Complete newbie trying to connect mic to PC

D

dovakin

New member
I got this microphone: Boya BY-MM1

The cables came included with it are too short to connect to my desktop. Had intended to buy it for home recording but I seem to have bought something more fit on cameras unfortunately.

It came with two cables, TRS and TRRS. TRS works on the PC audio input jack in front of the case. TRRS doesn't.

I want to connect that to my PC with this cable: Anker 3.5mm Nylon Braided Auxiliary Audio Cable (4ft / 1.2m) Tangle-Free AUX Cable for Headphones, iPods, iPhones, iPads, Home/Car Stereos and More (Red)

Can't post the link, new member but if you google you'll find that on amazon.

Would it work? Would I need something different? The mic seems to have built in condenser.


Here's what it says on the mic specs:

Transducer: Electret Condenser
Polar pattern: Cardioid
Frequency Response: 35-18KHz +/-3dB
Sensitivity: -42dB +/- 1dB / 0dB=1V/Pa，1kHz
Signal to Noise Ratio: 76dB SPL
Plug: 3.5mm TRS and TRRS connection
Dimensions: Φ22*81mm

The BOYA BY-MM1 is a cardioid microphone, which specially design to improve the sound quality of videos on the basis of build-in microphones. With both TRS cable and TRRS output cable included, it canbe used on Smartphones, cameras, camcorders, audio recorders, PCs, and other audio/video recording devices.
 
Well, the one I found on amazon is an omni mic, as most lavs are. This, to be honest, is perfectly normal. In fact - a clip on mic is almost impossible to point, so omni are a 99% standard because you find the right place and the angle doesn't matter at all - many people like to point them away from the mouth, cable wise, which stops some of the pops and spit noises. Cable wise there's a bit more of a problem, but luckily you say it works on the TRS cable. Forget all the clever hype on cables. The cheapest will be fine like these.

FPUK 5 metre 3.5mm Jack Headphone: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

The only downside to these things is that the connectors are always weak. They pull out and often click and pop as the contacts flex. Not just cheap ones, but ALL of them because they're physically small and weak. If I ever use these on headphones, I plug them together, bend them back and fix with a cable tie so if somebody trips on the cable, it stays put!

Oddly - these cheap mics are nowhere near the rubbish people say. The Chinese are great at making small electret mic elements - they sound clean and as they are in close, the sound is very useable with perhaps a bit of EQ.

I assume your recording is spoken word? If it's music or singing, then they're not the right thing at all.
 
rob aylestone said:
Well, the one I found on amazon is an omni mic, as most lavs are. This, to be honest, is perfectly normal. In fact - a clip on mic is almost impossible to point, so omni are a 99% standard because you find the right place and the angle doesn't matter at all - many people like to point them away from the mouth, cable wise, which stops some of the pops and spit noises. Cable wise there's a bit more of a problem, but luckily you say it works on the TRS cable. Forget all the clever hype on cables. The cheapest will be fine like these.
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The only downside to these things is that the connectors are always weak. They pull out and often click and pop as the contacts flex. Not just cheap ones, but ALL of them because they're physically small and weak. If I ever use these on headphones, I plug them together, bend them back and fix with a cable tie so if somebody trips on the cable, it stays put!

Oddly - these cheap mics are nowhere near the rubbish people say. The Chinese are great at making small electret mic elements - they sound clean and as they are in close, the sound is very useable with perhaps a bit of EQ.

I assume your recording is spoken word? If it's music or singing, then they're not the right thing at all.
Click to expand...

Yep it will be speech only. I forgot to mention that the mic has 3,5mm input so does the PC, so the cable is male to male. With the short cable the sound quality was good enough. You think I should get a cable extension or that Anker aux cable like in the first post would work? I'd rather get just one cable instead of an extension as I assume an extension would mean one more transfer and loss of quality.
 
make to males are less common, but those cheap things you linked to should be fine - although I'd personally never buy something that short! I'd be looking at 5m/15ft as a minimum. Quality doesn't change with cables as long as they have basic mechanical strength and a reasonable amount of copper in the screen. You won't find much support for the hi-fi folk notions about cables influencing sound here. The ones on amazon are pretty well random Chinese stuff at this price with pointless specification - they work fine normally.
 
At first read I suspected that this was a microphone of the "BM-800/Neewer" stamp which are very variable on quality to the point that some don't work at all!

Seems not and based on Rob's replay I think I shall buy one just for the craic.

Dovakin, perhaps you could give us more of an idea of your recording aspirations? If you want to make and record music you really need an Audio Interface but that is whole other jar of fish food!

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
At first read I suspected that this was a microphone of the "BM-800/Neewer" stamp which are very variable on quality to the point that some don't work at all!

Seems not and based on Rob's replay I think I shall buy one just for the craic.

Dovakin, perhaps you could give us more of an idea of your recording aspirations? If you want to make and record music you really need an Audio Interface but that is whole other jar of fish food!

Dave.
Click to expand...

It'll be just voice, not any type of music. I already bought the mic and its past the return period. It came with TRS and TRRS cables, both are 15cm in length and not enough at all to plug in to a desktop and have it on the desk. So I was just looking to see if the AUX cable I am about to buy is fine. I figured not all cables would work since TRRS cable didn't work on the pc. It claims to have built in condenser if that helps.
 
dovakin said:
It'll be just voice, not any type of music. I already bought the mic and its past the return period. It came with TRS and TRRS cables, both are 15cm in length and not enough at all to plug in to a desktop and have it on the desk. So I was just looking to see if the AUX cable I am about to buy is fine. I figured not all cables would work since TRRS cable didn't work on the pc. It claims to have built in condenser if that helps.
Click to expand...

Ok, well as told, almost any extension cable should work (I buy RCA, 3.5mm jack and such cables from a 'Rock Bottom' shop at about a pound a pop)

The "condenser" is the actual element in the mic that converts sound pressure into an electrical signal* and is, again as earlier stated, of the electret type which means it does not need a high polarizing voltage just about 5V to power the internal amplifier.

I prefer the term "Capacitor" microphone since the term "condenser" had gone from electronics technical texts even bsck when I was an apprentice more than 50 years ago! But then I AM a pedantic old electronics fart!

* to be exact, it doesn't, not directly like a dynamic but that is something you don't need to know about!

Dave.
 
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