# Mac Sound help needed FAST

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-sound-help-needed-fast/263843>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 9, 2004, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-sound-help-needed-fast/263843 "2004-09-09T23:39:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-sound-help-needed-fast/263843/1 "2004-09-09T23:39:37Z")

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I have a G5.

I have a working miicrophone.

I have OSX

I have line In, iMovie and everything else.

I cannot get the mike to register anywhere. Not in imovie, not in the alert box, not anywhere. I plugged it in to the port right below the sound out port, because that’s the port I use for XM radio and it works. There are no other ports that seem to accept the mike except that one…or are there?

I used Line in and adjusted everything in every way, I closed it and quit and went with the system alone.

NOTHING SEEMS TO MAKE THE MIKE WORK!

HEEEEEEEEEEELP!

This is a very time-sensitive need, so all your help is much appreciated.

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**Author:** ![jkusters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/fbc32d/32.png) [@jkusters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jkusters)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-sound-help-needed-fast/263843/2 "2004-09-09T23:49:19Z")

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> [@Stoid](#):
>
> NOTHING SEEMS TO MAKE THE MIKE WORK!

I had the same problem. There is apparently no way to make a standard microphone work with a G5. Apparently, if you get a “self-powered” microphone, it will work with the line-in port, but no one I’ve talked to knows what one of those is. I confirmed all of this on the Apple support boards a month ago.

Your best bet is to find somewhere that sells USB microphones. I picked one of these up at my local Apple store, and it works great.

Hope that helps,  
JOhn.

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**Author:** ![wheelie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b4bc9f/32.png) [@wheelie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheelie)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-sound-help-needed-fast/263843/3 "2004-09-10T01:09:10Z")

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You could get a Griffin Imic, basically a self contained USB sound card. I bought one a couple of weeks ago to use with a turntable, but the bass response is almost nonexistent ☹ , although it can connect to microphones. At least it was cheap 😉 .