MicMac

Missing files
Shared by: MR
On: 2023-01-07 19:43:38
Updated by: InkBlot
On: 2023-07-11 14:10:50
Other contributors: Amid
Rating: 0.00 Clarus out of 10 (0 vote)
Rate it: 12345678910


(There's no video for MicMac yet. Please contribute to MR and add a video now!)

  •  
  •  
  •  

What is MicMac?

This is an application program that you can use to record speech, memos, meetings, interviews, lectures, documents, letters, or books, and to play back recorded material while you use a word processing application to transcribe.


MicMac turns your Macintosh into a portable tape recorder or transcription device. Instead of recording sounds onto a cassette tape, MicMac records sounds onto a disk file. The size of the file depends on the level of compression you select — 6:1, 3:1, or none — and, if you have a newer Mac that supports CD-quality sound, which sampling rate you select.

There is no manual, but the program includes a complete online tutorial, and you should be up to speed on this program in a few minutes. The main interface consists of a single window that mimics a tape recorder’s control panel. You can use your Mac’s microphone to record, or use a tape recorder or another Mac as your input source. If you make a mistake, the program’s trim function allows you to replace all or part of your recording.

MicMac can run in the background, while you are working on another project (for example, typing the transcript of a recording into a word processing program). You can start and stop playback using keyboard commands, skip back to hear a segment over and over again, and mark spots for quick retrieval.

For most purposes, MicMac works comfortably within its less than 400K memory allotment. But when I attempted to record at a 44kHz, 16-bit sampling rate (CD quality) on my PowerBook 540c, the program put up a warning message requesting that I allot a larger RAM partition to the program. I gave it 800K and had no further problem.

At the highest-quality audio setting, sound reproduction was crisp and clean, but my hard drive filled up rapidly. Nirvana Research estimates that an hour of recording at MicMac’s standard setting (22kHz, 8 bits, 6:1 compression) uses 13MB of hard disk space. I found audio quality at this setting barely acceptable (lots of hiss and some distortion), and I settled on the 3:1 compression rate (which uses twice as much disk space) as a listenable alternative (although it was not as crisp and clean as the higher-resolution settings).

A high-density floppy disk can contain only a 3-minute MicMac recording made at an acceptable quality level. A full hour’s recording requires a removable disk of some sort — if you intend to archive your recordings, the cost quickly adds up. According to Nirvana, version 2.1 of MicMac will allow you to record at one resolution and play back at a lower resolution, which, the company claims, will allow you to get a superior-quality recording and reduce file size.

The Last Word The concept of Mac-as-dictation machine is undeniably attractive, and Nirvana Research has pulled it off well. But when all is said and done, a minicassette tape recorder provides equal or superior sound reproduction and is easier and more flexible to use for recording than a PowerBook. The choice is yours.

Steinberg, Gene. (November 1994). MicMac 2.0v1. Macworld. (pg. 79).


Download MicMac for Mac

(There's no download available for this software yet. If you've got a copy of that software, upload it now!)

Architecture


68K + PPC (FAT)



Compatibility notes





To date, Macintosh Repository served 2852959 old Mac files, totaling more than 574553.6GB!
Downloads last 24h = 1675 : 359159.5MB
Last 5000 friend visitors from all around the world come from:
Bondi Medium (Mac OS 8)
 
Let's chat about old Macs!