If you’ve been plagued by sound cracking, buzzing, or interference on your MacBook Pro speakers and microphone, don’t worry — there’s a simple solution to restore pristine audio quality across all your apps, whether it’s Zoom, YouTube, or Spotify.
First, let’s ensure your audio settings are in top shape:
- Click on the Apple Icon in the top-left corner of your screen.
- Navigate to “About This Mac.”
- Now, select “System Report” and choose “Audio” from the left-hand menu. Typically, it’s the third entry from the top.
Here’s the crucial part: both your “Speaker” and “Microphone” settings should be configured at a 44,100 Hz sampling rate. Mine was set to 48,000 Hz, which caused cracking sound. This particular rate, known as 44.1 kHz, mirrors the sampling rate used in audio CDs and offers a maximum frequency of 20 kHz. Why is this significant? Well, 20 kHz represents the upper limit of frequencies audible to humans. To accurately sample 20k Hz, the frequency needs to be doubled, otherwise, a data loss is possible during sampling. Actually, the code was written in a way, that any deviation from this standard can result in unpleasant crackling, which is the last thing your MacBook Pro speakers should inflict on your delicate eardrums.
Now, for the resolution:
- Head to your “Audio MIDI Setup.”
- Check the input/output format settings. You want to ensure it’s configured as the default 44.1 kHz, with 2 channels, and in 32-bit float format. This should be the go-to configuration, overriding any other options.
Once you’ve made this adjustment and restored your settings to the default 44.1 kHz, you should find that the irritating crackling sound becomes a thing of the past. Your MacBook Pro’s audio will be back to delivering the crystal-clear quality you expect. Enjoy your newfound auditory bliss!
