audiorecording
I try to use an external mic to make some audio recordings. But the level of the input is really low ! In fact, the internal build-in mac has a better input level than the external one that is closer to my mouth !
Did I miss something about audio recording ?
Returning to this question several years later, it's still a pretty sad state of affairs. The only reliable answer is some sort of hardware solution.
In practice, this is what I ended up buying:
It works really well; you connect the jack to a voice recorder and put the earbud in your ear, which has a microphone and sits between your ear and the phone's speaker. The quality isn't bad (albeit not broadcast quality) and the ability to use an external voice recorder means I'm not having to deal with moving files off my phone or expend extra battery power on a recording app.
That said, this looks really interesting (Though I'm unsure whether you just connect it to your phone and use normally, or whether you connect some sort of hands-free headset to the other side):
http://thenextweb.com/gadgets/2014/05/12/15-quirky-gadgets-accessories-buy-today-2/2/
Considering the question is ultimately about finding a cheap or free software-based recording solution, I'll leave it open in case anyone comes up with something workable.
I have a similar need when recording Skype calls. My setup is somewhat different, but the fundamentals should work for your setup. Best of all, you can do it without buying any specialized applications. Rogue Amoeba has a great application called Line In that will allow you to pipe your system's inputs to whatever outputs you are available, including Soundflower.
Go to System Preferences -> Sound:
Start Soundflower.
This will bring up the Audio MIDI setup application. From here, you'll create an "Aggregate Device," which is accomplished by clicking the + icon in the lower-lefthand corner.
Start Line In:
Finally, fire up Audacity, and make sure Soundflower is selected as the input. This should create a chain that ultimately pipes your inputs into Audacity.
I hope this helps, and good luck!
Best Answer
Microphones are hooked up to a pre-amp to boost the signal before recording. The internal microphone on the Mac probably has a built-in pre-amp while the external jack doesn't. Typically external mikes are connected to a sound or mixing board before hooking up to a computer.