Cant get my microphone to work :(

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17" Mac Book Pro 2.4GHz HD display, Wacom I3 , WD myBook 500G, intel mac mini, 24"imac(white)
i have tried using my line in port and it does pick up signal however when i plug my microphone headset in or the mic that i use with my memo recorder i can't pick it up with my mbp.
I read somewhere that this is because the jack isn't long enough but i dont know how to solve this or if it is true.
If anyone can help please do coz my mic wasn't cheap and i don't want to have to buy a new one.
 
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If the mic isn't cheap, then it needs to be powered by an amplifier thingie.
 
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FlyBoy
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ahh that means i will go 2 buy a battery thinggy :( my memo recorder powers it tho howcome the mbp doesnt??
 
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the input is a line in port, which only takes sound when the device has its own power, the line in does not send out power, so a microphone won't work.
 
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FlyBoy
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Yeah. Be sure to check what type of connection. For certain ones, you will need to supply it with phantom power.

eg. XLR mic-needs phantom power
3.5 mm minijack mic-doesn't need phantom power
 
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Hi all,

I've been around the internet to find out why I can't get my headset mic to work on the MBP. Mostly, I have read that it is "because it's a line-in and requires a powered microphone". I have done some tests and determined that that is not the reason - but the real reason still eludes me. Here are some interesting facts...

I have tried 2 gaming headsets using the audio-out and line-in jacks. Earphones work fine, mic produced no sound whatsoever. Let me clarify again that it is not low volume due to no amplification - there is no input at all. Then, I put the microphones through an amplifier and again no input at all. Then, I tried a karaoke microphone. It worked fine, but the volume was low. Through the amplifier, it was loud and clear. Most microphones are "mono", but I noticed that the two headset mic plugs had a "stereo" design, meaning two black dividers on the plug instead of one. The karaoke mic plug was mono.

Here's where it gets weird. As a test, I hooked the stereo earphone part up to the line-in jack (unpowered). The earphones worked as a mic and I could talk into them like an unamplified microphone. The macbook pro picked up sound just fine, albiet at a low volume. Both headsets did this.

So, in summary my tests for successful sound input are:
Mono karaoke mic unpowered - yes
Mono karaoke mic powered - yes
Stereo headset mic unpowered - no
Stereo headset mic powered - no
Stereo headset earphones unpowered - yes
Stereo headset earphones powered - yes

Can someone with an electronics degree explain why the real microphone will not work in the line-in port?'

Thanks,
Hank
 

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