USB mic, recognised but not working on macbook air M1

Question

Level 1

4 points

USB mic, recognised but not working on macbook air M1

Hi everyone,

I’m having trouble with my USB microphone on my MacBook. The mic is connected and recognized under System Settings → Sound → Input, but the input level bar doesn’t move when I speak.

I have tried:

Increasing the input volume in Sound Settings
Testing in GarageBand, Audacity, and Voice Memos (none of them pick up sound)
Restarting coreaudiod via Terminal
Plugging the mic into different USB ports
Checking microphone permissions in Privacy & Security

Despite all this, the microphone still doesn’t work. If I go very close to the mic, the input bar moves slightly, but recordings are barely audible.

I don't have another mac or windows to test it in other devices.

Does anyone know how to fix this? Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks!

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 15.3

Posted on Feb 26, 2025 12:20 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

D.I. Johnson

Level 7

34,589 points

Feb 27, 2025 10:43 AM in response to konstantiner

konstantiner wrote:

[...]

I also saw in a forum that maybe the adaptor (from c to usb) might cause this problem but I don't have another choice.[...]

Yes! Very possible and likely. 👍🏽 And if the mic is also plugged into a dock/hub then the dock may be causing problems. Best to connect the mic directly to the computer using a plug adapter, dongle or adapter cable.

The quality of any of these varies from garbage to great. Sometimes it's hard to know until you buy. I've had good luck with both the Anker and the Amazon Basics items below. They're fairly priced so worth giving a shot before throwing in the towel on the mic.

Plug adapter:

Dongle:

Cable adapter:

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Answer 2

konstantiner Author

Level 1

4 points

Feb 27, 2025 8:13 AM in response to D.I. Johnson

The helpdesk from the company, send me this suggestions -among others- and it worked. So I'm posting it here, just in case someone need it.

Enable Dictation: Enabling Dictation can sometimes reset the microphone settings. Go to System Preferences → Keyboard → Dictation and turn it on

Now the mic is connected, but still probably I have to send it back as I tried it in 3 different apps (Audacity, Garageband and Voice Memo) and there is a buzzing sound behind that is nonstop.

I tried to change the volume from the input but still...

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Answer 3

Feb 26, 2025 2:12 PM in response to konstantiner

So this mic is built by a company in Denmark.

https://sandberg.world/en-us/

I'm unfamiliar with the manufacturer, but a quick look at their website instills little confidence that this mic works well with Macs. This from the Quick Guide the have available there (including their misidentification of the macOS as iOS):

You can probably do better with a different USB mic. I'd return this one and do a little more research before buying another.

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Answer 4

Feb 27, 2025 8:30 AM in response to konstantiner

Thank you for sharing the guidance that the manufacturer provided. 👍🏽

That's too bad about the buzzing. If you haven't already, unplug any other devices you have connecgted to the computer and see if that makes any difference in the audio quality. Also, are you in an area that is lighted with fluorescent lighting? Those are notorious for causing a hum.

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Answer 5

Feb 26, 2025 12:22 PM in response to konstantiner

Exactly what make and model is this USB mic?

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Answer 6

konstantiner Author

Level 1

4 points

Feb 27, 2025 8:42 AM in response to D.I. Johnson

I only had my charger and I unplugged it but still.... it's so frustrating. Also no fluorescent lighting, not lighting at all actually as it was daylight here until a few minutes.

I also saw in a forum that maybe the adaptor (from c to usb) might cause this problem but I don't have another choice.

I'm thinking to send it back but I'm afraid I will have the same problem with another one.

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