say this, but the Griffin iMic is another option. It's a terrible product, but it does work for about 80% of the people who by one. I wasn't in that 80%. Mine is out in the garage. You still have to build the adapter from the 3-pin XLR your microphone probably has, to the 1/8" plug the iMic needs.

Let me know if you need the formula.

Koz

[waxcylinder]

The old mic that I bought for use with my MD recorder (ECM-MS907) works fine for recording voice with my USB soundcard (Edirol UA-1EX) which has a mic input - I am not running on a MAC, but on Windows XP-HE.

WC

[Theale]

Thank you all VERY much for the advice.
Your various replies explain it very clearly.
David (Theale)