mixer needed ?

[jimirwin]

I hope to record some learning tapes for fiddle students -- just one track of a fiddler playing some tunes. I want to record using my cheap radio shack microphone (with 1/4" plug) into my Sony cassette tape deck. Neither my tape deck nor my receiver has a input jack for the 1/4" plug (no mic input at all). I tried various adapters and plugged into the RCA jacks on my receiver, and only "phono" worked. Will that work for recording my practice tapes of fiddle music ? Or do I need some sort of a mixer or amp between my mic and my tape deck ?

Thanks for any tips, as you can see I am a genuine newbie. -- jim irwin.

 

[Eddie]

Jim:

I read your question. A small mixer or a microphone preamp with a line output would work for you if you only have line inputs on your tape deck. I assume that the tape deck is not one of the portable variety, with a "built-in" microphone. Have you considered putting a pick-up of some type on your fiddle? Just an idea. I have an old acoustic guitar with an old Barcus-Berry pick-up installed inside. Although I usually mic the guitar, the pick-up and its preamp work well enough to record through a line input. Good luck.