lo-z to hi-z

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AlienRage

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i know that to go from lo-z to hi-z efficiently that you need an impedance matcher. do most XLR -> 1/4" cables match impedance, or is that only for hi-z to hi-z operation? (basically, i'm buying a lo-z XLR cable and a Little Imp for every mic, and was just wondering if it is necessary.)
 
AlienRage said:
i know that to go from lo-z to hi-z efficiently that you need an impedance matcher. do most XLR -> 1/4" cables match impedance, or is that only for hi-z to hi-z operation? (basically, i'm buying a lo-z XLR cable and a Little Imp for every mic, and was just wondering if it is necessary.)
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No they don't, unless they say they do. Why do you need to convert all of your mics to hi-z? Maybe you get a proper mixer? For the $15 per channel you spend on the transformer, you'd better off saving for a mixer.

Anyway those cheap impedance matching transformers don't do wonders for sound quality either. They are intended more for live problem-solving than recording.
 
yeah...i have a 4 track that has 2 XLR inputs and 4 1/4" inputs. so i'm using the 2 direct XLR's, i have 1 hi-z mic already, and i just need to mod the other XLR mic so i can plug it into 1/4". just a temporary solution.

thanks for the answer!

one more random question: i have two 1/4" "stereo inputs"...what can i put into those? just line outs from other stereos or something? i'm assumming i couldn't put more mics there...
 
If you want mics to go into the 1/4" inputs, you'll need mic preamps, not transformers.
 
The little imp is a direct box, it works the other way. It turns line level into mic level. You will find this out when you try to plug the mic cable into it.
 
was that directed at Track or me? cause the description reads "In-line impedance-matching transformer for use in connecting low-impedance mics to high-impedance inputs." which is what i'm doing...lo-z mic to hi-z input.
 
Matching the impedance won't bring a Mic signal up to the line level signal that the 1/4" inputs are expecting to see. Hence the need for a preamp.
And, with a preamp/mixer that offers the proper low Z inputs .... no need for the imp's.
 
AlienRage said:
one more random question: i have two 1/4" "stereo inputs"...what can i put into those? just line outs from other stereos or something? i'm assumming i couldn't put more mics there...
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The inputs are for running your stereo effects, or even mono effects, and as you stated, recording tracks from a stereo source. You could try to run a mic into it, but I wouldn't advise it. At minimal, you would only get a hard left or right bounced track. Max, you could mess up your unit or the mic.
Hope this helps....
 
Yo Alien! You didn't mention what 4-tracker you are using, but many multi-trackers use variable impedence inputs, so that as the gain pot is cranked, the input changes from line to mic impedence. Usually they aren't true high-z inputs, which are usually labeled "Guitar" or "Instrument". High-z isn't exactly the same as line level. Try using an unbalanced XLR to 1/4" TS cable with a low-z mic, crank the gain, and see what happens. You might be surprised (or not)-Richie
 
Richard Monroe said:
Yo Alien! You didn't mention what 4-tracker you are using, but many multi-trackers use variable impedence inputs, so that as the gain pot is cranked, the input changes from line to mic impedence. Usually they aren't true high-z inputs, which are usually labeled "Guitar" or "Instrument". High-z isn't exactly the same as line level. Try using an unbalanced XLR to 1/4" TS cable with a low-z mic, crank the gain, and see what happens. You might be surprised (or not)-Richie
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i'm using a tascam 414mkii. each channel does have a Trim slider that goes from Mic (top) to Line (bottom). does this control the impedance??
 
In short- Yes. I can see the light bulb coming on over your head. Now, the preamps in a portastudio aren't the best in the world, but the channel inputs were designed to accept mic level or line level inputs. In the good old days, guitars and mics were designed to put out the same high impedence signal. The inputs on your Tascam are designed to accept either a line level signal or a low impedence mic signal, depending on the setting of the input trim. It is not designed to accept a high-z mic or a guitar, unless it has an input specifically labeled "instrument", "guitar" or "high-z". However, you may find that a high-z mic or a guitar will work at some trim setting anyway. It is strongly recommended that you acquire and read the frickin' manual.-Richie
 
Richard Monroe said:
In short- Yes.............It is strongly recommended that you acquire and read the frickin' manual.-Richie
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hahahaha, thanks. i have a pdf version of the manual, and i've read a lot of it. i guess i just didn't make the connection between trim and impedence. thanks for the help! i won't be able to set everything up until tomorrow night, but i'll try to post how it went sometime.
 
hmmm

the little imp worked fine. there is a slight hum, however. it is covered up when you record things, but if it's silent, you can hear the hum. in any event, it worked decently. thanks all.
 
AlienRage said:
the little imp worked fine. there is a slight hum, however. it is covered up when you record things, but if it's silent, you can hear the hum. in any event, it worked decently. thanks all.
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Glad that you were able to solve this. I am just catching up after excusing myself rather abruptly. That hum can be minimized with a noise gate. If you don't have one, experiment with your levels and maybe you can come up with a happy medium. There are other ways to clean this up, but I don't have enough experience with it to really help. I take all my tracks from a digital multitrack to pc, and my software has a noise gate plugin, so I cheat a bit.
 
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