12/1/2020 Apple Mac Microphone
Many people will never give their computer microphone a second glance, how about you?
Mac Compatibility Mac Compatibility MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018 - 2019). Locate your Mac’s microphones by reviewing the technical specifications and diagrams for your exact MacBook, iMac, or Mac desktop model. Microphones on Macs are usually tiny pin-holes on the sides of your MacBook, inside the speaker grill near the keyboard, or the tiny hole next to your iMac’s FaceTime or iSight camera. Microphone Not Working In macOS?Fix Configure the microphone settings. On your Mac, go to Apple menu System Preferences Sound Input and select a mic. Restart your Mac. It is simple but effective. Simply restart your Mac to see if your problem is fixed. You can restart.
It isn’t really something you check the quality of when choosing a MacBook to buy, and most people tend to assume that whatever is built in will be satisfactory for their occasional use.
However, there comes a point where the built-in microphone simply doesn’t cut it. Whether your voice isn’t getting picked up properly while using Skype or if you want to start recording your own podcast, an external USB mic is a great place to start rectifying this problem.
In this guide, we’ll point out some of the best mics in portability, versatility, and recording power. We’ll also guide you through picking a mic that suits your needs — whether you’re an everyday user, amateur recorder, or a professional.
Quick Summary
Do I Need a Mic for My MacBook Pro?
An external microphone is not usually a cheap investment, and those who purchase them usually need them for a regular task.
That could be as mundane as frequent video-conference calls for work where you need others to be able to understand you clearly or as technical as creating your own music in a home recording studio, but the occasional Skype with an old friend will probably be just fine using your Mac’s built-in microphone.
Buying a USB Mic for MacBook Pro: What to Consider in 2020?![]() Size
Depending on your intended use for your microphone, you’ll be comfortable with different levels of portability. For example, if you only plan on recording at home a larger microphone with a bigger footprint may be perfectly fine. However, if you need the mic while at work or have another need to take it wherever your laptop goes, you’ll want to look for something that can become quite a bit more compact.
Recording Pattern
What you plan on recording has a significant impact on which mic you choose. Microphones come in different polar patterns, which is what determines how well they pick up sounds at specific angles (see the “Additional Tips and Tricks” section below to help decide what you’re looking for). This is key to making sure your mic works effectively and records only what you want it to.
Recording Quality
Buying a USB mic means you’re already looking for something a step above what’s built into your Mac, but even so, they come in many different recording qualities. Measured in bits/kHz, the higher this rate is the higher quality your sound will be. Don’t be tricked into paying for something much more technical than you need though – the final file format of your recording could make that rate obsolete, so this isn’t something to worry about if you’re just going to hook up the mic when using Skype.
The Best External Mics for MacBook Pro: Our Picks in 2020
Please note that the mic products recommended below are chosen based on the criteria listed above, plus our personal preferences. They are, however, not intended to be ranked in this order.
1. Blue Snowflake USB MicrophoneThis microphone is one of the most ideal if you’ll need high-quality recording wherever you go. The compact case expands into a stand that can clip on the top of your MacBook with ease, and the whole device is only about 2.5” thick, making it for easy transport without sacrificing quality since it has a sample rate of 16bit/44kHz.
2. Blue Yeti USB MicrophoneIf you need something versatile and top-tier quality, the Blue Yeti has you covered. With four different recording patterns available in a single mic, it’s ready for any possible recording situation, from voiceovers to a new record track. You can also connect your headphones directly to it for a complete recording experience.
3. Apogee MIC PLUSIf you want a mic truly built for Mac, Apogee is the way to go. Besides recording as normal when connected to your MacBook, it also has the ability to connect to your iPad or iPhone and integrate with Garageband for optimal productivity. This is a cardioid condenser microphone.
4. Blue Snowball iCE Condenser MicAlright, so the Blue Snowball doesn’t actually come in blue… but the round snowball shape associated with the brand has a reputation for performance for a variety of recording situations. A bit over a pound and close to a foot tall when mounted on the included stand, this mic is ready to go straight out the box with no drivers to install.
Additional Tips & Resources
Picking up on all the lingo of a new technical product or field can be difficult and confusing. When it comes to microphones, one of the key things to learn about is the polarity pattern of your potential purchase. This pattern determines how well sound will be picked up at different angles, which becomes more or less important depending on how you plan to use it. This guide will give you a great explanation of what each pattern means and when each is most useful.
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Once you have the right mic, you’ll also need to make sure to set up your recording properly as well. While it may seem like the best settings are simply pushing all sliders to the max, this actually isn’t the case, and this discussion will help guide you through picking a sampling rate and bit depth that works for what you need.
Final Words
Buying a mic is heavily dependent on what you plan to use it for, and you should always make sure to thoroughly research any model you consider.
All of the models we’ve listed connect to your mac through the USB port, but other types of mics may use the mic/headphone port or some other method, which is also something to consider. Additionally, many come with different kinds of stands or adapters that you may find useful- always check for these!
Do you currently use a USB mic? We’d love to hear what you think of your model and what you look for in picking a new one.
Once the audio source is connected to the computer, click on the Apple logo in the menu bar at the top of your screen, and select System Preferences.
Mac Microphone Settings
Click once on the Sound icon, then select the Input tab at the top of the dialog box. Make sure your desired microphoneis selected from the list.
If you are recording in the Media Commons, you will want to select the Blue Snowball microphone from this list.
Next, set the Input Volume slider bar all the way to the left.
Start by speaking into your microphone at a comfortable level. The input level monitor bar should fluctuate according to the sound levels being taken from the audio source.
Slowly move the input volume slider to the right until the sound level is approximately loud enough.
To determine what loud enough actually is, the input level monitor bar should not rise above approximately 3/4 of its maximum width. If it goes greater than that, the volume is too loud, and the recording will probably experience clipping. This may cause the quality of the recording to be poor.
Apple Mac Microphone
Note: If there is no sound coming from the audio source, the bar will not move.
Microphone For Mac Mini
Once your volume is at the right level, you can close the System Preferences.
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