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ScottR

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 11, 2007
124
11
This is a somewhat different sort of question than the usual....

My car is making a noise. I can't quite track down where it's coming from, and passengers disagree about where it sounds like it's originating from--even whether it's in the front or the back.

So I thought I could hook up at least two mics to my MacBook (2021 16") and position them far apart (one in the front wheelwell, one all the way in the back) and drive around, recording the noise in two separate channels. Then, I can review the noises--or, better the amplitude of their waveforms--and see where the noise is the loudest. I can then focus on that area, maybe taping the mics to the outside if that'll help.

Obviously, I'm not looking to invest in any serious hardware/software for what (I hope) is a one-off. What could I use that would work for this?
 

Lift Bar

macrumors 6502
Nov 1, 2023
253
527
Audacity is free and shows waveforms.

Typically you’d need an audio interface to handle multiple microphones going into a MacBook.

Might be easier to get a couple very cheap voice recorders for this and sync the recordings for analysis after. Otherwise you’re running long cables, or some type of wireless solution which gets expensive.
 
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