Dynamic mic and mixer XLR input?

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Philx123

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Hi, I've got a cheapo mic and a cheapo Behringer mixer which I'm using to record vocals and acoustic guitar on PC. I know it's not the best setup in the world, but I have a less than ideal budget for music.
Anyway, will I get any improvement whatsoever plugging my 1/4 inch jack into the XLR input via an adapter or will it be exactly the same as going in through the ordianary mic jack input on the mixer?

Thanks
 
For all intents and purposes, it will be exactly the same.
 
Is your jack a stereo one with a balanced signal or a mono jack with unblanced signal?

Does your "adaptor" actually create a balanced signal from an unbalanced one, like some DI boxes can?
 
Er, any of the quarter inch jacks on a Behringer mixer will be expecting a line level signal--so you microphone will be 50 or 60dB too quiet to use it properlyl. Frankly I don't understand how what you're doing works at all--perhaps you could let us know the model number of your mixer.
 
Bobbsy said:
Er, any of the quarter inch jacks on a Behringer mixer will be expecting a line level signal--so you microphone will be 50 or 60dB too quiet to use it properlyl. Frankly I don't understand how what you're doing works at all--perhaps you could let us know the model number of your mixer.
Click to expand...

The difference is more likely 20-30dB, and in some rare cases the gain is the same. In many cases you can successfully connect a dynamic to the line input.
 
Bobbsy said:
Er, any of the quarter inch jacks on a Behringer mixer will be expecting a line level signal--so you microphone will be 50 or 60dB too quiet to use it properlyl. Frankly I don't understand how what you're doing works at all--perhaps you could let us know the model number of your mixer.
Click to expand...

Hi, yes, it's a Behringer xenyx 502. The first channel has both a line in and an XLR input. When I first got it, I had an XLR adapter so I could put a 1/4 inch jacked mic straight into the XLR, but that got lost in a move. I've only recently dug out the mixer and set my computer up for recording again. I always assumed both inputs in line 1 were set for mics (that is, both XLR and 1/4 Jack).

So is that not the case? Is the XLR for mics only and the 1/4 jack input for a line in?

Thanks
 
bouldersoundguy said:
The difference is more likely 20-30dB, and in some rare cases the gain is the same. In many cases you can successfully connect a dynamic to the line input.
Click to expand...


Er, just as an example, the output of an SM58B is -51.5dBV with an input of 94dBSPL. Line level is (or should be) around 0dB, hence my figures there. Certainly, mic pre amps are frequently asked to provide 50-60dB of clean gain to bring mic signals up to line level.

A 20 or 30dB difference sounds more like the difference between instrument level and mic level.
 
Thanks for that.

Does anyone know if the Xenyx 502 has Channel 1 as mic channel - that is, with the above figures of 50-60db gain as quoted above, or is it just the XLR input on channel 1, and not both XLR and 1/4 inch jack just below it?

Thanks
 
The quarter inch jack below the XLR is the line level input, expecting a much hotter signal. You should be using the XLR input with your mic.

Hmmm...something that needs saying is that any mic that comes with a quarter inch jack on the end of the cable is more of a toy than a decent microphone. That connector is used on low end karaoke machines and similar. It's hard to predict how much improvement if any you'll get by going to XLR--you may just hear the flaws more clearly.
 
Bobbsy said:
Er, just as an example, the output of an SM58B is -51.5dBV with an input of 94dBSPL. Line level is (or should be) around 0dB, hence my figures there. Certainly, mic pre amps are frequently asked to provide 50-60dB of clean gain to bring mic signals up to line level.

A 20 or 30dB difference sounds more like the difference between instrument level and mic level.
Click to expand...

For the small Xenyx series the gain range is listed as +10 to +60 for the mic input and -10 to +40 for the line input, a difference of 20dB. Most small mixers I've used follow that pattern if they don't have a dedicated pad switch.
 
doesn't the mic pre=amp also 'color' the sound?
I always thought it wasn't simply a case of getting more gain but that mic pres are also part of a mic'd sound.
 
Lt. Bob said:
doesn't the mic pre=amp also 'color' the sound?
I always thought it wasn't simply a case of getting more gain but that mic pres are also part of a mic'd sound.
Click to expand...

Well, technically a mic preamp is simply for more gain, but since some tonal differences are inevitable between designs those differences get used for creative purposes. It's like compressors: they were invented to control dynamics but the tonal changes have become a big part of what people use them for.

In most cases the line input is simply padded down 20dB before going into the same preamp circuit used for the channel's mic input.
 
Thanks for the help and advice, guys. Much appreciated. Bobbsy, a new mic is next on the list.

All the best.

Phil
 
Bobbsy said:
The quarter inch jack below the XLR is the line level input, expecting a much hotter signal. You should be using the XLR input with your mic.

Hmmm...something that needs saying is that any mic that comes with a quarter inch jack on the end of the cable is more of a toy than a decent microphone. That connector is used on low end karaoke machines and similar. It's hard to predict how much improvement if any you'll get by going to XLR--you may just hear the flaws more clearly.
Click to expand...

Or- it's a high impedance mic (read very old). Plenty of mics were made in the 60's and 70's with 1/4" outputs, and they were made to plug into high impedance jacks, which were common on PA's at the time. Such mics require a little more than an adapter. They need a high to low impedance transformer, which is a $10 item. You will still find this on some mics intended for harmonica, like the Shure Green Bullet, which are often plugged into high-z instrument inputs. The modern karaoke type mics Bobbsy refers to will generally have the cable permanently attached, whereas older high-z mics will have a separate cable with a 1/4" plug, like a guitar cable, and the other end screws onto the mic via a threaded connector.
 
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