MacBook Pro audio input

[Dave2002]

Apple owners will probably know that many Apple machines have both audio in and out functions, and in some cases this is also optical - which I use a lot to feed to my DACs. However, sometimes the jack socket also doubles up as both input and output.

I have recently been puzzled by the behaviour on my MBP. I wanted to transfer some audio in from (effectively) an analogue source - originally it was digitial - but that's a longer, and more boring story for the moment ...

I tried putting the jack from the source into my MBP, but this was not recognised. I did the usual thing - go to System Preferences - look for the Sound section, and I expected to see an option for taking that as the source for a new recording, but nothing appeared.

I am aware that some jacks are different, and that not all will work, depending on the number of conducting rings, but I was surprised, as I have transferred audio from a cassette into this computer before using a wire from a boom box with no problems. So previously the computer must have recognised the jack input. I was able to set the audio input using System Preferences on the previous occasions. I'm pretty sure it was that laptop, as I wouldn't have moved the desktop machine into the room with the boom box, and I doubt that it was Mrs D's MB Air, as that's guarded zealously.

I then went to an iMac which has separate in and out jack sockets, and after a very small amount of fiddling, and looking in System Preferences on that machine, I was able to record the audio into Audacity in real time - and surprisingly satisfactory that was too.

What now concerns me is what has happened to my MBP. Where has the input function for the audio gone? I have never upgraded this machine to a newer OS - it is still running Mountain Lion as before. Possibly I tried to install Soundflower, and if so, could that have overwritten something? If so, how would I recover the original functionality? I don't have any current evidence of that, though.

Oh - and for MrGG's benefit, I also inserted the jack into my iPad Pro and tried to see if I could detect it with Garage Band. I couldn't. It should surely have worked - well maybe! See - https://discussions.apple.com/thread...art=0&tstart=0

As I have now succeeded in transferring the material the immediate problems have gone (and I seem to be able to reconnect repeatedly), but I'm puzzled about the issues regarding the jack sockets and inputs on the devices I tried. Maybe others have experienced similar issues. I would be interested in knowing if anyone else saw this, and if so, were they able to fix it to work as hoped for.

[MrGongGong]

This is probably an obvious one and you probably have done this already
If it's a 13" machine it will only have one input/output (WTF ? )
In the preferences there is a
Use for INPUT/OUTPUT selection switch

[Dave2002]

This is probably an obvious one and you probably have done this already
If it's a 13" machine it will only have one input/output (WTF ? )
In the preferences there is a
Use for INPUT/OUTPUT selection switch

Indeed, that is what I was expecting. The machine is a 13" one. I may revisit this, and/or send you a photo or sceen shot by PM of what happens which I select the preferences.

As I wrote earlier, I am pretty sure I've done this before to record a cassette on to this laptop, using a simple cable (none of your virgins at moonlight stuff....) so I'm puzzled why the option does not show up.

When I plug the same cable into an iMac with a separate socket, the options change, and I can easily get the audio in. Perhaps Apple have been too clever, by having options which change depending on what's plugged in. I was expecting to get a change by plugging in the cable, but so far nothing has happened.

[MrGongGong]

Interesting
I just fired up my old 13" macbook (snow leopard)
In the SOUND settings of the preferences I get

USE AUDIO PORT FOR ... dropdown menu with options of SOUND INPUT or SOUND OUTPUT

do you not get this ?

(I also have soundflower which appears in the devices menu)

[Dave2002]

I revisited this, and still haven't got this to work on the MBP. I tried powering right off, and rebooting, to no avail. I was expecting/hoping for a menu item, or a drop down, but zilch!

I do wonder if there is actually a hardware fault, and the port is not detecting a plugged in jack - though it manages with optical and standard 3.5 mm jacks for headphones.

I wonder if it will switch if I try putting an optical source in, rather than using it as an optical out.

I could try using other plugs I suppose - but it hasn't wanted to play for the last few days, and it was quite a while (year or two back) since I was sure it was working.
Sadly, also, I think the Protection Plan after care has now expired, so if it's a hardware problem it'd cost me to have it fixed.

I might bite the bullet in a while, and "upgrade" to the latest OS, and see if that does change anything. I didn't particularly want to have to do an upgrade, but I guess I can live with El Capitan (which is what the machine I'm typing on uses) - though that is presumably not now available. I may still have the install files if I look hard. However, if Sierra isn't too bad - which I don't know - I might just leap frog to that.

Doing all that would be quite serious effort, though, and probably take a few days and purchase of yet a few more hard drives to make it feasible.

[Dave2002]

I seem to be clutching at straws now - still not got this input/output port business sorted, or at least in line with what the manuals appear to suggest.

I tried resetting the NVRAM/PRAM and also the SMC - but as with other flashes of inspiration, to no avail.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204063

http://osxdaily.com/2010/03/24/when-and-how-to-reset-your-mac-system-management-controller-smc/

Maybe I do need to do some tests with different jack plugs after all.

[Dave2002]

I also tried on a different machine, a MacBook Air, which currently I have here - pending taking in to repair. That didn't work with the cable either, so I did a futher search and found this: http://superuser.com/questions/36198...ut-macbook-air

This clearly shows a different type of jack from the one on the connectors I've been using, so that very probably is the reason.

The only puzzling thing now is "how did I make the recordings using the cables on previous occasions?".
Maybe I have a splitter cable somewhere, or perhaps I even used a different laptop. Although I have an external USB ADC which might work, I don't think I used that - but maybe I did!

I'll try a hardware solution using cables and splitters, as suggested in that article [2 Answer].

Maybe this is the right kind of splitter thing - I think one has to count the rings on the male jack plug.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00Y458NA6?psc=1

The one shown has 3 rings, so 4 metal segments. Other plugs often only have 2 rings, with 3 segments.

[MrGongGong]

Can you post a screenshot of what you see in the audio preferences ?
It shouldn't be so complicated in my experience
Whether the computer detects the cable or not you should be able to assign the port to Input or Output regardless
It can't "know" what you are planning to do

[Dave2002]

OK - I'll try to do that. However, I think it does .... but I'll find out. I think it sneakily waits until the jack is put in, then reconfigures the interface, but we'll see.

Eventually!

Let's try this - oops - sorry it's so big - shall I come back and shrink it? - Bit smaller this time, at 50%

[MrGongGong]

Thanks
That is odd IMV
You should have the option to select

Do you have a local geekwizard to have a look ?
The "Genuis bar" apple store thing is impossible these days, full of people with dead phones and iPads so you can't get anyone to look at a mere computer.

aaah what year is it?

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5838606?tstart=0

[Dave2002]

2013 I believe - pretty much the middle of the year - new then!

From the About pages - Retina, 13-inch, Early 2013

I'm having to go to the **** bar next week about another machine - not actually mine - but ...

I have a less flattering term for that than Genius Bar.

[MrGongGong]

I think this might be the answer


"The dual port was discontinued in 2012 13", it is now only an output port, no more input."

USB audio interface then methinks

This is good, basic and easy to use IMV (and reasonably cheap)

https://www.studiospares.com/Studio-Gear/Audio-Interfaces/Focusrite-Scarlett-Solo-2nd-Gen_392200.htm

[Dave2002]

Also, some conflicting answers in that Apple Communities post. One guy says it doesn't exist any more, and another says it works, but is mono.
I may be wrong - perhaps will be - but I suspect that with a 3 ring jack plug and appropriate cable it will work. Worth a shot, anyway.

Re your USB suggestion, it is quite expensive (for a cheapskate like me ...) and I don't really need it as I can do the input via one of two (possibly even three) other machines (does the Mac Mini still have any form of input?). Also, I have a fairly old SoundBlaster external "card", which used to work with PCs, but doesn't anymore because the drivers got stuffed, but I found that the iMacs picked it up easily a year or so back if I plugged it in. The only thing was that I was trying to avoid using that as I think the Apple direct interfaces (where available) are/were better - or at least didn't pick up as much hum and interference.

Probably for my current purposes any of these would do - though as I may have already mentioned, the results doing a direct feed into an iMac (which does have a separate input port) are more or less indistinguishable from the original - as verified by heaphone listening.

It would just be good to do it on the MBP as it is more portable, and if it could be made to work, would take a direct feed from one of my microphones - though I will definitely need some form of adapter for that - either a USB box of a sort, or a splitter cable - and then maybe I could do any recording work directly into Audacity, or another DAW as discussed a while back.

[MrGongGong]

Ok
Interesting to see what you discover about whether it is true about the port being changed or not

In my experience all onboard soundcards are rubbish even the expensive 15" macbook I use these days has shockingly poor audio. Luckily USB soundcards are reasonably good now (they used to be a bit iffy) but avoid MAudio ones.
If you have the interference issues that are common with laptop audio either a cheap stereo DI box OR running on batteries usually works fine (as does disconnecting the earth but you are more likely to die as a result !)

[Dave2002]

Perhaps your hearing is better than mine - quite possibly, but I think I can detect if things are really bad. When you say that your MacBook has shockingly poor audio, what do you mean? That it doesn't play the bottom 2 bits of a 24 bit recording or that it is obviously distorted, and/or has hiss or other problems?

I wouldn't mind if you can hear problems that I can't - and obviously if someone is to produce audio material for others it makes sense to avoid problems, even if only some of the intended listeners will hear them. I often hear low frequency noises which I suspect others can't, and I wonder at some of the CD remasters which manage to faithfully reproduce the low frequency hum and rumble from the studio or concert performance. I can't honestly say that I can usually hear interference from fluorescent lights, but I am sure that it is often there. Indeed, in the quiet periods - empty hall - before I did recordings the other day, I could definitely hear noise from overhead lights, though this was effectively masked by audience noise and the performnces, and it may not have had any major impact on the recordings. I could run a spectral test on the data to check.

PS: You haven't wrecked your hearing have you, could that be part of the problem? I had some problems recently, but they did clear up largely, eventually. Sometimes hearing problems can produce distortion, which is internal (to the body) rather than external.