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How to Connect a Condenser Mic to Mac Book Pro?

Hello All,

After recently buying a Neewer NW-700 and setting it up, I plugged it into my what I believe to be a 2012 or 2013 model of the Mac Book Pro, only to see that it was received as headphones and under the output tab of my sound preferences. I don't believe there is anything wrong with the mic as I had also bought and hooked up a phantom power source. After running the cables through the power source I plugged my TRS plug into an additional FosPower TRS to TRRS adapter, knowing that macs don't accept TRS audio jacks. And then after all that, I plugged that adapter into my computer which accepted it as a headphone rather than a microphone.


I do have a theory, that the FosPower Adapter only converts input signals and that the computer then thought of it as a headphone. What do you think?


Here are some pictures to help.


The Mic

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The Phantom Power

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Adapter

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Prior to Plug in

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After Adapter was plugged in

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Thanks for your help,

G

MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2012)

Posted on Mar 8, 2016 9:38 PM

Reply
6 replies

Apr 6, 2017 3:10 PM in response to garretthelp

I connected my neewer NW-700 microphone to a phantom power source. I the microphone was directly connected to the phantom power source, and the other cable was directly plugged into the phantom and the laptop through the headset jack. My MacBook Air is not recognizing it,, therefore not picking up any Audie from the microphone. I already tried system preferences and it's not popping up. Is there anything you can do to help?

Oct 9, 2017 11:07 AM in response to Sebiiscool33

Have you figured this out? If so what'd you do?


It appears that we need to replace the phantom power source with an audio interface (that comes with its own phantom power supply). Neewer customer service just called me saying that they're microphones aren't compatible with Macs. Others have got it to work so I'm going to invest in a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 to replace the Neewer Phantom Power supply. So instead of it plugging into the microphone jack, the microphone (I have a NW-800) will go to the audio interface, which then connects to my MBP via USB.

Oct 14, 2017 7:54 PM in response to radgravy

Thought I'd share, that I was able to get this to work on my older MBP (2011) running macOS Sierra. I replaced my Neewer-NW-100 Phantom power supply with an audio interface, focusrite 2i2 (from Guitar Center) and now it works and sounds so much better! Initially, the phantom power supply was connecting to my MBP via the mono microphone jack. With the focusrite 2i2 it replaced that connection with a USB.

Mar 15, 2016 12:42 AM in response to garretthelp

Hi garretthelp,

I understand you are having trouble getting your Neewer NW-700 microphone to be recognized as an input device on your MacBook Pro. If the FosPower TRS to TRRS adapter is not working for you, have you tried using an audio interface with standard XLR connections for your audio setup? What application are you using on your Mac? Whatever settings you use in the Mac's System Preferences would also need to be made in the application's audio preferences as well. I'll include the information for GarageBand below for your reference.

I found the manufacturer's website for your product, and input the SKU for the microphone into the Support page, but they do not have a manual available at this time. So, if using a standard audio interface does not resolve the issue, you will need to contact Neewer for more information.


Connect a microphone

You can connect a microphone to your computer to record your voice, an acoustic instrument, or any other sound to an audio track in GarageBand. You can connect a microphone to your computer’s audio input port, a USB port, or, for better audio quality, an audio interface connected to a FireWire or USB port on your computer. You can also use your computer’s built-in microphone to record sound.

After you connect a microphone, you choose the input source for the track you want to record in, and optionally turn on monitoring. Monitoring lets you hear yourself play so that you can hear the part you want to record as well as the rest of the project.

Connect a microphone to your computer

Do one of the following:

  • If you’re using your computer’s built-in microphone, choose Built-in Microphone as the input source in GarageBand > Preferences > Audio > Devices.

  • Connect the microphone to your computer’s audio input port (if it has one), then choose Built-in Input as the track’s input source.

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  • Connect a USB microphone to a USB port on your computer. Choose the USB microphone as the track’s input source.

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  • Connect an audio interface to a USB or FireWire port, then connect a microphone to the audio interface for recording.

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  • Connect an audio mixer or console to an audio interface connected to your computer.

Set the input source for a microphone

  1. Select the audio track.

  2. Click the Smart Controls button User uploaded file to open the Smart Controls pane, then click the Inspector button User uploaded file.

  3. In the Recording Settings section, choose one of the following from the Input pop-up menu:

    • If you’re using your computer’s built-in microphone, choose Built-in Microphone.

    • If you’re using a microphone connected to your computer’s audio input port, choose Built-in Input.

      If Built-in Input doesn’t appear in the menu, choose GarageBand > Preferences, click Audio/MIDI, and choose Built-in Input from the Audio Input pop-up menu.

    • If you’re using a microphone connected to a USB port, choose the microphone.

    • If you’re using a microphone connected to an audio interface, choose the channel number for the microphone.

      If the audio interface channels don’t appear in the menu, choose GarageBand > Preferences, click Audio/MIDI, then choose the audio interface from the Audio Input pop-up menu.

    Make sure the format matches the microphone or instrument. Choose a mono input for monophonic instruments (with a single channel), and choose a stereo input for stereo instruments (with a pair of channels).

  4. Drag the Recording Level slider to change the input volume level for the sound source.

    If the Recording Level slider is dimmed, you can’t change the input volume in GarageBand. In this case, use the device’s own volume control.

Take care,

How to Connect a Condenser Mic to Mac Book Pro?

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