So I posted recently on how to get the camera working in Skype 2 Beta on the MacBook. One of the most common questions after that post was “But how do I get the microphone to work!?” So, I started toggling switches and trying stuff out until I could reproduce working microphone input. I did have this working in the past and I guess I must have lost the settings so I had to find them again…
Microphone on the Macbook
To get started right-click on the volume applet up near the clock and select the “Open Volume Control” option. This should open the volume control mixer application. What you’ll want to do within this application is select “Edit > Preferences”, which will present you with a long checklist of potential hardware items. The only items I have checked here are:
- PCM
- Input Source
- Mux
PCM should be your main volume for audio output for best control. You can set that from the “Preferences” menu of the volume applet.
Input Source allows you to select the source of the microphone. Mic, Front Mic or Line.
Mux is the device/option I’m using for the Microphone input.
I have the “Playback” tab, on PCM, set to full and use the hardware keys to control volume. “Recording” tab, on Mux, is set to 1/3 volume. I find that I get too much static and noise set too far above that. “Options” is then set to Mic as the input.
Calls in Skype now sound great incoming and outgoing and the video works really well. I hope these similar settings work for everyone else. If you need to use alternate settings please leave a comment.
UPDATE: these instructions have been added to the Ubuntu community wiki as well. Ubuntu on the Macbook.
Thanks for the instructions, but it doesn’t work for me.
Any idea how I can diagnose it?
All I can find to test if it is working is the Skype Test Call service. Is there some kind of app that can show the mic input graphically in real time?
You need more intralinking! I had to refer back to the rss feed to find which post you offered video help. Hypertext, man! Use it!
Thanks for the sweet guides. =)