9 comments

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  davak

  3 years ago

  Cool little hack!
  
  The physics of headphones and microphones are very similiar.
  
  The same diaphragm that can turn electrical signals to sound (earphones) can often turn sound into electrical signals (microphone).
  
  Welcome to the site! A couple more excellent hacks like this and you'll be on the tech-recipes gift certificate list before you know it!
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• 

  AMCDeathKnight

  3 years ago

  kewl thanks for this I will try it later when im not using my ipod as a hard drive :-)
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• 

  Anthony

  3 years ago

  K, so tonight I tried this with a set of headphones made by sony and it didn't work, and my friend has the newer version of iPod headphones (from an iPod video) and it did not work for him, so remember which type of headphones I was using to do this. If your headphones came with an iPod video it might not work. My headphones came with an iPod photo and it works consistently. Also, the instructions for navigationg through diagnostic mode are for that of an iPod photo. If you have a video iPod you can try it with the sound recorder that comes with Windows.
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• 

  jasperthedummy

  3 years ago

  Actually this isn't very new, except the fact that the iPod can be used to record audio. Any earphone can be used as a mic, and when plugged into a mic port on a computer, it actually acts as a mic.
  
  Earphones and microphones are constructed on a very similiar concept, just that earphones are optimised for hearing, and microphones are optimised for recording.
  
  Great hack nevertheless. =D
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• 

  jelle

  4 months ago

  exactly,
  we did this with our casette tape boxes in the 80's, same trick, has nothing to do with iPod's or Apple for that matter. Still funny, yes.
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• 

  Anonymous

  2 years ago

  Hi i created a video tutorial on how to use your headphones as a microphone. I made it on a windows Xp computer, but it's quite east to do on the mac as well. Feel free to watch it.
  
  http://www.metacafe.com/watch/342700/use_your_h...
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• 

  Anonymous

  1 year ago

  <ul id="quote"><h6>jasperthedummy wrote:</h6>Any earphone can be used as a mic, and when plugged into a mic port on a computer, it actually acts as a mic.</ul>
  
  Just be careful not to use a mic as an earphone - microphones are generally much more sensitive and you may damage your mic. :)
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• 

  sound Q

  6 months ago

  your headphone is just a diaphragm at the end of a wire. Any diaphragm, depending on how it's wired can work both ways depending on the flow of energy. Ipod jacks only have one jack, therefore, they made it dual purpose. You could, which would be recommended, just plug a computer mic or a line level mixer to achieve a better quality sound.
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  Shannon

  2 days ago

  What is diagnostic mode? Can I use your information with the iPod touch?
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