Static - USB mic - Audio In - Macbook Pro

[spamurai]

So I bought a coolio microphone but it uses a jack for connectivity... thus if the computer doesn't output enough power, it needs phantom power, or a power source etc. Fortunately it came with a usb connector which pulls power from the USB (like a usb mic) and powers it... unfortunately, whenever I record, it get TERRIBLE amounts of static, in fact, it's just constant...

I've tested a few things, and it's not the mic, or anything to do with the line-in (that I can find anyway, I could be wrong)...

If I leave the USB connector in, but don't plug the mic into it, and press record in Audacity, I still get constant static, even though there's no mic connected to take audio... which tells me its something to do with the system, not the mic or usb connector...

Any ideas? I tested it in Garageband too and had the same problem.
What might a solution be? Thanks.

 

[treekram]

I can't find information on the coolio microphone (coolio is a rap artist?), I'm presuming you have a microphone with an XLR connector which you connect to a USB-powered (vs AC) pre-amp which also provides phantom power which you connect via USB to the computer. Correct me if I'm wrong. If what I presumed is correct, I would suspect it's the pre-amp. I looked at some reviews of USB-powered pre-amps that provide phantom power and a common complaint among those who had negative reviews was noise. The test you should do is recording something without the pre-amp connected. If you get the same noise recording without the pre-amp connected, then it's something in the computer. It could also be the combination of the computer and the pre-amp. You might want to try connecting the pre-amp to a powered USB hub if you have one and see what happens. This is a good starting point. Hopefully somebody with a lot of experience with this type of recording will respond with further steps.