USB mics have terrible hum/buzz
When I recorded using my Plantronics DSP-300 two weeks ago the sound was surprisingly pristine. My G5's fans, along with the room AC, made me expect a significant background noise. Through the magic of Plantronics and Garage Band, the sound was great!
Two weeks later, whenever I try to record with the Plantronics I get only humming/buzzing, and can't hear my voice at all. It's as if it's trying to record at the wrong bit rate or something. In the Audio Midi Setup utility, the format is 44100.0Hz, 2ch-16bit and the popups offer no other choices. Nothing else is configurable in the Audio Input section, except master volume slider.
By reducing the input volume slider in the Sounds preference panel I can of course reduce the hum, but then my voice levels are really low.
I don't know what happened. Last week things were so good. And now, even my Griffin USB mic adapter is too noisy to use.
I thought that maybe my computer had gone kerfluey, but I get the same thing now on my PowerBook. I suppose it's possible that both the Plantronics DSP 300 and the Griffin mic adapter died at the same time, but it seems a little unlikely.
I'm very disappointed. I wanted to get another podcast out this weekend. Looks like I'll have to use my iPod if I'm going to record anything.
Any help?
Phillip in Japan
Two weeks later, whenever I try to record with the Plantronics I get only humming/buzzing, and can't hear my voice at all. It's as if it's trying to record at the wrong bit rate or something. In the Audio Midi Setup utility, the format is 44100.0Hz, 2ch-16bit and the popups offer no other choices. Nothing else is configurable in the Audio Input section, except master volume slider.
By reducing the input volume slider in the Sounds preference panel I can of course reduce the hum, but then my voice levels are really low.
I don't know what happened. Last week things were so good. And now, even my Griffin USB mic adapter is too noisy to use.
I thought that maybe my computer had gone kerfluey, but I get the same thing now on my PowerBook. I suppose it's possible that both the Plantronics DSP 300 and the Griffin mic adapter died at the same time, but it seems a little unlikely.
I'm very disappointed. I wanted to get another podcast out this weekend. Looks like I'll have to use my iPod if I'm going to record anything.
Any help?
Phillip in Japan
