mic problems / iCat won't log in on G5 PM

alexandr

alexandr

kosmonaut
a friend of mine just bought a rev A 1.8 single PM(the one with 8 RAM-slots etc) and he is having minor issues regarding 2 things. i'm acting as his support line, but can't figure it out either..

#1:

he bought a Sennheiser headset but can't seem to get any sound input trough his mic when using skype.
reading up, this thread(in swedish) states that you need a headset which is powered by itself, to get sound input. is this right?

sound very wierd to me that a G5 doesn't support any headset with to 3.5 minijacks(1 for the speakers, 1 for the microfon). the specs page at apple says it has got analogue sound in/out.

he has tried to change his settings in skype, but nothing works..

any ideas?

issue #2:

he has already got an AIM-account, however iChat won't allow him to log in. he can very well type in his screen-name/password in the accounts-menu, but it won't let him "save" it.. the apple+L-function is "greyed out" when you try to access it from iChat-menu-> Log on AIM(apple+L)

how can he log in?


alex.
 
i just made him trash the p.list in iChat and that did the trick. he is now online and no problems..

so all god for issue #2.
but still no good concerning the microfon.

alex.
 
If I understand you correctly the headset has a mic incorporated

have you checked the SOUND sys preferences to see if it is recognised ?
have you checked skype preferences to see if it is recognised ?

Hope this helps
 
yes, thats how it is. it has one 3.5mm mini-jack for the output, and another one for the input..

the sound-prefs doesn't seem to recognise it either.

but it should be, by default, shouldn't it???

alex.
 
Yup it should recognise it as a line in, being audio line-in port

how about skype preferences ? it might very well be that only built in internal mic and or a usb mic is supported I may suggest you check on skype website for compatibility ...
 
Macs without built-in microphones can use an external microphone or a headset. A headset, USB or other, is recommended for best sound quality.
Click to expand...

the skype website specifies a headset and/or external microphone will do..

so the strange thing is then that the line-in won't recognise the microphone. i know the headset is all good, cause we've been talking over it from a windows machine. so this eliminates everything but a no-good line in at the G5, doesn't it??

any peculiar needs for the headset to be recognized?

alex.
 
Gig' said:
Yup it should recognise it as a line in, being audio line-in port
Click to expand...

Have to correct this assumption, just read in SVM Mac January edition that generaly the mic minijack is not compatible with the audio in of the Mac.

The tip suggested is to plug it into an audio interface such as iMic and then plug it to a USB port.

Thus you need audio in thru a USB device whether iMic or a USB mic.
 
I no longer have mic input for ANY pgm. iMovie, PEAK, or the Sys. Pref test. I did the last time I used these pgms months ago. I just installed Skype and plugged in the input mic. I could hear them and they couldn't hear me. The mic works on windoz. I also see the mic input level going to zero on it's own. I deleted Skype, repaired disk permissions. Still no mic input. Mic tested and works on windoz at Best Buy.

on Skpes forum I can see many topics about this but not one ending with a solution!


No input sound can be heard or spikes seen on Sys Pref. I have already done the gain control on Sys Prefs. I never use iChat but signed up and did all the stuff you said to test. Can see enbled tick and can choose line-in in iChat and Sys Pref.

Urrrg!

Thank you for your suggestions!

(The only things I've done since line-in worked
1. Complete Techtool and Disk Warrior runs
2. installed Little Snitch
3. installed Doom 3
4. installed Skype

And... I can't delete from Trash a Techtool folder. But that is usually just some kind of permissions deal. I haven't had time to research that.

Urrrrrrrrg!

G5, 1.6G, 10.3.8
 
(I'm assuming this is the case for G5s too thought I can't find any reference on apple.com. My audio line-in port does work using my cd player line-out. So it seems this is the problem/solution though I haven't gone out and bought a new pre-amp mic yet to test.)

Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors): Must Use Line-Level Audio Input

You can input sound into your computer from audio equipment, including line-level devices such as an amplified or self-powered microphone.

The Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors) computer has a line-in stereo sound input port on the back panel. The audio inputs are designed to accept high-level audio signals: 2 Vrms or +8 dbu, which is the standard output level from CD and DVD players. Low level consumer products operating below -10 dbu require a pre-amplifier. The output level of some consumer audio devices is lower, often 0.1 Vrms or -10 dbu. Sound recordings made on the Power Mac G4 with such low-level devices have more noise than those made with high-level devices.

Examples of devices that provide line-level input include:
CD players
tape decks
self-powered microphones
DVD players

Note: While the Apple PlainTalk mic included with earlier Power Macintosh computers does provide line-level input, it does not use a standard 3.5 mm stereo miniplug, and cannot be used with the Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors) audio line-in port.

The earlier Apple Omnidirectional microphone will also not work, because it provides mic-level input instead of the required line-level input.

Check the specifications of the sound input device you are connecting to determine if it provides the proper line-level input.

Griffin Technology's iMic adapter allows the use of most mic-level sound input devices. Contact Griffin for additional compatibility information.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=42930

http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/imic/index.php US$40 ouch!
 
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