i already use 3 kind of mic, 1 with a cam that support mac os...so i guess its not the mic hardware problem, but maybe it's my mac...
Actually, I tried a mic with one of the new machines with combined optical/line-in and it didn't work either. I just found this, which suggests they only accept specific types of mic:
"The analog portion of the external input on the new Intel Macs is line level, not mic level. If you want to connect a mic, you?ll need one of the following:
1. a line level mic
2. a pre-amp of some sort
3. a USB mic
4. a USB mic input
This is something they don?t make very clear or obvious (even though the tech specs state ?Combined optical digital input/audio line in (minijack)?, which *does* mean it won?t work with your standard mic.
Now, I know you might be thinking, ?but don?t PC?s all have mic inputs?? Yes, they usually do, but they are almost always an additional jack, so you see audio out, line in *and* mic in. I?d guess that the mic input on the sound card is being used by the internal mic."
I personally use a USB headset for this sort of thing as you can get them pretty cheap.
errr... the digital line in or optical digital - in port?
well i dont see any difference whether i plug my mic in the back of my mac...(a circle with 2 tringle, pointing to the middle)
i already use 3 kind of mic, 1 with a cam that support mac os...so i guess its not the mic hardware problem, but maybe it's my mac...
As Marvin said: The Macs only have "line-in" ports, not the PC-style green "Microphone" input jacks. They might look the same, but they're not the same electrically! Your 5$ PC microphone will not deliver enough signal to power the Mac's line in port, therefore nothing comes out through your Mac.
I strongly advise you to buy a USB-based headset, Logitech makes good ones -- OR buy a Griffin iMic adapter. That one lets you switch from "microphone" input to "line-in" input levels.
Comments
Did you try manually switching the audio input in your system prefs > sound? Do you see that the device is recognised in the panel?
errr... the digital line in or optical digital - in port?
well i dont see any difference whether i plug my mic in the back of my mac...(a circle with 2 tringle, pointing to the middle)
i already use 3 kind of mic, 1 with a cam that support mac os...so i guess its not the mic hardware problem, but maybe it's my mac...
i already use 3 kind of mic, 1 with a cam that support mac os...so i guess its not the mic hardware problem, but maybe it's my mac...
Actually, I tried a mic with one of the new machines with combined optical/line-in and it didn't work either. I just found this, which suggests they only accept specific types of mic:
"The analog portion of the external input on the new Intel Macs is line level, not mic level. If you want to connect a mic, you?ll need one of the following:
1. a line level mic
2. a pre-amp of some sort
3. a USB mic
4. a USB mic input
This is something they don?t make very clear or obvious (even though the tech specs state ?Combined optical digital input/audio line in (minijack)?, which *does* mean it won?t work with your standard mic.
Now, I know you might be thinking, ?but don?t PC?s all have mic inputs?? Yes, they usually do, but they are almost always an additional jack, so you see audio out, line in *and* mic in. I?d guess that the mic input on the sound card is being used by the internal mic."
I personally use a USB headset for this sort of thing as you can get them pretty cheap.
errr... the digital line in or optical digital - in port?
well i dont see any difference whether i plug my mic in the back of my mac...(a circle with 2 tringle, pointing to the middle)
i already use 3 kind of mic, 1 with a cam that support mac os...so i guess its not the mic hardware problem, but maybe it's my mac...
As Marvin said: The Macs only have "line-in" ports, not the PC-style green "Microphone" input jacks. They might look the same, but they're not the same electrically! Your 5$ PC microphone will not deliver enough signal to power the Mac's line in port, therefore nothing comes out through your Mac.
I strongly advise you to buy a USB-based headset, Logitech makes good ones -- OR buy a Griffin iMic adapter. That one lets you switch from "microphone" input to "line-in" input levels.
so as long its a usb it will work..^^
now i can use skype on my mac....=P