Need ability to Record via Line-In Jack

doubledeedoubledee
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
I am hoping to buy a new 13" Conventional MBP today, but was shocked to see there is no "Line-In Jack"?! :\

Here is what my end goal is...

There is a radio station back home that plays music - and commercials - that you'll never hear anywhere else in this day and age, but unfortunately they do not offer Internet Streams. (And even if they did, it is the News, Weather and Commercials I want to hear as much as anything, and those are always "backed-out" online if stream did exist?!)

So, in the past I did this...

I have a 2009 white MacBook, a circa 1980 Portable Analog Radio, and a Male-to-Male 1/8" (2.5mm?) cable.

I plugged one end into the Earphone Jack on the Radio, and the other end into the Mic Jack on my MacBook.

Then I used Rogue Amoeba's LineIn shareware, along with Audacity to record the radio broadcasts to my MacBook and save them as mp3 for all time!! :)


[B]But how would I do that with a new 13" MBP if there is no Line-In/Mic Jack?! [/B]


Someone had mentioned [B]iMic[/B], but I'm not sure how Mountain Lion, LineIn, Audacity, and iMic over a USB would all play together nicely?!

Here is hoping there are some fellow music buffs out there that can help me out?! (I'd hate to have to buy the larger 15" just for a Line-In Mic Jack, but I really want a way to record things onto my new MBP whether it be off the Radio, or possibly a Microphone or whatever?!)

Thanks,


Debbie

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 6
    jcm722jcm722 Posts: 40member


    I am at a small loss here, as I'm presently a Windows man. My old iMac from 2007 had audio in and out on the back. I've noticed the iMac no longer has audio in. I guess only the 15 inch MBP and mini have audio inputs. I can't think of any reason why a USB adapter, like the iMic, won't work. Chances are you would have to enter System Preferences and change the audio input to the USB adapter, as the default audio input would be the system microphone. My iMac was that way. I have a USB turntable, and had to change the audio input on my iMac to use it. Prior to that, GarageBand could not use it. I don't want to do any Apple bashing, but they do take things away from people who still wish to use them. On the Windows side, it is rare to find a notebook with an audio input, but common place on desktops. My HP AIO only has a microphone input, a far cry from a line level input. My USB turntable from ION, has an audio input, so I just need a long cable. Not sure why you need both Audacity and LineIn, unless LineIn adapted the audio output of your radio (line level) to a microphone input, which is a level far lower than line level. Running a headphone output to a microphone input would result in major distortion. Too bad the radio station does not stream, as Rogue Amoeba has a couple of wonderful programs to record directly from a Mac application. Just for giggles, I have a Sansa Clip+. It can record directly from the FM radio.The company CCrane has something similar, the CC Witness Plus, with an AM/FM radio, and internal recording.


     


    http://www.sandisk.com/products/music-video-players/clip-zip/


    http://www.ccwitness.com/

  • Reply 2 of 6
    doubledeedoubledee Posts: 38member
    jcm722 wrote: »
    Not sure why you need both Audacity and LineIn

    LineIn lets you take what comes in your Line-In/Mic Jack and pass it through to either SoundFlower or Audacity - I forget - so that Audacity can capture what the radio is playing. (I forget the specifics, but I know the way that Macs do sound is wacked out beyond belief compared to Windows?!)


    Debbie
  • Reply 3 of 6
    jcm722jcm722 Posts: 40member


    I remember Soundflower from my first iMac and OS 9. I am pretty sure, never positive with computer stuff, but I think Soundflower is for recording from within your computer, like if you wanted to record audio from a YouTube video in Safari. Audio Hijack Pro will do the same. You don't need Soundflower, once again, nearly positive, to record from an external source into your Mac. As I suggested before, you need to change the input device in the Sound panel in System Preferences. You can do that now with your current Mac. You can't have two audio inputs running together. In my case, the default audio input was the built-in microphone. I needed to change that to the USB turntable on my Mac, or it would not function. I left the USB turntable plugged in all the time. If I removed it, chances are I'd loose that option in the Sound panel in System Preferences. What you select in the Sound panel as your audio input device affects your Mac globally.


     


    Well, that doesn't solve your issue. This must be some cool radio station. I use to listen to CBS Radio back when AOL partnered with them. I use the AOL Radio Player for the Mac and it worked well. I had access to many CBS radio stations, including some HD2 options, 2 or 3 from AZ even.


     


    I think your best bet is to go with the future, a USB adapter. You could purchase the MBP 15, I won't stop you. <grin> The current iMacs don't have an audio input, but the mini does. You could consider a bare-bones <cough> Windows machine, but chances are you must get a desktop to have audio input available. Very few notebooks have audio input. If you get the MBP 15, that will keep you out of trouble until the next time, and chances are, you will be right back where you are now.


     


    If you aren't in a hurry to get a new Mac, I'd wait for WWDC, where it seems likely Apple will at least talk about the 2013 Macs and OSX 10.9. Intel is part of the mix as well. Their 4th generation CPUs should begin to be released this month ... maybe. Stay with AI, and others for that. WWDC starts on the 10th, and that should give you some insight to the 2013 Macs.


     


    To be clear, I had to return to Windows, as I am low vision. Typing on this website, for example is still hard, but painfully difficult with the even smaller font ratios with my 20 inch iMac. I presently have the largest screen I could find with the lowest resolution. My HP is less than 3 years old, and I've used the Recovery software many time. Not having DVDs, or something, for a Mac, would not work for me. I am constantly exploring and getting into trouble. Lastly, I don't want a totally inaccessible computer. If a hard drive fails, my pockets are not deep enough to pay a company like Apple to fix it.


     


    I still choose to monitor Apple activity. In my mind is the option of an external drive as the boot drive. My only choices are a big screen with low resolution. Option one is a mini with a low resolution HDTV via HDMI. Option two, is a 27 inch iMac, and the ability to drop the resolution in half. Zoom makes what is already constantly blurry, even worse.


     


    Sure, I didn't need to justify all that to you, but there are reasons I am not giving my advice on a Mac. I am an analog audio buff. Digital and I are not friends.

  • Reply 4 of 6
    doubledeedoubledee Posts: 38member
    jcm722 wrote: »
    I remember Soundflower from my first iMac and OS 9. I am pretty sure, never positive with computer stuff, but I think Soundflower is for recording from within your computer, like if you wanted to record audio from a YouTube video in Safari.

    I haven't recorded from this portable radio in over a year, since I'm not at home.

    It seems to me that I needed both the LineIn app and SoundFlower. (Definitely the first.)

    This must be some cool radio station. I use to listen to CBS Radio back when AOL partnered with them. I use the AOL Radio Player for the Mac and it worked well. I had access to many CBS radio stations, including some HD2 options, 2 or 3 from AZ even.

    It's personal. It's nostalgic. Brings back memories from when the world was friendlier...

    I think your best bet is to go with the future, a USB adapter.

    From my research, I think this iMic devise should do the trick.

    (Also just heard someone say that you can change the Headphone Jack to a Line-In Jack under System Preferences?!)

    You could purchase the MBP 15, I won't stop you. <grin>

    Too big for the road! ;)

    Sure, I didn't need to justify all that to you, but there are reasons I am not giving my advice on a Mac. I am an analog audio buff. Digital and I are not friends.

    If I had a cassette recorder and my portable radio, I'd use that! ;)


    Debbie
  • Reply 5 of 6
    jcm722jcm722 Posts: 40member


    Some time ago, I recorded from my AM/FM receiver to VHS, then to my computer. Hey, the cassette isn't completely dead, but it may be hard to find a portable cassette recorder that is stereo. Maybe this groovy radio station is mono. I live in CA and listen to a beautiful music station on the Web, from TX. There are plenty of places to listen to oldies on the Internet, I am fond of the 1940s. Would love to hear the old commercials and jingles from the past. I've worked in radio a couple of times, long before digital. I have seen a radio transmitter with a massive tube inside. Those were the days.


     


    Besides the iMic, you could also consider an AV kit, just in case you also have some VCR tapes to move to the digital age. Checkout Roxio, the people who make the Toast product.


     


    Good luck!


     


    Jim

  • Reply 6 of 6
    doubledeedoubledee Posts: 38member
    jcm722 wrote: »
    Some time ago, I recorded from my AM/FM receiver to VHS, then to my computer.

    Hard core!

    I live in CA and listen to a beautiful music station on the Web, from TX. There are plenty of places to listen to oldies on the Internet, I am fond of the 1940s. Would love to hear the old commercials and jingles from the past.

    Yes, I love listening to things from the past as well. In this case, I just enjoy listening to some of the same DJ's that I did from 20 years ago, and also listening to songs which are hard to find on "sanitized" modern stations...

    I've worked in radio a couple of times, long before digital. I have seen a radio transmitter with a massive tube inside. Those were the days.

    Sounds like fun!!!

    Besides the iMic, you could also consider an AV kit, just in case you also have some VCR tapes to move to the digital age. Checkout Roxio, the people who make the Toast product.

    Good luck!

    Jim

    From what I have heard, I think that iMic will work out. (And someone said there is a way to switch the single jack on the 13" cMBP from Headphones to Mic in the System Preferences, so I'll have to try that as well.

    Anyways, the 13" is what I'm getting, and we'll just have to see how things work out.

    Thanks for the help!


    Debbie
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