Richard Crowley
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COW Coin
Forum Replies Created
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It seems to me that it comes down to resources (time, budget, talent). Do you have the luxury of paying good SFX people to go out and collect/create custom SFX? How demanding is the project? Does it need unusual SFX, or can you achieve the desired results with judicious use of library cuts?
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So why don’t you ask Quinn Nelson?
He almost certainly got it from some production music library out there. -
It is always best to minimize any unbalanced part of the circuit. So you should use the shortest Micon cable practical for your situation. The Rode Lav comes with a 1.2m (4 ft) cable which is more than adequate for normal applications.
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It is always best to minimize any unbalanced part of the circuit. So you should use the shortest Micon cable that is practical for your situation. The Rode Lav comes with a 1.2m (4 ft) cable which is more than adequate for normal applications.
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A) Is the micon cable balanced?
No, the Micon cable is NOT balanced. But then I don’t know of ANY lav cables that ARE balanced. TO be sure, SOME of them are shielded pair (because that is how they implemented their circuit), but that does NOT make it “balanced” because it is simply not. So the fact that the Micon cable is not balanced should make absolutely no difference in selecting a product because it makes the Rode neither better or worse than any other competitor. It is a total wash.
If not, does it make any sense to use the micon 5 adapter in order to plug an xlr cable to my dr60d?
Using a MiCon-5 doesn’t just “make sense”, it is the ONLY way to plug a Rode Lav into an XLR input with phantom power.
B) Should I phantom power it?
ALL lav microphones (except antique giant dynamic things as big as sausage) require power. Phantom power, “plug-in power”, and internal batteries are the three most common ways of powering a modern electret lav mic. So the short answer is: You MUST power it. There is no option here (except HOW to power it).
C) Is there any reason why I should prefer a micon cable extension instead of a proper xlr cable? Rode says that ” Like all MiConTM cables, this 3m (10) length is heavy-duty, shielded and Kevlar reinforced”.
Sure there is. If you are trying to hide a mic in someone’s costume, or even wire up someone for a casual sit-down interview, a big heavy mic cable is NOT what you want hanging from the subject’s shirt. Note that, as with the other responses, this applies to ALL lav mics, not just the Rode.
D) My dr60d xas 2 xlr inputs and one mini-jack (which is NOT phantom powered). Would it be possible to connect the lav with an adaptor to the minijack if the other two xlr inputs are used?
According to page 46 of the Tascam DR-60D manual: “The plug-in power function can be turned on when an external mic that requires it is connected to the 3-4 jack.” Ref: https://www.tascam.eu/en/docs/DR-60D_Manual.pdf
So I don’t understand the premise of your question?
It appears from the information provided by Rode and by Tascam that you can use a Rode MiCon-2 to plug in a Rode Lav to the 3-4 jack of the Tascam DR-60D.
“The MICON-2 is designed to connect to a standard 3.5mm stereo minijack, with a power supply of 1V minimum.” Ref: https://www.rodemic.com/accessories/micon-2
I read once, that if a signal is unbalanced at its source, doesn’t matter if you connect xlr’s since it will stay unbalanced.
Yes and no. Simply connecting XLR connectors to an unbalanced line does not “balance” it. But converting unbalanced to balanced (and vice-versa) is a very common thing and we typically take it for granted because it is trivial with either transformers or active circuits as Mr. Ford said.
(At the time I was thinking of plugging xlr cables to a rode videomic in order to run longer cables.) But I guess this adapter converts the signal from unbalanced to balanced.
There are ways of making the output of an unbalanced gadget (such as the Rode Videomic) into a proper balanced signal, but simply soldering an XLR connector onto it (or using a simple adapter) will NOT make it balanced. Perhaps if you need to go longer distances you should be looking at something more professional than that little plastic thing.
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Granted, the whole audio path in a DSLR is rather less than mediocre. But AT LEAST feed the proper lav/shotgun audio INTO the DSLR and never use the 87-cent electret capsule in the camera body. That would have at least given you a running start at salvaging good-enough audio out of the DSLR audio track.
I would be surprised if you even get a response from Tascam. As a big corporation, they have undoubtedly insulated themselves very well from the slightest hint of liability.
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In my area, Craig’s List has an overabundance of mixing consoles. As long as you can go and inspect/test them before deciding, IMHO, it is a great way to get what you need at a very good price. In fact, you could probably get TWO of them (a “hot spare”) for what a new one would cost. For example, Mackie Onyx 24-4 for $495! That is 1/3 the street price.
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Number of input channels?
Budget?
Without knowing those, the sky’s the limit.Does this need to be rugged enough for ham-fisted clueless students to abuse?
Or will it be used under adult supervision? How long does it need to last? -
Wow. I can’t think of a worse combination than a boom mic and a walk-n-talk tour.
Wireless body mic (lav, or even better a “headset” mic) would be the typical suitable solution.
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Alas, you are probably correct that getting a new solution is probably in the ball park of repairing the 1604. A smaller Mackie mixer was my choice for a similar situation here at the office.
A new, smaller model mixer should have 1/4 inch TRS outputs as well as XLR, so I would not anticipate that you would need to re-terminate or use an adapter. If you are handy with a soldering iron, etc. terminating an XLR plug is one of the easiest audio connectors to deal with, but an adapter is perfectly acceptable (and more flexible, as well)
If you were somewhere in the US northwest, I might be interested in buying your old 1604. A significant portion of my gear is refurbished and repaired. No sense sending it to the land-fill when it may still have some life in it.