Computer as Audio Input

thepanthurr

New member
Hello, I had an interesting thought and couldn't find anything about it on the internet.
I was wondering if it were possible to have the computer send a mic signal to the iphone via something like a 3.5mm 3ring to 3.5mm 3 ring cable?
This way I could basically transfer my vocals to my phone.
Any chance this would be possible? (This would probably require some spoofing of a mic signal thing on the computer... maybe an app?)
 
If the goal is to transfer your vocals to your iPhone, just bounce mp3s and put them on your iPhone.
Drag them into iTunes and sync.

That way there'll be no quality loss, other than in the conversion to mp3.
 
Well the idea would be to be able to use them in say voice memos on the iphone... the idea is that it's more or less real time.
I'm on Mac OSX Yosemite btw
 
Last edited:
On a PC there would be little problem using a program like Audacity. This can be set to send the input signal through to an output circuit such as the 1/8" headphone socket (in fact I think it does it by default) .....No idea if that will work on a smack!

Dave.
 
Well I'm using Logic Pro X right now, which I'm sure has the capabilities of anything in Audacity... but even if I send the output to the headphone jack, my iPhone doesn't read it as anything coming in -- it still uses the internal mic... I thought it would use the line in given a 4 pole 3.5mm cable...
 
Well I'm using Logic Pro X right now, which I'm sure has the capabilities of anything in Audacity... but even if I send the output to the headphone jack, my iPhone doesn't read it as anything coming in

I am quite sure Pro X DOESN'T have all the capabilities od Audacity! It will have a lot more but possibly not the same ones.

If the mic is indeed being sent to the H/P jack (you can hear it?) the problem is either a duff cable or a setting in the phone.

Dave.
 
I don't know how I would check if I can hear it... at the moment I'm just using a 4pole 3.5mm male to male cable to connect the two...? The cable is brand new though-- and I wouldn't know what setting would be the issue... any ideas?
 
I don't know how I would check if I can hear it... at the moment I'm just using a 4pole 3.5mm male to male cable to connect the two...? The cable is brand new though-- and I wouldn't know what setting would be the issue... any ideas?

Sorry, I am ignorant of macs but why would you use a 4 pole jack lead to connect a standard stereo headphone signal?

A bog S 3.5mm jack to jack lead can be had at your local RockBottom shop for about 99p (one $?).

Dave.
 
I'm new to all of this stuff and I thought the 4 pole jack was what the Apple Earbuds used in order to send a mic signal into the iPhone... as such I tried to replicate that...
 
I'm new to all of this stuff and I thought the 4 pole jack was what the Apple Earbuds used in order to send a mic signal into the iPhone... as such I tried to replicate that...

Well, we have had a perfectly good system on PCs for flipping years! A 3 pole headphone/line out jack and a 3 pole mic* input that could carry power for an electret mic amp chip. If Apple have seen fit to **ck with that "standard" well I am sorry you have been troubled!

*can be set as a rule for "line ish" levels tho the better soundcards had a separate line input.

Dave.
 
I promise you that a cable wired straight through (tip>tip, ring>ring, etc.) won't do it. You'll be sending the left output of the computer to the left output of the phone, right output to right output and so on. Probably (hopefully) wont hurt either device, but it can't work as intended.
 
You can do it after the fact by saving mp3, converting to m4a, importing to iTunes voice memos and syncing.

If you want to do it in real time you'll need to get a mic input adapter for your iPhone.
That'll be a 4 contact male connector that breaks out to stereo outs and mic in, I think.

What's the goal here? Why would you want your files in voice memos in real time?

On a PC there would be little problem using a program like Audacity. This can be set to send the input signal through to an output circuit such as the 1/8" headphone socket (in fact I think it does it by default) .....No idea if that will work on a smack!

Dave.

Of course it will. :)
 
The iPhone uses a single socket to cover stereo output and mono input.
For that reason they use a 4 contact jack instead of the conventional 3 contact jack you see on your normal headphones.

From memory, one contact is ground, two are output (L+R) and one is input.
I can't say this as fact but it would make sense to me that the mic is the lower ring, if you go in order tip - ring - ring - sleeve.
If they did that normal headphones would work just fine and the mic input would be grounded during normal headphone use.

You need a jack with these four contacts on one end and a breakout (individual components) on the other end.
You'd used a conventional 3.5mm stereo/balanced male to male jack in conjunction with that.

You might even find there's a 4 contact to 3 contact male to male jack out there for the job, but make sure it's for this job.

Google iphone mic input adapter.
 
Last edited:
Actually scratch that. The linked item won't do.
The second comment review states that.

Either get one that says it's for iPhone, or get one that has reviews saying it works with iPhone.
 
  • "Can be used with any portable device that uses a 4 position 3.5mm jack, such as iPhone, iPod and iPad devices RoHS Compliant"
​It would seem so.
 
Back
Top