Unable to record from a mic or instrument

asked Jul 10, 2019 in Studio One 4 by Pallen6483 (210 points)

Hi. I just upgraded to Studio One 4 Prime, as my paid-for version of Stuio One 2 stopped working. However, I am still having the same problem. At first I thought it was my Presonus Firebox interface, so I replaced it with a Zoom Tac-2 (Thunderport interface). However, I have the same problem, which is that the track that I want to use for vocals (mic) does not record. I do not see the input levels at all. This is odd, as I can record using a mic using the Zoom Tac-2 and Garageband. However, Studio One does not work. I am using a Mac Mini with Majove 10.14.5 OS. I recorded often with the Firebox and Studio One 2 and do not consider myself a newbie. Any help you can give is appreciated. Thanks!

3 Answers

answered Jul 11, 2019 by albertjason (460 points)
selected Jul 11, 2019 by Pallen6483

Best answer

in macOS 10.14 Mojave, all audio applications must be given permission to access audio inputs. You may receive this alert when opening Live for the first time after updating to Mojave:

Screenshot_2018-11-19_at_16.54.55.png

You need to click "OK" in order to enable your audio inputs.

Note: Although the notification mentions "microphone", it actually applies to all audio inputs (internal microphone, USB microphones and any inputs on external audio interfaces).

In case you already clicked "Don't Allow" you can still grant access in System Preferences:

Close Live.
Open System Preferences > Security and Privacy > Privacy > Microphone.
Tick the box beside Ableton Live in the list.
Then launch Live
Your audio inputs should be functioning correctly.
Further reading
Apple's own article describing the same issue: "If you can't record audio after a macOS Mojave update".

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