Is there an audio-in on 15inch Macbook Pro Retina ?

Hi,


Is there an audio-in on 15inch Macbook pro retina ? The Standard mac book 15 inch has an audio in jack, as well as a headphone jack.

Having had a discussion with an assistant at an iStore, he believed the headphone port on the 15inch Macbook Pro Retina was a dual

function port, which switched to audio in, when a signal was sent to it.


Using Cubase alot and Logic I want to be able to connect a Nord Keyboard to my audio-in port to record in real time. This can currently

be done using an iMac ( not the 'new' iMac) and also the Macbook Pro 15 inch.


Can anyone confirm if the assistant who advised me was in acutal fact correct that the headphone port on the side of the

15inch Macbook Pro Retina is a dual function port - Line in and Headphone jack ?


Many thanks

Rob

MacBook Pro with Retina display, iOS 6.0.2

Posted on Dec 29, 2012 9:28 AM

Reply
21 replies

Jan 5, 2018 10:40 PM in response to Rob Hulford

After an hour or so of experimenting, I discovered Apple's intent for the use of their Headphone/Microphone port on the 15 inch MacBook Pro Retina (late 2013). Whereas almost any headphone plugged in will read as a headphone and serve as an output jack, only a specifically connected and wired microphone/headphone combo will signal the hardware that a microphone is connected for external use. You can see this most easily by inserting your iPhone headset which includes the inline microphone as a part of the cord into the headphone jack and observing the Audio Output setting changing from Internal Microphone to External Microphone. Then, of course, your headset mic is the external microphone. The iPhone headset 3.5 mm plug has a 3 banded sleeve vs. the typical 2 bands on a stereo plug. I found I could also use a 2 banded sleeve found on computer combo headset/mic having two separate plugs - one for headset and the other for microphone - if I only plug in the microphone plug just shy of fully inserted. Not an ideal situation but this works if you have no other way and want to avoid using the internal mic in the computer.


My intentions, probably not unlike most who are viewing this question, was to use a better than telephone quality mic for use in professional voice work. Apple engineers took away a mic input port and did not replace it with an equal. The only apparent workaround is USB which requires another purchase.

Dec 29, 2012 9:59 AM in response to steve359

OK. Steve, thanks for taking the time to try and help, that is appreciated. This is a small compromise to make.

I guess I just wondered as my attached image as to whether or not there was actually an input tag. You would need to be able to attribute the USB- Audio in to the input device. There is a difference, as you can see above,

between an internal mike ( which a USB Mike is a replacement for ) and a Line-In port, which receives higer definition signal.


Rob

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Is there an audio-in on 15inch Macbook Pro Retina ?

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