Voice Overs
 

I finished editing my movie in FCPHD, and now I need to do some voice overs for it. How do I get my computer to recognize my microphone? All I have right now is a cheap computer microphone that came with my old computer. I plugged it in, and chose the voice over option in the effects menu and it doesn't work. Does anybody know how to fix this? Thanks.

I too would like to know how without buying protools.
12 track mixer and 4.5

You can plug a good mic into your mixer and record it live right from the mixer.
That's basicly what I do although the mic is in a sound booth in a different room.

ProTools is not needed. The VoiceOver tool in FCP works fine. The model Macintosh you are using would be helpful.

Audio input can be microphone level or line level. Unfornately, cheap microphones use the same plug as is standard for line level (1/8 mini). So how's the computer to know?

As for your specific problem with a cheap mic, I assume you have gone into the sound control panel and made sure input volume is set etc.

Bottom line is that you are best off getting a small A/V mixer from radio shack that will accept your cheap mic input and convert it to line level. Macintosh audio inputs expect a long plug for microphone input that lets the sound card put power on the line for the mic to use for higher audio quality. It's a great idea that never took off.

Thats getting more helpful.
I have a sennhieser m421, (xlr output)
A beuatiful mic.
I have pluged it into my mackie 12 track but I dont see it in FPC4.5
How exazctly do I go about seeing it?
Kona sd also card, if thats helps.
Thanks

got it, got it, got it.
many thanks

voice overs
 

You probably need to get yourself an imic from griffen technologies. It hooks up through usb and has 2 1/8" jacks for in and out. You can choose between mic and line levels aswell. It cost me 60 bucks and with a sennheiser(with an xlr to 1/8" adapter) it made doing a huge voice over job a piece of cake right in fcp. Basically newer macs require an adapter to record voice overs in fcp.

If you want to play around with v.o.'s and don't have equipment you can can plug your camcorder in with firewire. Set the camera to record mode and then choose dv audio as your source in the voice over window. Now you can record voice overs with the camera in fcp. It may be possible to have a good mic connected to the camcorder and use that instead of the camera mic, but I've never tried.

This is simple
 

In the voice over tool, you can choose your input. There are two choices: Internal microphone (on the mac) or line in. NOT MIC IN!!
You can not use a microphone connected to your mac, because that would be a mic level signal. You need to hook up your microphone to a mixer, and send it as a line level to your mac.

I just picked up a 10-channel Edirol M-100FX USB mixer. Works great with FCP's voice over tool, plus has voice effects built-in like "narration enhancer" http://edirol.com/products/info/m100fx.html