Mic Directly into a Portable Recorder

[podcastcoach]

I've had a few people contact me with issues with this setup.

They purchase a portable recorder like a Zoom H1, or Roland R-05, then they want a dynamic microphone so they go with a Heil PR40, or an Audio Technica ATR2100USB. They get an XLR to 1/8" and go into the mic/line in and they have issues.

My advice was to buy a mixer and go line out, into the line in of the recorder (or just use the built in microphone). In the last case, the 1/8" end of the plug had two rings (so I'm assuming for stereo). These mics aren't stereo, and I'm wondering if a different cable (with a mono 1/8") would work better. Anybody got experience with this kind of setup?

I also suggested plugging the ATR2100USB into a laptop as an option. They are trying to keep it small, portable, and have great audio.

[mcphillips]

Dynamic microphones have much lower audio output levels than condenser mics have. That said, the wiring between the XLR and the 1/8" TRS miniplug has to be exactly right to work correctly. That is, for a stereo recorder, Pin 2 on the XLR connects to the Tip AND Ring of the 1/8" TRS plug. Pins 1 and 3 of the XLR are jumpered and connect to the sleeve of the 1/8" TRS.

Some recorders do not have preamps with enough gain to get a full screen indication with a dynamic mic in a low volume environment. There are all sorts of solutions to the problem, but they all involve external equipment that defeat the purpose of having portable equipment.

The Roland recorders are very popular, but I don't have one (or use an external recorder). However, I have worked with external records for many years. The take-away from this response is to make sure that the microphone cable is wired correctly.

Note that it is possible to wire Pin 2 of the XLR to the Tip of the 1/8" TRS plug and to wire Pin 1 (shield) to the shield of the TRS. In that case, audio will only be recorded on one channel, which is fine for voice-only recording. With this arrangement, a 1/8" TS (mono) plug will work, but the sleeve shorts out the input on the second channel, which is okay for voice-only recording.

It would be fun to go through an entire setup with one of the Roland recorders and a variety of mics, but I don't have one. The only external recorder I have is the Sony PCM-M10, which works great with either dynamic or condenser mics.