DR-05 recorded audio levels too low (HELP)

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peretta

New member
Hi, first post on this forum, hope some of you could help me.
I have a Tascam DR-05 and it seems to have a issue with levels. I got a Audiotechnica shotgun microphone some time ago and the output has very little signal, even though all the levels are 100% on DR-05 configurations and the "mic power" option is also on.
So, I thought it was some problem with the shotgun itself and I got a lav from Rode. Same issue, it works but the output volume is very low. This makes me think that the error is on DR-05 instead of on the microphones.
What should I do? I can send a sample recording or any other informations if you want. Basically I have to up +30db on post-production everytime I record and this makes the noise levels go very high too.
Maybe it's something with the conector? On the shotgun I have a simple XLR to P2 connector. On the Rode lav, he's already P2. Do I need some adapter or something?
The internal (embedded) microphone on DR-05 works, although it has a terrible quality.


Thanks in advance.
 
Well, the external mic input on that DR-05 is only going to provide "plug-in-power" and not a standard phantom power of 48v, so I wouldn't expect the shotgun mic to work. The (one model of RØDE) lavalier I Googled should work with plug-in-power (spec'd 2-48v), but perhaps the external jack and plug are not matched up to pass power, or the specific lavalier you have requires more voltage than the Tascam supplies.

A friend has a couple of those DR-05s and I wouldn't say the built-in mics have terrible quality, honestly. They're on par with recorders in that price range, like my old Zoom H2, which has captured some amazing performances. If yours sound terrible, then there's probably something else going on.
 
keith.rogers said:
Well, the external mic input on that DR-05 is only going to provide "plug-in-power" and not a standard phantom power of 48v, so I wouldn't expect the shotgun mic to work. The (one model of RØDE) lavalier I Googled should work with plug-in-power (spec'd 2-48v), but perhaps the external jack and plug are not matched up to pass power, or the specific lavalier you have requires more voltage than the Tascam supplies.

A friend has a couple of those DR-05s and I wouldn't say the built-in mics have terrible quality, honestly. They're on par with recorders in that price range, like my old Zoom H2, which has captured some amazing performances. If yours sound terrible, then there's probably something else going on.
Click to expand...


Thanks for your reply!
So, there's no enough power for the mics? I thought that at least the Rode lav would work (the model is Smartlav+), but it's not. I've tested it on a smartphone, and it's working well, but not on DR-05.
The solution, then, is to buy a phantom power of 48v to connect the shotgun? Isn't that overkill to have all these just to connect a shotgun? I'm not expert on audio (my graduation was photography)... I've wasted about $600 on this, and the recording quality is very shitty.
Again, thanks for your reply.
 
peretta said:
Thanks for your reply!
So, there's no enough power for the mics? I thought that at least the Rode lav would work (the model is Smartlav+), but it's not. I've tested it on a smartphone, and it's working well, but not on DR-05.
The solution, then, is to buy a phantom power of 48v to connect the shotgun? Isn't that overkill to have all these just to connect a shotgun? I'm not expert on audio (my graduation was photography)... I've wasted about $600 on this, and the recording quality is very shitty.
Again, thanks for your reply.
Click to expand...
Well, that model lavalier has a TRRS connector and is designed to be plugged into a smartphone, but you're plugging it into a jack that's expecting a stereo microphone, and the shotgun is designed to be plugged into a regular XLR mic input providing phantom power. In short, it's not the equipment that's at fault here, they're just not intended to be used the way you are trying to put them together. At least that's how it appears from a distance.

Now, you've still not said what you're trying to record, but I guess it's some kind of talking head video? Maybe start by telling us what you're trying to do, and if you're able, send back everything, because what you've got, perhaps save that shotgun mic, is probably not what you want.
 
I have a DR-05 and I'm unaware of any way for it to power a mic ..... it simply has a 1/8" stereo input and that's it unless there'sd a newer model.
It's only a 100 dollar unit so it's limited.
I've found it to be a decent unit for the price.
 
keith.rogers said:
Well, that model lavalier has a TRRS connector and is designed to be plugged into a smartphone, but you're plugging it into a jack that's expecting a stereo microphone, and the shotgun is designed to be plugged into a regular XLR mic input providing phantom power.
Click to expand...

Ok, so the lavalier would work if a adaptor like thes TRRS to TRS was used? The shotgun would work if plugged into one of these cheap 48v phantom power?

keith.rogers said:
In short, it's not the equipment that's at fault here, they're just not intended to be used the way you are trying to put them together. At least that's how it appears from a distance.
Click to expand...

Good point. As I've said, I'm not a audio specialist.

keith.rogers said:
Now, you've still not said what you're trying to record, but I guess it's some kind of talking head video? Maybe start by telling us what you're trying to do, and if you're able, send back everything, because what you've got, perhaps save that shotgun mic, is probably not what you want.
Click to expand...

I record mostly people talking, like this one: QUubEFACcms
(Since I'm a new user, I'm not allowed to put a link, so just write the youtube url and put the 'hash' above).

But since sometimes I record in some noisy places, I need a better audio recorder and mic. I've found the shotgun to isolate pretty well, but the DR-05 (or the way I'm using it) is not doing well.
By the way, in the linked video I applied a gain of about +30db and reduced the noise on iZotope RX6... it worked, but is very time consuming and I think the quality is pretty bad. The wav 24bit let me manipulate it a little more than normal, but doesn't really compensate the faults.


I'm probably doing everything wrong, but I really need a solution. Do you think the phantom power would work with DR-05? If not (as Lt. Bob said), what do you suggest me to do in this case? There's other Tascam that would work with this shotgun directly, without adapting anything?
 
peretta said:
Ok, so the lavalier would work if a adaptor like thes TRRS to TRS was used?
Click to expand...
Honestly I don't know, but I would expect the RØDE SC3 adapter, made specifically for that purpose, would probably do what you want. (You do have to enable mic plug-in-power in the Record settings in your Tascam, of course.) A generic adapter might be designed to for output only, i.e., connecting just the earphone paths, and not the mic ones, as the SC3 is designed.
Rode SC3 - 3.5mm TRRS to 3.5mm TRS Adapter | Sweetwater
http://cdn1.rode.com/sc3_datasheet.pdf
The shotgun would work if plugged into one of these cheap 48v phantom power?
Click to expand...
Maybe. It should give you the proper mic output level, but the Tascam input (mic preamp) is really not designed for that kind of mic.
...
But since sometimes I record in some noisy places, I need a better audio recorder and mic. I've found the shotgun to isolate pretty well, but the DR-05 (or the way I'm using it) is not doing well.
By the way, in the linked video I applied a gain of about +30db and reduced the noise on iZotope RX6... it worked, but is very time consuming and I think the quality is pretty bad. The wav 24bit let me manipulate it a little more than normal, but doesn't really compensate the faults.

I'm probably doing everything wrong, but I really need a solution. Do you think the phantom power would work with DR-05? If not (as Lt. Bob said), what do you suggest me to do in this case? There's other Tascam that would work with this shotgun directly, without adapting anything?
Click to expand...
Cheapest would be to try the adapter for the lavalier, assuming you are stuck with it. It can come in handy at some point, and the Tascam should record well in that situation.

I'm guessing you cannot return the Tascam at this point, so the next model up is the DR-40 that has XLR inputs. The Zoom H4n is similar. (I use a Zoom H6.) I guess I'd think hard about how many mic inputs I might want to use in the next few years before spending more money. These things eat batteries, too, so one that can run on an external USB battery pack (aka phone charger power pack/cell) is worth considering. I pack a couple so I never run out of power. But, you need to make sure it will run on 5v, since that's all they provide. (I have been lusting after a Zoom F8, but power options are limited and expensive - too much so for the added 2 channels I'd get.)

P.S. (edit) What RØDE model do you have? The NTG2 has battery power capability. (I have the NTG1.)
 
Why did you buy a recorder without XLR inputs? It limits so m much what you can do, and really by the time you buy phantom power supplies and the cabling, you've spent more than the recorder - AND - the chances are the input gain is going to be a problem too. Seriously, you have a nice mic, and pretty average consumer recorder - so I'd not waste money, and sell it, and buy something with prom facilities and performance. Sorry.
 
Thank you very much Keith Rogers, you helped me a lot.

rob aylestone said:
Why did you buy a recorder without XLR inputs? It limits so m much what you can do, and really by the time you buy phantom power supplies and the cabling, you've spent more than the recorder - AND - the chances are the input gain is going to be a problem too. Seriously, you have a nice mic, and pretty average consumer recorder - so I'd not waste money, and sell it, and buy something with prom facilities and performance. Sorry.
Click to expand...

Good question. The simple answer is that I mostly don't know what I'm doing. I don't understand very much about audio, to be honest, my main area is video and photography. Thanks to you guys now I know a little more about what I'm doing wrong.

Thanks again, everyone.
 
Probably not the case, but is there a slim chance your AT shotgun mic is one of the versions that can be powered by a AA battery? Which model is it?
 
I do have a Tascam DR-07 and I had bought a cheap lavalier (linked below) to use with a camcorder. Gave it a quick try with the DR-07. The mp3 is attached below. The lavalier was attached to my shirt collar and the resulting audio I gave a quick normalization in Audacity to bring the levels up. Probably could sound better giving a little care to how I recorded it.

Polsen OLM-10 Omnidirectional Lavalier Microphone OLM-10 B&H

I also have a few 'consumer' grade shotgun type mics with 1/8" plugs which work with the camcorders and would probably be OK with the DR-07. Not going to give pristine quality, but captures audio reasonably well for my purposes. Bear in mind a shotgun is best used near to the subject (typically boomed overhead).

My 'budget' camcorder shotgun >>> Vidpro XM-55 Shotgun Microphone Kit XM-55 B&H Photo Video
 

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arcaxis said:
Probably not the case, but is there a slim chance your AT shotgun mic is one of the versions that can be powered by a AA battery? Which model is it?
Click to expand...

It does indeed have a AA battery slot... I have a brand new battery, will test soon. The model is AT897.
 

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Well, now. With a battery in the shotgun mic, and an adapter for the lavalier that passes plug-in-power (if you buy that), that should get things up and running pretty cheaply. [MENTION=198894]peretta[/MENTION], let us know how it works!
 
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