XLR to 1/4

[jp]

I currently use a crappy tascam porta03mk2 and 2 mics - one mic is generic with a built in 1/4 cable, and one is a good quality mic with a xlr to 1/4 cable. I plan on getting a new 4 track, and 4 (or more) new mics to go with the setup. I'm curious about the cables... should I just buy more xlr to 1/4 cables or would I be better off buying normal xlr to xlr mic cable and adapters for each. The sound quality I get out of the mic I currently use with the cable is fine. Obviously its far cheaper to just get just cables but I'm not sure if I'd be losing anything by continuing to do it that way.

[windowman]

If you're moving up to a better 4-track, I'd make sure it has XLR jacks on it (as many as you think you'll need) and just buy standard mic cables hereafter. It's amazing what you can buy a good 4-track cassette unit for these days. I was at Mars Music looking at mic preamps the other night and noticed they were selling Tascam's top of the line 4-track (I don't remember the model number) for $400. That wasn't a sale price either. I know that particular model has at least 4 XLR inputs on it. Of course you'll have to put up with DBX noise reduction but I here it's much improved. Now if only it had a spdf out....

[jp]

Originally posted by windowman
If you're moving up to a better 4-track, I'd make sure it has XLR jacks on it (as many as you think you'll need) and just buy standard mic cables hereafter. It's amazing what you can buy a good 4-track cassette unit for these days. I was at Mars Music looking at mic preamps the other night and noticed they were selling Tascam's top of the line 4-track (I don't remember the model number) for $400. That wasn't a sale price either. I know that particular model has at least 4 XLR inputs on it. Of course you'll have to put up with DBX noise reduction but I here it's much improved. Now if only it had a spdf out....

Welp, that wasn't really my question, was it? I believe the unit I'm getting has 2 xlr inputs on it, and thats it. I'm pretty set on it, but I will check out Mars... Thanks!

[Gidge]

If the mic that has the XLR plug is a low Z mic, you may need something like this....

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/ex/sh...113?pid=422414

[windowman]

Well if your new machine has XLR's on it then it's a no brainer. You'll find they're louder and quieter. 1/4 inch on mics is usually not a good idea if you can avoid it.

[jp]

Originally posted by windowman
Well if your new machine has XLR's on it then it's a no brainer. You'll find they're louder and quieter. 1/4 inch on mics is usually not a good idea if you can avoid it.

I'm hoping to record 4 tracks at once, so... that still leaves me with my original question.

[windowman]

Oh, I see what you're saying. It's still a no brainer though. You probably plan on buying an even better recording system someday don't you? If so, then you won't want those cheesy XLR to 1/4 inch cables anymore. But you can always use regular XLR to XLR cables even after you've moved up to better mics and a better recorder of some kind. Besides, like Gidge said, you'll probably need low Z transformers for your mics anyway. I've never seen one that came with a 1/4 inch jack that had a built-in transformer. It's silly not to go with regular cables to begin with if you have to use a transformer anyway. Understand what I'm saying?

[jp]

Originally posted by windowman
Oh, I see what you're saying. It's still a no brainer though. You probably plan on buying an even better recording system someday don't you? If so, then you won't want those cheesy XLR to 1/4 inch cables anymore. But you can always use regular XLR to XLR cables even after you've moved up to better mics and a better recorder of some kind. Besides, like Gidge said, you'll probably need low Z transformers for your mics anyway. I've never seen one that came with a 1/4 inch jack that had a built-in transformer. It's silly not to go with regular cables to begin with if you have to use a transformer anyway. Understand what I'm saying?

yep, you're right... thanks! I'll use the XLRs I do have and get converters for the rest. I am curious though, haven't other people asked this question? almost all the 4 or 8 tracks I see have only a few XLR inputs on them, maybe you guys are only recording one thing at once over and over though.

[lazyboy]

If you're going to get xlr-1/4" cables, it may be in your best interest to make sure you buy cable that's balanced at both ends. The 1/4" is called TRS which stands for tip-ring sleeve. It's been my experience that they're a little harder to find than xlr-xlr, but you should be able to find some (or make your own if you're into that).

A lot of newer machines that have limited xlr inputs are using balanced 1/4" for the remaining inputs, so you can maintain the balanced lo-Z connections. Something you may want to check into when you make your new recorder purchase.

[jp]

Originally posted by lazyboy
If you're going to get xlr-1/4" cables, it may be in your best interest to make sure you buy cable that's balanced at both ends. The 1/4" is called TRS which stands for tip-ring sleeve. It's been my experience that they're a little harder to find than xlr-xlr, but you should be able to find some (or make your own if you're into that).

A lot of newer machines that have limited xlr inputs are using balanced 1/4" for the remaining inputs, so you can maintain the balanced lo-Z connections. Something you may want to check into when you make your new recorder purchase.

hehe, your post just backed up my decision... the xlr to 1/4" QTR (unbalanced) cables are cheap, but the TRS ones are quite expensive - that is, far more expensive than buying normal xlr-xlr cables and some converters.

[jp]

Originally posted by jp


hehe, your post just backed up my decision... the xlr to 1/4" QTR (unbalanced) cables are cheap, but the TRS ones are quite expensive - that is, far more expensive than buying normal xlr-xlr cables and some converters.

actually, I just found this on the musician's friend site, not sure if it is exactly what i'd need or not, no details...

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/ex/sh...931?pid=270125 - shure's site says "C20HZ Efficient "Hi-Flex" 20 foot (6 m) cable with 1/4 inch phone plug for high-impedance or unbalanced low-impedance operation (pin 2 hot)" - I'm guessing that thats not balanced either, right?

[windowman]

from Lazyboy:
A lot of newer machines that have limited xlr inputs are using balanced 1/4" for the remaining inputs, so you can maintain the balanced lo-Z connections.

That's a new one on me. I haven't piad much attention to the details of the newer Cassette machines in recent years so maybe they do have balanced 1/4 inputs now. That would probably eliminate the need for a low-Z converter.

Still, those XLR to XLR cords can be used for many years to come....

JP, I will say this: the downside of those low-Z converters is that they place a lot of wieght on the input jacks. (Those converters are a bit heavy for a little 1/4 input.) They might wear out the input jacks eventually. Not a big deal to replace them but just thought I'd mention it. If you ever used headphones with 1/4 inch jacks and used an adapter to take them down to 1/8 inch to use with a little walkman unit then you may already no how easy it is to wear those little 1/8 inch jacks out. Boy, I threw more walkmans away when I was a kid because of that! I supose a converter on a 1/4 inch jack would have the same effect eventually so beware.