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Does macbook air 2020 have line in?

OK, so, I am literally speaking totally blind. I use Voiceover exclusively, so have no vision to see printed emblems on the chassis of my mac, so forgive me.


I currently have a 2020 macbook air 13 inch silicon gold color which was bought just this last April, so definitely the very newest model macbook air out there.


On the right side of the system, if I start closest to the screen, and slowly trail my hand back toward myself, I feel an 8th inch audio jack. I know that jack definitely works for 8th inch headphones, as I have done it several times. However, I know on a few macs I've had previously, the one individual audio jack served as either a headphone jack, or, if you set it in system preferences, it also could function as a line in jack.


So, I have a few cassette tapes I want to digitize. We could go into the whole subject of USB would sound better for this than a line annalog signal, but please let's not go down that rabbit trail. Please just answer me straight up staying on topic with my question with all due respect.


So, anyway, I'm just wondering if this particular model system can function as that jack performing as a line input instead of an output. I called and asked Apple directly, but even a teer 2 senior advisor wasn't really sure. ONe could say, just try. I can't though as if it defaults to headphones, then as soon as I plug something into it, I lose speech from Voiceover, and since I can't see the screen to go look after plugging in a patch cable, well... there went that idea.


So yeah, I'd rather get a very definite answer yes or no, if anyone happens to know for absolute certain. Please don't assume. I'd rahter get a solid answer if anyone knows.


Sorry to be a bit blunt in this message. I'm not that way normally, but I just wanna be sure before trying to unhook things and move my equipment all around this room only then to find I waisted x amount of time doing so only to find it won't work. Basically, it'll just be a gold tip TRS stereo 8th inch patch cable on both ends. ONe in the mac, the other in the line out of the cassette deck. I've got software to actually record. Reaper is amazing! So that's not an issue.

MacBook Air (2020 or later)

Posted on Aug 20, 2021 4:29 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 21, 2021 4:51 AM

From the specification:

Audio 

  • Stereo speakers
  • Wide stereo sound
  • Support for Dolby Atmos playback
  • Three-mic array with directional beamforming
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack


No audio input capability other than the built in mic. In order to input audio, you will need and external USB device with audio in.


It also states so in your System Information app (located in Utilities) under audio.


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5 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 21, 2021 4:51 AM in response to clgilland

From the specification:

Audio 

  • Stereo speakers
  • Wide stereo sound
  • Support for Dolby Atmos playback
  • Three-mic array with directional beamforming
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack


No audio input capability other than the built in mic. In order to input audio, you will need and external USB device with audio in.


It also states so in your System Information app (located in Utilities) under audio.


Aug 21, 2021 1:31 PM in response to woodmeister50

woodmeister50 wrote:

The M1 Macs do not support audio input with the 3.5mm no matter what sort of adapter you try to use. It is audio out only.


I’m seeing various references that it does, and the Apple specs here are… ambiguous.


https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252406385

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/audio-input-on-macbook-air-m1-3-5-mm-jack.2289906/


Some have referenced needing a splitter: https://www.amazon.com/Headphone-MillSO-Splitter-Compatible-Smartphone/dp/B0788M8W77


(but I’ve used audio wiring in place of that splitter.)

Aug 21, 2021 11:01 AM in response to clgilland

The 3.5mm connection is a standard analog audio connection jack and will either TRS or TRRS (3 or 4 contacts), and you can ignore the beam-forming microphone array as that’s unrelated to an analog audio line. The Mac analog connection is typically wired TRRS.


That will need an analog audio cable, and the details of that will depend in the analog connection over on the cassette player. Best case here, the cassette player is also TRRS with the same wiring, and a TRRS to TRRS analog audio cable should or will work.


Having done this audio transfer enough times, the wiring here isn’t always compatible. Nothing that can cause damage to either end of the cable, but what might prevent the audio transfer from working. Different jacks can be wired for different stereo input or stereo output or mono input or stereo input, from what I’ve met of these jacks over the years.)


Here is an alternative approach with a cassette tape to flash player, and there are undoubtedly other similar offerings from other vendors:

https://www.hammacher.com/product/cassette-to-digital-converter-and-player


Avoiding having to source and deal with the adapters and/or cables and then figuring out which analog cable is needed and which setup then works might be worth the added cost of the direct-to-flash transfer device.

Does macbook air 2020 have line in?

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