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Foxdog175 · Oct 21, 2005, 01:47 PM

Long story short:

I've got a mic. I've been using it just fine over the last month or 2 with Skype while I play games online. Now, all of a sudden, it stops working. the headphones part works just fine. The mic does not. If I unplug and plug my mic into and out of my Griffon iMic, I see activity through my Sounds Preferences on my Mac. But speaking produces nothing. Is it possible that my Mic just died on me? How can I thoroughly test my mic to be sure that spending another $50 on a mic headset won't be a waste of money?

DaveNinja · Oct 21, 2005, 05:02 PM

Did the switch on the iMic get switched to speaker instead of microphone?

Foxdog175 · Oct 21, 2005, 05:20 PM

Originally Posted by DaveNinja

Did the switch on the iMic get switched to speaker instead of microphone?

I never knew what that switch was for. I switched it to both sides more times than I care to count. Still nothing. What exactly does that switch do anyway? I've never noticed a difference one way or another.

Foxdog175 · Oct 26, 2005, 12:18 PM

anyone?

analogika · Oct 26, 2005, 12:40 PM

Originally Posted by Foxdog175

Long story short:

I've got a mic. I've been using it just fine over the last month or 2 with Skype while I play games online. Now, all of a sudden, it stops working. the headphones part works just fine. The mic does not. If I unplug and plug my mic into and out of my Griffon iMic, I see activity through my Sounds Preferences on my Mac. But speaking produces nothing. Is it possible that my Mic just died on me? How can I thoroughly test my mic to be sure that spending another $50 on a mic headset won't be a waste of money?

If you're seeing a spike when you plug the microphone in, then the iMic is working.

What kind of mic is it? Are you sure it might not have an internal battery that's dead?

mindwaves · Oct 26, 2005, 01:43 PM

I have the same problem except I have a $10 mic I picked up. I see a spike when I plug the mic in and I hear what other people speak except they don't hear me speak....

analogika · Oct 26, 2005, 01:44 PM

plugged directly into the Mac or into the iMic?

Because the Mac requires LINE level (not mic level), while the iMic can be switched between the two.

mindwaves · Oct 26, 2005, 02:01 PM

For my case, plugged directly in my PM (MDD).

tooki · Oct 26, 2005, 03:46 PM

No Mac models since 1992 have supported a mike-level mike. No non-USB mikes work on Macs' audio inputs except with a preamplifier. That includes your $10 headset mike.

tooki

Foxdog175 · Oct 26, 2005, 11:08 PM

Mine is an Altec Lansing AHS502i. How do i change the battery in it? It cost me $50!

tooki · Oct 27, 2005, 08:14 AM

It doesn't have a battery. Its sole source of power is the computer it's connected to.

DId you check the mike level switch on the headset? Perhaps it got knocked in-between settings, which could make it turn off.

tooki

analogika · Oct 27, 2005, 08:47 AM

Originally Posted by tooki

It doesn't have a battery. Its sole source of power is the computer it's connected to.

Point being: it's dynamic; there is NO "source of power" involved at all.

It won't work on the Mac's input, since that requires line level, but it should work with the iMic when that's set to mic level.

Foxdog175 · Oct 27, 2005, 10:34 AM

I've checked a hundred times to make sure the mic is on high (not low or mute). The iMic is switched to the side pointing to the Mic (not headset icon). Is this correct?

In my sound preferences, can someone quickly tell me what needs to be selected? I remember having some trouble getting it to work at first..maybe I just fumbled with some of the prefs and I don't remember which ones needed to be turned on.

For Sound/Input, I've got Line In, Digitial In, and (when I plug my iMic in) iMic USB audio system.

I'm assuming i need to have iMic USB audio system selected. The Input volume is all the way up and Mute is not selected.

As I stated before, I see activity in the Input Level bar only when I unplug the Mic's input cord in and out of the iMic and I also see activity when I switch the little button on the iMic back and forth. What does this little switch do?

With all this said, is it safe to assume that my headset Mic (which was expensive, imo and didn't last very long) is dead?

tooki · Oct 27, 2005, 12:20 PM

Originally Posted by analogika

1. Point being: it's dynamic; there is NO "source of power" involved at all.

2. It won't work on the Mac's input, since that requires line level, but it should work with the iMic when that's set to mic level.

1. Likely not dynamic. Probably electret. It requires a power source -- the headset's own specs say so: 5V DC. In pro audio, they call this "phantom power".

2. Yep.

tooki

tooki · Oct 27, 2005, 12:22 PM

Originally Posted by Foxdog175

With all this said, is it safe to assume that my headset Mic (which was expensive, imo and didn't last very long) is dead?

No, you haven't done enough troubleshooting to make a diagnosis. Why don't you check your headset on another computer (e.g. a PC with mike input), as well as test your iMic with a different microphone? (Or ideally both.) THAT will let you find the source of failure.

Also, test the iMic and headset on a different Mac. (I don't expect it to work any better, but it never hurts to try.)

tooki

greenG4 · Nov 8, 2005, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by tooki

1. Likely not dynamic. Probably electret. It requires a power source -- the headset's own specs say so: 5V DC. In pro audio, they call this "phantom power".

2. Yep.

tooki

Actually, phantom power is +48V

analogika · Nov 8, 2005, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by tooki

1. Likely not dynamic. Probably electret. It requires a power source -- the headset's own specs say so: 5V DC. In pro audio, they call this "phantom power".

As mentioned, phantom power is +48VDC, and in pro audio, electret condensor mics are properly referred to - if at all - as "grunge effect" or "joke vocal mic".

Edit: Most electret condensor mics have an internal battery.