I noticed the MBs have LineIn rather than a a simple mic (never seen this on PC laptop).
How good is this? Is it good enough to record the output of a guitar or a synth?
Whats the LineIn on the Macbook like?
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- KVRian
- 1322 posts since 30 Oct, 2003 from Pacific NW, USA
Jono-60,
While the Mac's Audio In port will enable you to record any external sound sources, it's not the best quality. I think it was a wise decision to include this feature, because you can start out right away with the built-in core audio driver. This would be useful to someone who spent all of their money on their Mac and don't have enough left to buy an audio interface. Or someone that's not a musician, a person that would just like to be able to record spoken word, poetry, or business plans and event planning.
But, using a FW or USB audio interface will ensure high resolution, multi-channel audio recording (depending on the device) with much better fidelity and sound quality. But, I'm not saying that you can't make a decent recording with the Mac's Audio In. All you need is some type of audio recording/capture application. Of course you get GarageBand with your Mac. But there are some other freeware/donationware apps that are in UB format for PPC and Intel-based Macs. Here are a couple of examples:
REC (UB Freeware)- records and plays back audio using any input device- www.polyrythmic.org/
XO WAVE Free (UB)- features audio recording/editing- www.xowave.com/downloads.shtml
LUNA FREE (UB)- lightweight audio/midi sequencer that supports VST FX and Instruments - www.mutools.com/products.html
Audacity (UB Freeware)- well-known audio recording/editing app- http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
ARDOUR (UB Freeware/Donationware)- fully-featured DAW- http://ardour.org/ - (requires JackOSX audio server- www.jackaudio.org/)
Good Luck!
Peace - morphex
While the Mac's Audio In port will enable you to record any external sound sources, it's not the best quality. I think it was a wise decision to include this feature, because you can start out right away with the built-in core audio driver. This would be useful to someone who spent all of their money on their Mac and don't have enough left to buy an audio interface. Or someone that's not a musician, a person that would just like to be able to record spoken word, poetry, or business plans and event planning.
But, using a FW or USB audio interface will ensure high resolution, multi-channel audio recording (depending on the device) with much better fidelity and sound quality. But, I'm not saying that you can't make a decent recording with the Mac's Audio In. All you need is some type of audio recording/capture application. Of course you get GarageBand with your Mac. But there are some other freeware/donationware apps that are in UB format for PPC and Intel-based Macs. Here are a couple of examples:
REC (UB Freeware)- records and plays back audio using any input device- www.polyrythmic.org/
XO WAVE Free (UB)- features audio recording/editing- www.xowave.com/downloads.shtml
LUNA FREE (UB)- lightweight audio/midi sequencer that supports VST FX and Instruments - www.mutools.com/products.html
Audacity (UB Freeware)- well-known audio recording/editing app- http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
ARDOUR (UB Freeware/Donationware)- fully-featured DAW- http://ardour.org/ - (requires JackOSX audio server- www.jackaudio.org/)
Good Luck!
Peace - morphex
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- KVRist
- 461 posts since 12 Jan, 2003 from Kyoto
I haven't used it so can't answer your question, but computer makers are pretty easygoing with the terminology they use to label their audio I/Os. I wouldn't necessarily expect a "line in" input on a mobo to be any different from the "mic in" on another. (But just for the sake of argument, a "mic in" should indicate the presence of a preamp, which means it can better handle low-level inputs, like those from an unpowered mic, than a "line in" which is for signals that have already been amplified, like the output from a CD player. Either way, a guitar direct into the computer will sound pretty poor because of the impedence mismatch, which is another issue altogether)