another quiet SM57

  • Thread starter Thread starter darkecho
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darkecho

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so i just got my first sm57 and get a XLR to mono 1/4" cable and come home, plug it into my delta 44 input 1 and open up adobe audition. set everything up and hit record... i talk into the mic but dont see any fluctuation of the signal... i turned my comp volume up all the way and i was able to hear me very quiet at max volume.. so i check my delta software settings and it only allows me to go -10, consumer, and +4 db, so i leave it at +4. i pluged the mic directly into my guitar amp and i have to have the volume at 3/4 up before i can hear anything.. is this normal for the mic to be so quiet? i sure hope not! i just bought it on ebay, i think maybe i need to return it, but i have heard of cold soldering joints or somthing being the cause.. any ideas? thanks!!
 
it is the cable. You need to get you a pre-amp. Run XLR to XLR into the pre, then 1/4 to 1/4 into the 44.
 
would a pre-amp basically be like a PA... just a mic amp basically? hmm pre-amps arent phantom power right? i thought dynamic mics didnt need phantom power...

and why is it the cables fault? argh! i spent 15$ on it!! i dont need a TRS cable right? the cable says "Mic cable"

im guessing a preamp just boosts the signal... similar to increasing the volume of the mic or increasing the gain on the receiving end?

hm thanks.
 
It is not the cables fault, I think he miss typed there. A mic pre-amp will boost mic level signals to line level signals. Your 44 wants a line level signal. And yes what you find in a mixer from your pa system are mic pre-amps.
 
the mic does not need phantom power. But it does need a signal boost, i.e., the preamp. I don't think your Delta 44 has one built in. It is not necessarily the cable's fault per say, but you are basically running hi Z on one end and Low Z on the other.

pick up something like this.... http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--ART127 and you will see better results. Even with that cable. But I would see about trading the cable for an XLR/XLR job and then a little pre like that. It is not top of the line by any stretch of the imagination. But it gets the job done.






edit-or you could try this one for a little more and keep it all looking the same.... http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--THKMIMAB0
 
OK so does basically any microphone need to have a preamp? be it condensor or dynamic? if i have a preamp/mixer that supplies phantom power on a certain input, will that harm the dynamic mic by putting it into an input with phantom power? my delta doesnt have a preamp im pretty sure..

but basically you guys are saying that mics arent really meant to be pluged directly into the computer for recording, mics need signal boosts right? and thats what the preamp does... hm i think I understand better now..
 
microphones run at -55dbu. that is very, very quiet. that is why you need a preamp to boost the the level to a line level signal so that you can hear it, and manipulate it.

any preamp or mixer that has phantom power also has a switch to turn it on and off. dynamic mic's do not use phantom power, condenser's do use phantom. phantom power is +48V (volts).

here is what you need:

xlr - xlr cable
preamp
1/4" - 1/4" cable (also referred to as trs cable, trs = tip, ring, sleeve)

and you are right with the last thing you said, ALL microphones need to be amplified, which is what the preamp will do.

plug all that into your delta and you'll be ready to go.
 
ok so... every mic needs to be amplified... even mics that go directly to an Amplifier? so basically youre saying every mic needs to go

Mic - Preamp - Amp

unless the end amp has a preamp built in, or if the mic is running through a mixer or something with a built in preamp.. is that correct? just making sure since i ran my mic to an amplifier and it still seemed quiet...

now when you say line-level... im a little confused as to what that means, does line level describe a certain value for decibles? like the +4db that i see in my deltas management software?


and just want to clarify phantom power vs. preamps..
phantom power is for condensor mics that need additional voltage to help it pickup audio right? wheras a preamp, amplifies a signal that has already been picked up.. would plugging in a dynamic mic to an input on say a mixer with phantompower switched ON damage the mic? or would it make it sound distorted in some way... just dont want to make a costly mistake in the future...

ok and lastly,
Thunder33 mentioned that i am using hiz on one end and lowz on the other...
what does he mean by that, is the XLR side of the cable better(HiZ)? is it just the way hte connectors are made or somthing? im guessing it loweres quality or makes interference of some sort?

thanks again everyone

BTW heres the cable i bought yesterday
http://www.thetwistergroup.com/store/image.php?imagefile=DBL<>PPMJ-L15.JPG
 
Last edited:
well i went ahead and exchanged the cable i had purchased for a 25ft xlr to xlr.. in addition to the above questions, anyone think that 25 will degrade quality noticeably? thanks again everyone! :D
 
darkecho said:
well i went ahead and exchanged the cable i had purchased for a 25ft xlr to xlr.. in addition to the above questions, anyone think that 25 will degrade quality noticeably? thanks again everyone! :D
Click to expand...


I don't think you will hear a difference. If so, just cut it down. :)
 
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