# Live\_audio audio server input (◎\_◎;)? HELP

**URL:** <https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/live-audio-audio-server-input-help/4634>\
**Category:** Support, Help & Resources\
**Created:** [November 17, 2020, 1:58pm UTC](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/live-audio-audio-server-input-help/4634 "2020-11-17T13:58:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![LambKebab](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5f9b8f/32.png) [@LambKebab](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/u/LambKebab)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 1:58pm UTC](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/live-audio-audio-server-input-help/4634/1 "2020-11-17T13:58:31Z")

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Hi! I am new to Sonic Pi so maybe this is a really simple answer but I can’t figure it out by googling or in any other threads. I want to get a live audio input either from a USB mic or the computer’s microphone. I read the Sonic Pi manual for this section and it seems pretty straightforward how to test it (multichannel audio 13.2 live audio). When I run the test code the log says that it’s using supercollider as an audio server but the time never increases. Am I missing a parameter or is the problem in my mac’s sound-card…in the system preferences\> sound\> input, the internal mic is selected.

=\> Starting run 4

{run: 4, time: 0.0}  
└─ live\_audio :foo, {}

=\> Stopping all runs…  
=\> Stopping run 4  
=\> Completed run 4  
=\> All runs completed  
=\> Pausing SuperCollider Audio Server

why is the time not running and what is the empty array after the name?

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**Author:** ![ethancrawford](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@ethancrawford](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/u/ethancrawford)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 2:55pm UTC](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/live-audio-audio-server-input-help/4634/2 "2020-11-17T14:55:31Z")

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Hello @LambKebab 🙂

Off the top of my head, I can at least answer your first question. Time is appearing to not advance because by itself, `:live_audio` does nothing to advance the time in any thread or loop that it might sit within. (Just as playing a sample, or a synth, without having any calls to `sleep` or `sync` will also not advance the time). Since nothing has told Sonic Pi to sleep/wait, the (virtual) time doesn’t progress.  
Does that make sense at all?

As to the empty hash after the name, I don’t remember at the moment, but @samaaron or someone else might be able to shed light on it 🙂

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**Author:** ![LambKebab](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5f9b8f/32.png) [@LambKebab](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/u/LambKebab)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 3:56pm UTC](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/live-audio-audio-server-input-help/4634/3 "2020-11-17T15:56:24Z")

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Thank you, it does make sense. I just still can’t figure out how to make it make any sound. In the manual there’ a thread given to test the computer’s internal mic… (which in system preference is picking up sound)

```
with_fx :reverb do
  live_audio :foo
end 

```

So I guess more specifically my question is why is SP not picking up the first input of my sound card and how do I double-check that for mac (it’s selected in system preferences as input but maybe there’s another step). I saw another [thread](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/connecting-an-instrument-into-sonic-pi-live-audio/698/13) with the same question but also no answer.

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**Author:** ![robin.newman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@robin.newman](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/u/robin.newman)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 11:59am UTC](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/live-audio-audio-server-input-help/4634/4 "2020-11-19T11:59:17Z")

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Which version of MacOS are you using?  
It may be that you need to go to System Preferences-\>Security & Privacy and enable Sonic Pi to have access to your microphone.  
I am currently using SP 3.3beta and here is the adjustment on Catalina

![permissions](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/uploads/sonic_pi/original/2X/7/70c7ee4124c8bf0388262d8ef1623fd8081df02b.jpeg)

Otherwise, make sure that the mic is your default input BEFORE launching Sonic Pi (you can check this in Audio-MIDI setup in the Audio Devices window, and then a simple one-liner program like  
`live_audio :foo`  
should work. (Beware of feedback via your speakers)