Xlr Inputs

  • Thread starter Thread starter FROZ
  • Start date Start date
F

FROZ

New member
JUST BOUGHT A NEW MIC TO USE WITH MY TASCAM 414 MK2 PORTASTUDIO. I ALSO INVESTED IN AN XLR TO XLR
LEAD AS I THOUGHT I WOULD GET BETTER SOUND QUALITY USING THIS INSTEAD OF PLUGGING INTO ONE
OF THE JACKS ON THE FRONT OF THE DECK.
THE RESULTS ARE DISAPPOINTING TO SAY THE LEAST,
LOADS OF HISS, FAR MORE THAN IF I USE THE JACK INPUT.
AM I DOING SOMETHING WRONG, DO I NEED MORE KIT ?
IF ANYONE CAN HELP ME OUT I WOULD BE VERY GRATEFUL.
I'M VERY NEW TO RECORDING SO PLEASE TRY AND KEEP IT FAIRLY STRAIGHT FORWARD ( NOT TOO MUCH JARGON ).
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE. FROZ
 
Well... you didn't mention which mic you bought!

...but anyways - if you bought a condenser, you will need to supply phantom power to it (not sure if the 488 has it on-board or not...) If it doesn't, then you can buy an outboard phantom power supply.

If you're not dealing with a condenser, then it's something else altogether...

Bruce
 
The 414mkII (is your coffee getting weak, Blue Bear? :D) doesn't have phantom power. But it would sure help to know what mic you're using.

You probably need to work a bit with the trim slider next to the channel fader. The higher up you slide the trim, the more hiss you're likely to get. Start low and work your way up until you get to a point where you have enough voice and a hiss level you can live with.

Unfortunately, on a 414 you need to learn to co-exist with hiss...

A way to get rid of some of it is to use the dbx noise reduction. It's a compromise, though.

Good luck,

micmac
 
SORRY I FORGOT TO SAY , I AM USING A SHURE MIC ( DON'T KNOW WHAT MODEL, AS IT'S AT HOME AND I'M AT WORK ) BUT IT IS JUST A FAIRLY CHEAP DYNAMIC MODEL
( ABOUT £50.00 U.K. )
THE PROBLEM IS THAT WHEN I USE THE LINE INPUT, IT
WORKS FINE, WITH VERY LITTLE BACKGROUND NOISE
BUT IF I ROUTE IT THROUGH THE XLR INPUT, IT STILL WORKS BUT WITH LOADS OF HISS.
DO I NEED TO TAKE THE TRIM DOWN ON THE INPUT ?
I THINK I TRIED THIS LAST NIGHT ! THE HISS GOT QUIETER BUT I OBVIOUSLY LOST RECORDING LEVELS.
SHOULD THIS BE THE CASE ?
I THOUGHT I WOULD BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE THE SAME RECORDING LEVELS BUT WITH A CLEARER SIGNAL PATH
BY USING AN XLR LEAD.
AM I WRIGHT OR WRONG WITH THIS ASSUMPTION ?

THANKS AGAIN.

FROZ
 
JUST CHECKED THAT OUT, AFTER POSTING IT. DOH.

SORRY ABOUT THE SPELLING

FROZ.
 
FROZ said:
DO I NEED TO TAKE THE TRIM DOWN ON THE INPUT ?
I THINK I TRIED THIS LAST NIGHT ! THE HISS GOT QUIETER BUT I OBVIOUSLY LOST RECORDING LEVELS.
SHOULD THIS BE THE CASE ?

Yes, that's natural.


I THOUGHT I WOULD BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE THE SAME RECORDING LEVELS BUT WITH A CLEARER SIGNAL PATH
BY USING AN XLR LEAD.
AM I WRIGHT OR WRONG WITH THIS ASSUMPTION ?

That's usually the case (as in: you will have a better signal to work with).
Click to expand...



Remember, when you use a dynamic mic you have to be very close to it when you sing. In other words, it has to be close to the sound source you're recording.

micmac
 
Am I missing something here but to me it sounds like it is a high impedance mic - works fine into the line in but when converts the cable to xlr and goes into the low z he has the problem - or am I on the wrong track?
 
SORRY BLOOMINGTON,

BUT I AINT GOT A CLUE WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT.

IF YOU OR SOMEONE ELSE COULD EXPLAIN ( IN LAYMANS TERMS ) I MIGHT BE ABLE TO LEARN SOMETHING.

IT'S NOT THAT I'M THICK, IT'S JUST THAT I ONLY STARTED DOING THIS A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO AND I HAVE HAD TO TEACH MYSELF AND LEARN BY TRIAL AND ERROR.

ANYWAY I'M OFF TO BED NOW I NEED A BIT OF KIP. ME AND A MATE HAVE GOT A LATE NIGHT IN THE STUDIO PLANNED FOR TOMORROW

CHEERS
FROZ
 
Did the mic come with a cable that has a 1/4" jack on it to plug into the board? If so it is a high impedance mic and if I read your question correctly you bought some xlr cables to convert that could be your problem when using the xlr's.

Chech the box the mic came in - does it say it is a high impedance mic? It may refer to it as a "high Z" also.

Let us know.....
 
Good point, Bloomington. Just assumed it would be a Shure SM58 or SM57 without thinking. 50 pounds is about 70 bucks, could be a SM558, that's about the same price as over here.

Froz, FYI: Without getting in too deep about mic's and impedance XLR in/outs=low impedance (eXtra Low Resistance), 1/4"-plug in/outs=high impedance. You don't want to mix the two. That's generally speaking, but it's a start.

If it's a SM558, that mic comes set up for high impedance, but can easily be changed to work with low impedance (if i remember correctly).

micmac
 
...or Shure BG1.1? Then you're OK, it's low impedance (XLR). Never tried one, but i just stumbled over it in the FM mag. It fits the price tag at BP 49.

micmac
 
sometimes the mic itself has the option of going frfom hiZ to loZ on the actual on/off switch. I've got a couple mics that do this.
 
NICE RESEARCH MICMAC,

YES IT'S A BG I.I , NOT A MODEL I HAD HEARD OF BEFORE........ IS IT ANY GOOD ?

I SEEM TO HAVE RESOLVED MY HISS PROBLEM THROUGH A LITTLE TRIAL AND ERROR. IT WAS, AS SUSPECTED, A PROBLEM WITH MY TRIM SETTINGS.
I NEED TO SING A BIT CLOSER TO THE SHURE MIC THAN
I DID WITH MY CHEAPER SHURE CLONE. I TRIED IT LAST NIGHT WITH SOME FAIRLY REASONABLE RESULTS.

LAST NIGHT WAS A WINNER. I HAD A MATE ROUND FOR A BIT OF A STRUM AND A SING-SONG.
HALF WAY THROUGH THE NIGHT I PERSUADED HIM TO DO A BIT OF RECORDING.
THIS BLOKE ( MARCO ) HAS BEEN PLAYING AND SINGING FOR OVER TEN YEARS NOW AND HAS NEVER HEARD HIMSELF ON TAPE.
IT WAS A TOP MOMENT TO SEE IT FINALY DAWN ON HIM, DURING PLAYBACK, THAT HE IS ACTUALY PRETTY GOOD. EVEN THOUGH EVERYONE HAS BEEN TELLING HIM THIS FOR YEARS.

ENOUGH OF MY MEMOIRS.
THANKS FOR EVERYONES HELP. I'LL BE VISITING AGAIN, QUITE SOON PROBABLY.

SEE YA

FROZ.
 
Good! Trial and error, the best way to learn this stuff. You're gonna get the hang of it bit by bit. Have fun!

Never tried the Shure mic in question. Judging by the price tag it's an entry level mic, but at least it's a Shure. That's always something.

Good luck.

micmac
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top