garageband volume too low when recording

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garageband volume too low when recording

I've been using Garageband for years to record conversations; I just set up my laptop nearby and record, without an external microphone.

Yesterday when I tried to do this, the volume was really low. The numbers on the display (I had it set to "time") were red, and while recording it was almost a flat line, like the volume was turned down very low.

The volume is turned the whole way up;

I verifed in system preferences that Garageband had permission to use the built in microphone;

Nothing has changed since I recorded a conversation about 2 weeks ago.

Any suggestions?

Oh, it's Garageband v 10.3.4

Posted on Apr 3, 2020 8:52 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

chris_g1

Community Specialist

Apr 6, 2020 3:27 PM in response to Blue gal

Hi Blue gal,

Thanks for getting back to us. If you have any peripherals connected to the Mac, could you remove those as well? I'd also like to have you see if there's any change if you change the input volume level from within GarageBand and not the System Preferences on your Mac:

Before recording audio - GarageBand Help

"Adjust the input volume level for the sound source

Select the track you want to use, then click the Smart Controls button in the control bar.
In the Recording Settings area, adjust the Record Level slider.

You can also select the Automatic Level Control checkbox to have the recording level adjusted automatically. It lowers the level to prevent feedback, and raises the level if too low."

The following resource provides some additional steps to take after that if you're still hearing low volume with the recordings made in GarageBand:

If GarageBand for Mac won't open or play back your project - Apple Support

Take care.

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Answer 2

MoonJ.

Community Specialist

Apr 6, 2020 11:22 AM in response to Blue gal

Hello Blue gal,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities! I understand that when recording audio using what sounds like the built-in microphone on your Mac in GarageBand, the volume level is lower than expected. You've come to the right place for help.

I'd like to start by seeing if we can further isolate some potential causes for this behavior by doing the following, then test if the volume is still low when recording audio and playing it back:

Adjust the input volume of the internal microphone and other sound input settings: Change the sound input settings on Mac
Record a voice memo in the Voice Memos app, rather than GarageBand: Record a voice memo on your Mac
Create a recording in another user account. If you don't have another user account, here's how to create one for testing: How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac
Reset the NVRAM on your Mac: Reset NVRAM or PRAM on your Mac

Let us know what happens after trying those steps.

Cheers!

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