This has been covered before but generally there are three audio signal
levels: speaker, line and mic. Obviously speakers are high powered while
line level is the output you typically get from a CD player (not
headphone) or DVD player. Mic levels are very very tiny. There is a
diaphragm which vibrates with the sound in the air and moves a tiny coil
of wire near a magnet, generating a very small electrical signal. All
this means is that your Mac has a line-in jack expecting line-level
signals while mics produce something much much smaller. So to use most
mics with a mac you need something called a pre-amp. Pre-amps take the
tiny mic signal and, without adding a lot of noise, boost it up a couple
multiples.
So if all you want is a mic to skype with you could just go with some
USB all-in-one. If you want better quality then you'll want to get a
real mic and a preamp. Something cheap like this:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TubeMP/
and a basic Shure SM58 would be a good start.
CB
Annie Skov Nielsen wrote:
Hi all.
I have been trying with more microphones, if I could use an external
microphone. I found one that I could connect to the line in, but the
recordings is very low. I have a mac book pro with one mic/headphone
and then I have the line in. Is there any way I could use the
headphone/mic for an external mic.
Best regards Annie.
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