I can record my voice using my mac g4 powerbook's internal mic but I
also have the option of using a "line in" mic which I understand to be
a powered mic (must have it's own power source) and the recepticle on
the back is a standard professional mic not a usb.  But could I use a
regular usb mic to record as well?  Anyway, the internal mic produces
a "canned" sound.  My main use for this is to record a narration track
for my movies in i movie.

Where can I find on-line or in a store ( I live in central florida) a
powered line in mic so I can record directly to my mac g4 powerbook's
software.

I currently get around this by using a high quality sennheiser mic
(not powered) plugged into my dv camera and then importing into my
i-movie and then extracting the audio but really I'm wasting my time-
there's got to be a faster way and my unpowered mic just doesn't work
with my laptop.

please feel free to ask for clarification if I have not clearly
explained my situation...

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Clarification of Question by genki2-ga on 28 Feb 2005 17:41 PST

Okay, thank you both for your input.  I will look into the phantom
power.  I suspect my biggest problem is my lack of knowledge about
audio in general, so I appreciate your info.  I didn't bring my mac
home from work tonight so will check in the morning but I feel
confident in saying yes, it's a 3.5 mm receptical.

---

Clarification of Question by genki2-ga on 01 Mar 2005 20:21 PST

littlerubberfeet-ga,

Thank you- your 4th link led me to the answer.  The griffin imic will
solve my problem.  It turns out the line in mic receptical is a bit of
a misnomer on the mac powerbook g4.  Since it doesn't have an
amplifier it's really just a line input meaning someone with a full
audio setup or a studio would have no trouble but your average Joe
isn't going to be able to use that as a mic input with their existing
mic.  so I have two options- buy a pre amp for 100 bucks or so or just
use the imic for about 35 bucks and plug my existing mic into it and
then its usb into my mac.  Since I really just need to record my voice
for movies and dvd projects (narration) it should be just fine.

Feel free to re-post as an answer.  Thanks littlerubberfeet-ga!
Thanks to Guzzi-ga too- your comment was a bit over-my-head but that's
my fault not yours...

The issue here is whether your mic requires phantom power. it appears
as though it does. I'm not entirely sure what you need...If your
sennheiser does not require phantom power, you can plug it into the
'line in' port on the powerbook with just a converter from radio
shack. If your mic needs phantom power, you should look at cheap one
or two channel interface.

All of these interfaces are macintosh compatible and will work with
whatever type of microphone you have:

The Digideseign mBox: USB interface. It has two analog inputs with 48
volt phantom power, MIDI, SPdif and some other goodies. It is probably
overkill for your needs and costs about $500USD retail.
http://www.digidesign.com/products/mbox/

The PreSonus FIREBOX is a two channel interface with 48 volt phantom
power preamps. It uses firewire and retails for about $400.
http://www.presonus.com/firebox.html

The Alesis IO|2 is a 2 channel USB interface with phantom power and
MIDI. It retails for about $200.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/io2/

If you are sure that your mic doesn't need phantom power, the most
cost-effective solution would be the Griffin iMic. It has a 1/8 inch
audio-in jack and costs about $35.
www.griffintechnology.com/products/imic/

I personally use a Tascam FW 1884 interface, but that is way more then
you will need for voiceover work. Hope I helped!

Oh, littlerubberfeet got there first.

You say.....

a "line in" mic which I understand to be a powered mic (must have it's
own power source) and the recepticle on the back is a standard
professional mic not a usb.

Presumably what is being referred to is a standard electret (aka,
slightly inaccurately, condenser). These incorporate a simple low gain
amplifier, the function being impedance change rather than voltage
amplification. The inbuilt mic is almost certainly electret too. These
require power for the amplifier, though only a few milliamps. Voltage
varies from around 4 to 48 volts and are called ?phantom supplies?.
Many electret mics have an inbuilt battery supply which is more
convenient. Don?t be put off by the quality of the Mac mic -- even
cheap electrets can give excellent quality. Studio ones are a bit
pricey (£100+) but you probably don?t need to go that far.

Could you describe the ?recepticle? (sic). Is it just a 3.5mm jack?

Can?t comment on the USB input but if one is available it would be
powered from USB. If you can?t find info on the web I can have a
search.

Your other alternative is to incorporate a mic amplifier -- though
most these days are for electrets.

Have you got specifications for the mic input?

Best

I know this question has been closed a while but I just found a much
better solution than everything else presented.  If anyone wants to
narrate scripts or simply add voice to an imovie the best option is a
Micflex.  It connects to your powerpook by usb, simply change your
input mic selection in system preferences and then when you go to
imovie, simply select audio and click the litttle record button to
record audio directly into your timeline- - no importing, no
compression, no secondary software- it couldn't be simpler and the
quality is excellent!  and it's only $40- can't beat it!  This will
save me so me so much time I thought I'd post it so others who might
be searching for a solution will find this...

http://www.dvforge.com/micflex.shtml