No audio in FaceTime?

I was having the same problem with FaceTime on my 2010 Macbook Pro (Snow Leopard OS X 10.6.8) - no audio - I could hear the person, but nobody could hear me, as if I had it on Mute. I read all of the posts & tried myself to speak to someone at Apple Support but to no avail. Apple Support only sent me a link to "Troubleshooting issues with no audio from built-in speakers on Macs"

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1574

Unfortunately, it didn't tell me anything I han't already checked - all of my audio settings were fine - nothing wrong with my sound output settings - max volume for internal mic, but nothing corrected the audio snafu with FaceTime.

I did uncover a simple solution that restored my audio!!! Soooo simple it's stupid. Try this - check your Video settings in FaceTime & make sure that the Internal Microphone has been selected.

My default Video settings in FaceTime had been changed from Internal Microphone to Line In, which obviously interrupted the use of my mic. While it doesn't correct the root problem: no idea how the settings arbitrarily changed--I had audio with FaceTime yesterday, but not today. But at least, if it happens again, it'd be the first thing I check & I hope the same workaround will solve the problem. A nuisance - but at least it makes FaceTime functional until Apple can find the root cause. Good luck!

Hi Bob,

Have you set the Mic in FaceTime (like you would in iChat)

In FaceTime in Lion it is in the Video menu of FaceTime.

EDIT. I really should have read lambcake's post as well.

8:02 PM Sunday; February 12, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.3)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Message was edited by: Ralph Johns (UK)

Hi Ralph,

Yes the mic was set. I'm using Griffin's iMic which is an audio input device via USB. It shows up in the Sound Prefs and elsewhere as "iMic USB audio system". I made sure this setting was chosen in Sound Prefs and in the Video menu in FaceTime.

I was hoping, for a split second, that the suggestion made previously by lambcake would help, but then I realized that my Mac Pro doesn't have an internal microphone.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Bob

Hi,

Does the MacPro have any other setting in System Preferences > Sound > Input such as Line In ?

Try setting both FaceTime and System Preferences to Line In and then change them back - BUT - do System Preferences "First" and the FaceTime app "Second"

This idea is based on an iChat (5) issue with some headsets that needed to be "set" in this order.

FaceTime does seem to miss out on some Audio Set ups (OS x 10.7.3 added the External iSIght mics as options if you have the camera).

I take it the iMic does work in other apps ?

Photo Booth video recording ? Quicktime X recording ? iChat ? Skype ?

10:14 PM Sunday; February 12, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.3)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Yes, the Mac Pro has an analog Line In. For some reason my mic is not showing any activity when it's connected to the Line In jack on the back. I have to find a different mic to try this jack again and see if I can get activity to show in the Sound Prefs. window. This jack might be defective. I haven't used it before.

It may be a day or two before I can get this tested.

Thanks again for your suggestions.

Bob

Missed the iMic question. Yes, iMic works with all audio programs. I just tested it in GarageBand.

I'm pretty sure I was using the iMic connection the last time I had the audio working with FaceTime.

Bob

Well, I have tried all to no avail.

I do not have ichat set up so there is no. com.apple.ichatAgent.plist . I have deleted the other auio plist files. and doing that or a restart give me the audio back for again about 5 to 20 min. The time before "no audio out" seems to increase if I turn off the ambient noise reduction filter. And even longer if I use headphones. This leads me to beleive the mic in an attempt to limit echo, noise return, and feedback, continues to diminish until the other end no longer hears you.

With headphones on and the otherside primarily talking the sound stays around for awhile. Next I am going to try an external mic and use line in.

Hi Bob,

The Line In Port is normally a 3.5mm jack socket.

The input is supposed to be what they call Hi Line-In (Somewhat "Preammped" as it were) compared to Lo Line-In that most PC mics would be.

The iMic gets around that by:-

1) doing that required boost

2) inputting via USB

The OS X 10.7.3 update did include an FaceTime Update as I said before.

If a do a Get Info on the App it says it is version 1.1.1

Unfortunately I do not know anyone that has an iMic that I can test with or ask if it no longer works in FaceTime.

If you have Time Machine Set up you could see if an older version exists and use the Restore Function to bring that back to be the current one.

(This would not work for iChat as that app has to match the OS level but I believe it is worth a try here as you could re-run the COMBO version of the OS Update to re-update FaceTime if it does not work)

8:19 PM Wednesday; February 15, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.3)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Hi Momunkan,

Yes there is an issues with both iChat 4.x.x and iChat 5.x.x where certain set ups do see to cause the Ambient Noise Reduction setting to drop the volume to zero.

In Leopard (OS X 10.5.x) this could be solved to some extend by navigating to Hard Drive/Library/Preferences and deleting (Dragging to Trash) com.apple.audio.DeviceSettings.plist and then restarting the computer.

In Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6.x) this .plist had been moved one level "Deeper" to Hard Drive/Library/Preferences/Audio along with some others.

Deleting it or in fact the whole contents of that folder proved to be less successful than in Leopard.

HEADSETS.

These can be tricky at times.

Blue Tooth ones can be the worst.

If they have been set up in System Preferences > Sound > Input (And Output) and iChat then in both settings change the input to anything else other than the headset.

Repeat for Output.

Set the Input in System Preferences > Sound > Input to the headset (i.e. this setting "First").

Then set the Mic in iChat to the Headset mic (i.e. the setting "Second").

Repeat in the same manner for Output for both System Preferences and iChat.

(I am sure there is some sort of fuzzy login to explain this but I really don't know why this works for some people).

8:33 PM Wednesday; February 15, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.3)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Yea me too same problem using a MacBook Pro thats about 2 years old I dont see much point in getting into details processors or OS as it seems to be screwed up on many versions of Macs that are not mobile. I just wanted to say thanks to Webahaulic for there tip I'll try that and also to Ralph as he seems to be doing his best to help out but unfortunatly to no avail.

Sure was disapointed with the suport from Apple on this there only real suggestion was to join this community. I can tell you that so far in my last 5 or 6 facetimes with my wife that it dropped after 20 minutes the first 3 times then 5 minutes. Then I just had a call that lasted about an hour and was able to say goonight to her before the app cut me off so it sure is random. Also thanks to the person that suggested to re-start Facetime after the first dropped call as that was what I did tonight instead of trying to re-call my wife and this was the call that lasted till I was done talking.

So the Apple support rep said that if I could not fix my problem that they could refund my purchase price so since it works kinda sometimes I wonder if they will perhaps refund 80 or 90 cents and let me keep it and all the frustrations that go with it.

Sure is disapointing to have service like that, Since I got this laptop a couple years ago I have been really pumped about apple stuff, bought an ipod shortly after the macbook and then a Time Capsule. The Time Capsule died due to overheated capacitors after the designed lifespan of 18 months but I fixed it by tearing the thing apart and installing new ones (Type "Dead Time Capsule" into google for details of this problem.) I got the iPad3 for my wife and she really likes it and I was actually thinking of getting her an I-mac or mac-mini for the home. As I am away lots and it would be a nice thing for her to interface her I-tunes with instead of my Laptop but after this last run in with the poor support and concidering what I now know about the designe flaws of the TC I think I may re-concider. Can you emagin 14,000 views of this thread and no support from Apple shame on them.

Zeffern

Hi Zeffern,

I like you have a slightly older laptop. Afer following all instruction here have the same issue. But it seems to only happen from my older macbook pro to an ipad or itouch. When my kids use another laptop or mac mini it seems to work fine. The audio cut out for some reason is triggered by the different sources.

Yes seems very strange no wonder apple keeping quiet on this problem as it is all over the map hope they fix it soon but judjing from the date of the start of this thread it is not on their priority list.

On the positive side of things through a few e-mails with the support department and refference to this thread and the thousands of people who have viewed it who obiously are having simmilar issues I was given a credit for 5 songs on I-toons...... Yippie

Zeffern.

Hi Zeffron Cochrane,

The only people here from Apple are the Hosts.

They only seem to post in the "Using Apple Support Communities" Forum Community and even that is really limited.

Under the previous software used to run these forums certain Apple employees that had permission to Post (in their own time) used to have icon/Avatars to mark them as such. (I never saw more that about 10 names at any one time)

The rest of us are Users much like yourself.

There was a commonly posted issue that involved Laptops and iMacs that had the Ambient Noise Reduction option in System Preferences > Sound > Input tab.

In iChat this seemed to be overzealous and seemed to constantly reduce the volume until you couls not be heard.

It effected Leopard more than later version of the OS although there have been reports in Snow Leopard.

In Hard Drive/Library/Preferences there is an Audio Folder.

It contains 4 .plists (Mine does rather as the User Account is Migrated)

The com.apple.audio.DeviceSettings.plist used to be a Standalone plist (there was no Audio Folder prior to Snow Leopard) and deleting it used to "fix" the issue for iChat.

There has also been an issue where in Applications/Utilities > MIDI Audio Setup Utility can have the "wrong" sample rate for the mic when used with certain apps.

iChat for instance prefers the the rate to be 44100 for Internal or USB mics but can use 48000 for external iSights.

It may be worth checking this.

9:28 PM Tuesday; April 17, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.3)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

I too experienced sound suddenly stopping at one end after working fine for about 10 min., but this sound loss was from an iPad 3G to an iPad 2G, (which is why I am posting), so either it is a coincidence, or else the problem may be fundamental to FT, regardless of platform.

This was the first glitch I have experienced with FT in about 20 calls totalling 15 hours amongst MacBook Pros, iMacs and iPads, since switching from Skype, which our family had used for several years with numerous glitches and variable quality.

I had been delighted with FT until today, when we went back to Skype, which performed flawlessly on this occasion.

If this happens again, I will first try restarting the call, and then restarting the FT app as suggested in this thread, before reverting to Skype.