Can't Make Mic Work (Slowly Losing my Mind)

bruceuzulul

New member
Hey guys, I'm more of a PC hardware guy but I've gotten into streaming lately and wanted to improve my audio quality. I dropped some cash on an AT2020 and a phantom power supply (before you ask, I've confirmed this power supply works). Am I losing my mind here, because I have Mic > XLR > Power supply > XLR to 3.5 > computer and I am registering nothing. At first I thought my mic port wasn't working, so I did some testing there before realizing every time I plugged the 3.5 mm into any mic port I got a prompt from windows. The only time it registers when I view it in Sound is when I'm either plugging in or unplugging XLR from the mic. I don't know what to do, and I'm completely at my wit's end which is frustrating for somebody accustomed to just "figuring out" hardware issues like me. Can somebody please tell me if I'm doing something obvious wrong and just missing it? I was so excited about this new setup and it's been nothing but a headache thus far :(
 
You need a decent mic preamp. If you can return the phantom power supply, do so and get a USB Audio interface tha thas phantom power. It will take the place of the onboard soundcard on your computer.
 
i'm not gonna be able to return it, so should i keep it and get an interface without power? I really don't understand why I can't run this setup without an interface, and I can find absolutely nothing on this subject anywhere on the internet. i guess what i'm asking is can i run mic > phantom power > interface > pc?
 
It might work............. maybe :)

I'm guessing the cable you have (XLR to 3.5mm) is not properly wired to take the 'balanced' mic connection and convert it to an 'unbalanced' connection the PC is looking for.
Secondly.... is this a PC desktop type computer or laptop? Newer laptops sometimes have combo jacks that take a different plug for a headset/mic and a bit more of a challenge to make work.

A cable I have that works is a HOSA XVM-110F . This cable bridges pin 1 & 3 of the XLR together to the sleeve of the 3.5mm plug and leaves pin 2 'hot' to the tip and ring of the 3.5mm plug, diagram below. I had bought this cable to be able to use XLR connected mics with a camcorder, but seems to work fine with my PC. I attached a short mp3 using an AT2020 to a Behringer PS400 phantom supply through an XVM-115 cable to the PC mic jack recorded with Audacity.
If the XLR to 3.5mm cable you have is not wired like the diagram you might be able to 'mod' it if you're handy with a soldering iron.
Don't have high expectations for sound quality, but worth a try. Save up for a decent USB interface as Mike suggested.
 

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i'm not gonna be able to return it, so should i keep it and get an interface without power? I really don't understand why I can't run this setup without an interface, and I can find absolutely nothing on this subject anywhere on the internet. i guess what i'm asking is can i run mic > phantom power > interface > pc?

Like arcaxis says, maybe. I'd say it's probable that you can pass signal, but it's not what pro mics with balanced output are designed for. The 3.5mm input on a computer is meant for unbalanced input, and it likely provides "plug-in power" to the mic. If it happens to have a three contact connector they are doing different things than the three pins of an XLR. You'll have to translate between the two, which is what arcaxis' diagram shows. Most likely it will work but a proper audio interface would be better because it is specifically designed to connect a balanced mic with XLR output to a computer and also provide low latency monitoring of that input.
 
As Mark & Co have said you have bought the wrong bit!

I would not modify the XLR to 3.5mm because again, as stated, there is power present on that jack. Probably too feeble to do any harm but the audio results will be poor anyway.

However, if you are of a practical bent and can solder, you could buy an audio transformer which would both isolate the mic/phantom supply from the PC and deliver a balanced input.

But yes, a modest Audio Interface is the best solution and depending upon your aspirations I suggest one that has TWO mic inputs. Bit of a fan of the Steinberg UR22 but the little Tascams get a good rep as well.

However (and I shall get some stick for this!) If you are not "doing music" i.e. building tracks of vocals and instruments you might find a USB mixer suits your M.O. better? I can recommend from personal use the Soundcraft Notebook 8FX.

Dave.
 
This is very common and the real problem comes down to the balanced to unbalanced conversion. The 48v phantom is applied between the balanced conductors to the mic and ground. In the unbalancing, one of these is shorted to ground. Most phantom units use two capacitors to prevent the DC running back to the audio input, acting as isolators but the unbalancing can reduce the supply voltage and shift it away from the centre with the upshot that sometimes there will be 48v but very little available current. 3.5mm inputs are simply not designed for quality microphones! Even if electrically they work, they have worse audio performance than is acceptable, frequently requiring high input levels as their available gain is mediocre.
 
update. i got a decent lil interface but now i'm having a new issue. the mic picks up everything loud except for my voice and i have to jack up gain on the interface to hear at all. like keyboard clicks are louder than me talking. however, when i switched off phantom power just now it suddenly sounded loud and how it "should" (i'm a little close to the mic from leaning forward to switch phantom power off) until the mic ran out of power. what. the. heck. is. this? what does this mean and what do i even do about it lmfao. it literally has to sound like the ocean is in the background for me to get any sound through at all (though admittedly what i hear is very nice ;) )
 
- What is the make/model of the interface?
- The AT2020 is a 'side address' mic. You need to have the side which has the 'Audio Technica' logo pointing towards you (my AT2020 does have the word 'Back' on the backside).
- An optimum distance for normal speaking will be about 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm). Further away will need more preamp/interface gain and allow the mic to pick up sounds in the room more.
- The interface should have its own phantom power. I assume you are not using the original phantom power supply that you bought(?)
- XLR to XLR cable mic to interface, correct?
 
Just for the sake of trying everything, have you gone to the Windows Audio Control panel and made sure your socket is selected as the default source and then go to your sound software confirm the source setting there.

As I say, worth looking at if only to eliminate those possible errors. I'm with the others who think it's likely the wiring in the XLR-3.5mm cable. This gets even more complex because there's no real standard for input jacks on computers. Some are wired for stereo feeds, some for mono and some even have an extra ring to allow headphones with built in mics.

Before you lose any more of your mind, maybe sell the phantom power supply on eBay (I'm sure there's a sucker waiting out there) and buy even a cheap USB interface which lets you avoid all the sound hardware built into your computer.
 
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