Zoom / Microphone Issue

anonymous-imac-user wrote:

Hi,

. I don't think the Audio Midi Setup comes with Catalina (I have an older Mac).

sorry, that is entirely incorrect. I do all my screen recording, movie recording, and audio recordings on my Catalina boot drive. for functionality, depending on what I'm doing, I need to use my "multi output device" or my "aggregate device". I set up BOTH of them in the MIDI setup on Catalina. so since you've not set it up, that is likely why your mic is not working.

to record the mac's internal sound with quicktime you need additional software. i use the free BlackHole Virtual Audio Driver. then you can choose "BlackHole 2ch" in the recording options instead of "Built-in Microphone."

you will also need to set up a multi-output device in your audio MIDI setup utility to be able to both hear and record the internal audio at the same time.

to set up a multi-output device:

Open Audio MIDI Setup: (found in /Applications/Utilities)

hit the '+' button in the bottom left corner and select "Create Multi Output Device"

then in the panel that appears on the right, in the Multi-Output Device tab, select "Built-in Output" AND "BlackHole 2ch". (and, if you want, any of your other connected devices.)

once you do that, (and BEFORE recording) you can choose "BlackHole 2ch" or "Multi-Output Device" in your menubar "sound options". 

to both hear the speakers and record the audio at the same time, choose "Multi-Output Device". before choosing multi-out, set the internal speakers' volume to a comfortable level first. you cannot control the volume once you are in multi-out mode.

then, to be able to record the internal audio as well as your microphone, it's slightly different. you need to set up an “Aggregate Device”

to set up an Aggregate Device:

Open Audio MIDI Setup: (found in /Applications/Utilities)

hit the '+' button in the bottom left corner and select “Create Aggregate Device”

then in the panel that appears on the right, in the Aggregate Device tab, select “BlackHole 2ch” AND “Built-in Microphone”

then when you choose the recording options, select “Aggregate Device”.

once you do that, (and BEFORE recording) choose “Multi-Output Device" in your menubar "sound options".

**for best results when using the aggregate device, you should use headphones to hear the mac's audio.**

Do you have an external display or other Microphone connected? Use the Audio Midi Setup App to make sure your sound input settings are correct. Keep audio at 44.1 kHz or less and 16 bit. I do not believe Zoom supports greater than Stereo input.

you're welcome. but please note that while you can use those steps to record a zoom meeting, if you record someone's video and / or voice without express permission, depending on your location on earth, it can violate federal, provincial, state and local laws. this can land you in jeopardy with the law, and / or leave you open to civil penalties. and your boss may be justified in terminating your employment. so, you need get permission from the participants, or check your local laws before doing this.

you're welcome. and I realize that you didn't ask about recording the meetings. I just wanted to direct you towards your MIDI setup.