PowerBook 500 series: 16 Bit, 44KHz Sound Recording (7/94)


The 500 series PowerBook have built-in stereo sound support. The specifications say it supports 16 bit sound, and there is an option for 44KHz sampling rate. Does it really support that rate, and how do I record stereo sound into the PowerBook?

The 500 series PowerBooks do support 16 bit 44 KHz sampling. The internal microphone is mono only, but the options in the Sound control panel do support switching to 44 KHz on that microphone. None of the current Apple external microphones support stereo input to the port on the back of the PowerBook 500, however, you can use "line-in" cables to get stereo in. These cables are standard stereo minijacks, and in fact, Apple provides one with 16" and 17" monitors. This cable is called "Cable, Sound In," and is part# 590-4513.

However, the software provided with the PowerBook 500 series (the Sound control panel) does not have the ability to record in stereo. You must use 3rd party applications that support stereo recording, such as the latest versions of SoundEdit Pro (Farallon), AudioShop (Opcode Systems), or something similar. The Sound cdev can record mono 16bit 44KHz but you are limited to a 10 second sound by that control panel.

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Published Date: Feb 19, 2012