# Getting REW to see USB Mic on Mac is too hard



## tnargs (Sep 7, 2006)

_*[EDIT: 2015-10-13 NOTICE: see post #16 for an explanation of why this issue is happening, before posting please. A solution is yet to be offered.]*_

I'm sorry, but I've followed all the hints on HTS REW Forum for getting this extremely simple thing to work, and I am beyond merely frustrated. I have installed Soundflower, installed LineIn, 

been here: http://www.avsforum.com/forum/91-au...es-how-interpret-graphs-28.html#post_22823228,

been here, http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...etting-around-limitations-javasound-os-x.html,

followed this, http://johnr.hifizine.com/2013/02/room-eq-wizard-on-the-mac-an-input-workaround/,​
and none of it makes the slightest difference.

No matter what I do, when I start REW 5.13 for Mac, it will only see the laptop's (MacBookPro Retina 2012 with El Capitan) internal microphone. The REW Preferences panel only offers Default Device, Internal Microphone, and my USB DAC as options for input device. It doesn't show USB Audio CODEC, which is my measurement mic, and which I have set as input device on OS X System Preferences/Sound. _WHY NOT???_

Just to be clear, I am reading this as a shortcoming in REW coding. After all, System Preferences/Sound sees the USB mic and its meter responds to tapping the mic. LineIn sees the USB mic and its meter responds to tapping the mic. Audio programs like Audacity see the USB mic and its meter responds to tapping the mic. But if I then start REW and ensure Input Device is set to Default Device (since the USB mic is not shown as an option), then open up the SPL Meter module and hit Record, ..... nope: it is looking at the internal mic! So there is no problem with setting up the operating system or any other applications to work with the USB mic, _this is all about REW being a major PITA_.

Sorry. Very frustrated. I have used REW with this Mac (OK, I am an occasional user) for years now, and every single time it is a major PITA to get the USB mic recognised by REW and I seem to occasionally get it working but purely by luck, and even then I think it has sometimes actually been reading the internal mic and I have been mistaken to think it is working with the USB mic. Then next time I go to use REW, whatever was working is no longer working, and the whole drama starts over. It just....shouldn't.....be....this.....hard. The output device, a USB DAC, is seen by REW with no difficulty. Why not the input device????

Please, someone tell me that this has a simple solution and something that will always work each time I start REW, and won't require me to follow umpteen system setup steps every single time I want to use REW. I would be so grateful.


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## tnargs (Sep 7, 2006)

Unfortunately, I am not going to be useful in diagnosing "what changed?" for my issue in the above post. I am not very frequent in using REW, so several software updates will have occurred in the interim -- including REW 5.13 and importantly, El Capitan OS X. Does anyone else have this combination up and running with a USB mic?

It is so confusing that the system sees and uses the USB mic, other software can see and use the USB mic, but REW cannot.

Almost humorous, I just noticed that in REW Preferences, I can select the USB mic as an _Output Device_, but it does not appear in the dropdown list as an Input Device. :huh:


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## JohnM (Apr 11, 2006)

Yes, there are other users running El Capitan with USB mics. Don't use LineIn and, unless you need to route audio to a multichannel output, don't use Soundflower. REW runs on Java, the audio devices on the system are made available by JavaSound and REW has no control at all over the way JavaSound works. However, most users seem to get REW working without issues on OS X since Oracle started providing a Java runtime for OS X, which has been built into REW since V5.10.

Edit: There is an alternative to using soundflower for multi-channel output by using an aggregate device, as shown in this post on AVS.


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## tnargs (Sep 7, 2006)

Thank you John, that's an informative start.

I hope it is of no concern that I updated my JRE to 1.8.0_60 yesterday, in my desperation to try anything.

OK, no more LineIn or Soundflower (I will need MCH eventually, but put that aside for now and get REW working first). Your mention of them has reminded me that I have AudioMate v2.2.2 installed and running by default. Should I stop AudioMate?


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## JohnM (Apr 11, 2006)

AudioMate looks like it just provides a way of displaying info accessible from the status bar, so I don't think it should have any influence. 

REW has its own JRE, it doesn't use any other JRE installed on the Mac.

Assuming you get everything going, switch to V5.14 beta 3, which has a fix for a change in the way the file dialog behaves in El Capitan (no change in the audio interface handling).


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## bokeh (Nov 13, 2013)

I have a UMIK on its way and plan to use it with a Mac...I really hope I don't run into any issues. Fingers crossed.


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## tnargs (Sep 7, 2006)

I have had no luck getting REW going with the USB mic.

It is easy (automatic actually) to get other software to see the USB mic. I have tried Audacity and GarageBand. No problems. So, my audio setup is working fine. But then I start REW and it can only see the laptop internal mic.

That tells me it is either my REW settings, or something wrong with REW.

Here is a screen grab of my key settings:

The ONLY options for Input device are Default Device, Internal Microphone, and my DAC. So I leave it on Default Device. As the Audio Midi Setup screen (bottom left) shows, the default device is the USB mic (with the picture of a mic next to it).

The Sound Preferences screen (bottom right) shows that the USB mic is the selected input device, and its level is maxing because I am tapping the USB mic while I take the screen grab. Which means that the computer's internal audio routing is working fine.

The REW Levels screen (top right) is reading -82 dB because it is not responding to my tapping the USB mic. it is reading the laptop internal mic and will jump if I tap the laptop case.

Can anyone see anything wrong or make any suggestions please?


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## jtalden (Mar 12, 2009)

Your 'Input devices' panel shows the USB mic identified as 'USB Audio Codec'. When you select that as the REW input does it not work? I would expect it to. [I am not sure your DAC would show up as an input, but I'm not expert on these things.]


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## JohnM (Apr 11, 2006)

Can you post the file generated by clicking Generate Debug File on the soundcard preferences, please?


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## JohnM (Apr 11, 2006)

What mic do you have by the way?


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## tnargs (Sep 7, 2006)

jtalden said:


> Your 'Input devices' panel shows the USB mic identified as 'USB Audio Codec'. When you select that as the REW input does it not work? I would expect it to. [I am not sure your DAC would show up as an input, but I'm not expert on these things.]


Like I said in my post above, the ONLY options for Input device are Default Device, Internal Microphone, and my DAC. (I have tried them all to no avail)

Ironically, the USB mic DOES show up in the Output Devices dropdown list in the REW Preferences panel, but that is not much help


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## tnargs (Sep 7, 2006)

JohnM said:


> What mic do you have by the way?


Behringer ECM8000 calibrated microphone from Cross·Spectrum Labs. The calibration file is loaded into REW.

It feeds into a MXL USB Mic Mate Classic (XLR to USB converter).

I will send you the debug file when I am home this evening. Thanks for helping.


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## thrillcat (Mar 25, 2014)

So it's not a USB mic, it's a USB input device. 

I have never had an issue getting REW to see my UMIK or my USB input device on the inputs with my Mac, my problem has always been getting my outputs properly configured. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## tnargs (Sep 7, 2006)

JohnM said:


> Can you post the file generated by clicking Generate Debug File on the soundcard preferences, please?


Here it is


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## lashlee (Mar 31, 2014)

I have a USB UMIK-1 with a MBP Retina that always sees it, no problems what so ever. I've got an older phantom power mic with mAudio Pre but I don't know if I've ever tried it on the Mac.


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## JohnM (Apr 11, 2006)

Thanks for the debug file, interesting. I guess MXL have used some off-the-shelf USB soundcard core, since the device advertises itself as having an output called Speaker with gain, mute, balance and pan controls. 

The problem on the input side is the mic only offers mono audio data, the first device I've come across that does that. The Java driver audio path is stereo to support the timing reference loopback option, hence only devices that support stereo audio are shown. On Windows could use the ASIO driver as that handles mono channels, but I'll have to think about how to handle a device which only offers mono data on OS X.


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## tnargs (Sep 7, 2006)

Ah, that explains it then, at least I know there is an issue not just my setting up selections.


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## tnargs (Sep 7, 2006)

I have added a notice at the top of post #1, informing new readers of the status of the issue.


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## JohnM (Apr 11, 2006)

Please try V5.14 beta 7 for OS X.


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