How to record Amiga audio on MacBook Pro?

[amifan]

I used to record audio from my Amiga into my 2011 iMac, unfortunately it finally died and have to use to a MacBook Pro 2015 model. However there is no Line in on the MacBook Pro and I have been searching for an audio Line in USB device but it seems that they only make Mic In and Line Out. Has anyone else managed to record their Amiga audio on a MacBook Pro or other computer without a Line in?

[aeberbach]

Ideally use an audio interface... I have a Focusrite and it solves all my audio problems. 3 computers audio through one set of monitors, record from any input, distributes XLR mic to all computers. If you add software like Loopback you have flexibility to do anything. I use it to solve bugs Discord and Teams have with audio from an external mic and to convince Rocksmith that my audio interface is really an official Rocksmith cable.

[amifan]

Thank you for that, it looks a bit more than what I currently need, I just need to record the Amiga audio so I was hoping for something more along these lines:

https://us.creative.com/p/sound-blas...blaster-play-3

But again it seems to only have a Mic input and no Line input.

[eryngi]

I have a Behringer UCA-202 for exactly this purpose.. Haven't used it with a Mac but it works beautifully with Windows and Linux at least! Great little device.

[amifan]

Thanks! That is exactly what I am looking for, I`d imagine if it works on Windows and Linux should be no problem on the Mac Will go ahead and order that now.

[S0ulA55a551n]

Originally Posted by amifan

Thanks! That is exactly what I am looking for, I`d imagine if it works on Windows and Linux should be no problem on the Mac Will go ahead and order that now.

Does it have drivers/software for the Mac. I would be interested to hear how you get on

[Photon]

Yes, do check first as Apple decides what Mac users can and can't do. Sometimes, basic things are possible by attaching dongles (by any other name). You can probably tell I'm not a fan.

You absolutely need to know that audio interfaces come with Mac drivers and that the OS version and recording software support it. Future OS versions - no guarantee at all.

[Daedalus]

To be fair, it's down to the hardware manufacturer to provide drivers for any platform they wish their hardware to be used with. Macs do tend to ship with a lot of drivers for a lot of hardware so there's a lot of "just works" involved with plugging stuff in. With Windows 10, Windows have more or less caught up in that regard, and of course, Windows will almost always be the lead platform, so you can be sure that drivers can be downloaded for it, and that these will be more likely to be updated to take new OS versions into account (though it's by no means guaranteed either).

Bottom line, if the hardware follows the standards for audio equipment, it should just plug in and work on Mac or Windows these days. There are still cases where manufacturers don't follow standards however, and you do need to check for support then, be it Windows or Mac.

[rothers]

Originally Posted by amifan

I used to record audio from my Amiga into my 2011 iMac, unfortunately it finally died and have to use to a MacBook Pro 2015 model. However there is no Line in on the MacBook Pro and I have been searching for an audio Line in USB device but it seems that they only make Mic In and Line Out. Has anyone else managed to record their Amiga audio on a MacBook Pro or other computer without a Line in?

The mac will quite happily record internal audio if you run UAE. Or is there is a strange reason why you have to run original hardware?

[Photon]

Originally Posted by Daedalus

it should just plug in and work on Mac or Windows

Mac musicians will tell you that they've learned to look around and ask in forums to find one of the handful of products that work with Mac. Apple have as primary obsession to obsolete their own products, remove and modify ports, and kill standards as quickly as they can. They don't care at all about compatibility or to support anything, and this is demonstrated year after year ever since Jobs got back and set the clear agenda.

This has led to a consumer pattern in Apple users: selling off their less-than-a-year-old product before the yearly event. I think this speaks volumes.

[rothers]

Originally Posted by Photon

Mac musicians will tell you that they've learned to look around and ask in forums to find one of the handful of products that work with Mac. Apple have as primary obsession to obsolete their own products, remove and modify ports, and kill standards as quickly as they can. They don't care at all about compatibility or to support anything, and this is demonstrated year after year ever since Jobs got back and set the clear agenda.

This has led to a consumer pattern in Apple users: selling off their less-than-a-year-old product before the yearly event. I think this speaks volumes.

You must be pleased with today's new macbooks then?

[Photon]

What on Earth do you mean?

I'm sure today's new Macbooks have no line-in either, and apart from switching CPU architecture and graphics framework (and breaking the OS on their very own regularly) the dwindling support for audio hardware and software will continue as planned.

How would he benefit from buying a new Macbook, and why should he have to?

[eryngi]

Originally Posted by S0ulA55a551n

Does it have drivers/software for the Mac. I would be interested to hear how you get on

Oh yeah, I forgot to say, the UCA202 doesn't need drivers on Win or Linux, it just works.. hopefully it's the same on Mac! I see reviews of it from people using it on Macs so seems like it should go ok.

[rothers]

Originally Posted by Photon

What on Earth do you mean?

I'm sure today's new Macbooks have no line-in either, and apart from switching CPU architecture and graphics framework (and breaking the OS on their very own regularly) the dwindling support for audio hardware and software will continue as planned.

How would he benefit from buying a new Macbook, and why should he have to?

Because they've put the magsafe, SD slot & HDMI slots back.

Absolutely amazing machine, ordered the top spec M1 Max. Reminds me so much of what Commodore would be doing had they made it.

Love that Apple have moved to ARM.

Also, OP>>> https://www.switchingtomac.com/tutor...nput-on-a-mac/

I think macs expect a 4 band line in cable mind - make sure yours is up to spec.

[aeberbach]

@Photon and you're a moderator? This is moderating? Unbelievable.

@amifan all those hardware products - the Creative, the Behringer - they're all audio interfaces, just not as fancy or expensive as some. Even Behringer's UMC22 would be more economical and do more than what you need.

Behringer's interfaces are "class-compliant" - this means no drivers required on a Mac. For whatever reason you do need drivers on a Windows machine, according to Behringer but I don't own any of their products. Focusrite and Presonus boxes plug and play on Windows or Mac (personal experience). Various bits of hardware may ask you to install other software but often your basic functionality, like getting line-in and XLR mic input, just work as soon as the hardware is connected and the OS recognises the USB device.

[Photon]

@aeberbach, Apple has made enemies of pretty much everyone that wants to do something special. Crazily, recording audio is special, so that you're limited to a very small subset of products, and usually need a dongle or proprietary cable to plug it in. Not only is Apple's third-party product support very bad; they obsolete their own product lines at regular intervals, and obsolete software, including drivers, by major architecture changes.

This is not news, nor have I written anything untrue. I want to give the best answer, and with Apple simple things become involved.

I've seen two recommendations: "buy any, it's always safe" and "this brand is always safe". I see this as bad advice and heavily recommend to ask in a musician forum (share specs).

[amifan]

Thanks guys for all the information, I got the Behringer UCA-202 a few days ago and it works nicely with the MacBook Pro, was reconised quickly without any drivers and I could record. I had tried the headphone jack for recording but it had come out distorted and I was unable to monitor the sound from the speakers. It is frustrating when something that should be simple is made difficult on the Mac.

[rothers]

Originally Posted by Photon

@aeberbach, Apple has made enemies of pretty much everyone that wants to do something special. Crazily, recording audio is special, so that you're limited to a very small subset of products, and usually need a dongle or proprietary cable to plug it in. Not only is Apple's third-party product support very bad; they obsolete their own product lines at regular intervals, and obsolete software, including drivers, by major architecture changes.

This is not news, nor have I written anything untrue. I want to give the best answer, and with Apple simple things become involved.

I've seen two recommendations: "buy any, it's always safe" and "this brand is always safe". I see this as bad advice and heavily recommend to ask in a musician forum (share specs).

What? I'm writing this from a still fully supported 2013 macbook pro. I even got a new battery a while back under warranty.

Almost 9 years of support and it's still a great machine. (the spec in 2013 - SSD, retina screen, quad core i7, dual graphic cards & 16GB RAM)

I am 100% converted to Apple, the OS & tech is superb. Show me a machine as powerful as the M1 Macbook air for the same price, show me something as powerful as the M1 Max I have on the way.

There is a reason that so many people in the video/sound/publishing/editing world use them.

[Photon]

Originally Posted by amifan

got the Behringer UCA-202

This is a good combination. 2005 product remade 11 years ago, enough time for the Mac to get generic drivers. Nothing advanced going on, and, well technically the recording frequency falls just short for preservation purposes but will be fine for normal use.

Hopefully the 2015 Macbook has minimum 1 USB-A port so there wasn't a $39.99 dongle moment. New Macbooks don't.

[aeberbach]

Originally Posted by Photon

you're limited to a very small subset of products, and usually need a dongle or proprietary cable to plug it in

@photon You are misinformed on this subject. It would be irresponsible to let you spread such lies without correction.



@amifan very happy to see that the Behringer hardware worked!