headset mic

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Hello everyone :)
I have been using my built-in mic on my imac and have recently decided to buy a headset with a mic attached but i can't seem to get my headset mic working. i have read other posts about this issue and almost all of them suggest buying imic. is this the only solution to using external mics?
 
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Hello everyone :)
I have been using my built-in mic on my imac and have recently decided to buy a headset with a mic attached but i can't seem to get my headset mic working. i have read other posts about this issue and almost all of them suggest buying imic. is this the only solution to using external mics?

Yes !
& No ...

The audio input into a mac is Line Level. (high level)

So you need to amplify the microphone (low) level somehow.

An iMic is an easy and obvious way to do this.

You can pre-amp the mic level to a higher level using an ordinary mic pre-amp, or in fact I am soon to try an "Spy Ear" audio amp as a Skype audio input device.
https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.6804 with adaptor cable to feed hp output into iMac

Maplin UK also do a nice mic preamp for £3.99
Mono Preamp Kit > Maplin

As do other companies, Velleman springs to mind.

I actually find the inbuilt mic is quite good, but a cheapy £1 headset & Mic fed through iMic just adds that little bit extra quality, less reverberation, and more bass.

The lack of a mic level audio input into a mac is an annoying omission.
 
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is this why I cannot hear myself while talking onto the mic?
How do I get to listen to myself while singing over an instrumental track/song using a microphone?
 

Slydude

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@ ernestoria

That may not be the reason you cannot hear yourself while talking into the mic. It depends upon what you are doing. Does the mic work when you record something? If so then you might be able to do what you want by enabling audio playthru. Check out the free program LineIn Rogue Amoeba | Freebies: Free Software for Mac OS X. It will likely take some fiddling with the settings to get something that does not produce a lot of feedback.
 

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