How to wire low impedance mic into Sound Blaster sound card

Bill Erb · Posted 3 Jan 2009 10:46 pm

I have a question? I purchased the 2009 band in a box and want to record my steel using a sure 58 bata mic. The sound blaster audigy 4 sound card has a mic input and another imput in. I have to get the low impedance mic wire adapted over to the small eighth inch stereo imput on the sound card. How would I wire this to make it work? Would I have to use a mixer of some kind to have control of the signal.
Thanks in advance.
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BILL ERB

Marke Burgstahler · From: SF Bay Area, CA

Hi Bill,

I suppose you want to mic your amp and run it into your sound card, right?

For not a heck of a lot of dough you can buy an external sound card that will plug into the usb port on your 'pooter.a lot of them have some basic level contols and even some tone controls and phantom power in case you ever what to use a mic that requires it. Ederiol makes some good ones.

Hth
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"It Don't Mean A Thing If It Aint' Got That Swing"

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

It won't work or won't work properly. Regular PA mic's such as an SM57 or SM58 have too low a signal level for PC's. PC sound cards require a near "line level" signal. In order to use a PA mic you must run it through a preamp or mixer board which does output line level to get a proper signal level. The same way if you wanted to run your steel directly into the PC sound card you would have to do the same thing. If you have a Nashville 112 or Nashville 1000, either the XLR output or the Preamp out provides "line level" that you can use.

The other option is to buy a USB connected mic (and Shure has one).

Bill Erb · Posted 4 Jan 2009 5:44 pm

Thanks Marke and Jack.
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BILL ERB

John Gould · From: Houston, TX Now in Cleveland TX

Here's one way, the good people at Monster Cable make a cable that goes from XLR to 1/8" just for such an project. It works pretty well on a stock dell laptop running Audacity with a regular sm57
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A couple of guitars
Fender GTX 100 Fender Mustang III Fender Blues Jr. Boss Katana MKII 50
Justice Pro Lite and Sho Bud Pro II

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

I don't know how you got a mic to work satisfactory on a Dell. I've spent a lot of time on the Dell users forum working with people that want to do what you want to do and NONE have been able to get a satisfactory mic signal level with a standard P.A. mic such as an SM57 or SM58.

Here is what Shure says about interfacing:

Professional microphones put out a very weak signal - less than 1/1000th of a volt, or 1 millivolt. Audio inputs on sound cards, even though they may be labeled "Mic In" or be identified by a small microphone-shaped icon, often are not designed to accept such a low signal level. Most sound card inputs require a minimum signal level of at least 1/100th of a volt (10 millivolts); some older 8-bit cards need 1/10th of a volt (100 millivolts). This discrepancy means that if a typical professional microphone is connected to a sound card input, the user will have to shout into the microphone or hold it just an inch or so away (or both) in order to produce a strong enough signal for the sound card to "hear."
There are two possible solutions. One option is to increase the sensitivity of the sound card input, so that it can more easily detect the signal from the microphone. The software supplied with some sound cards allows the user to increase the sensitivity or "gain" of the input, either with a click-and-drag input level control or a set of check boxes that double, triple, or quadruple the sensitivity. (Note: Increasing the sensitivity of the input will always add some noise, so use only as much additional gain as necessary.)
If the input sensitivity cannot be increased, another option is to amplify the microphone signal before it goes into the sound card input. This can be done by running the microphone signal through a device called a mic preamplifier or mic-to-line amplifier. A microphone mixer can also be used if it has an output that will provide adequate signal level to the sound card input. (In this case, the mixer is being used only for its preamplification function and not its mixing capability.) Either way, you will have to know the typical output level of the microphone (found on the microphone’s specification sheet) and the sensitivity of the sound card input in order to know how much amplification is needed, and whether a particular mic preamp or mixer will do the job.

John Gould · From: Houston, TX Now in Cleveland TX

I guess maybe I've been lucky after reading all that.
But it has worked fine for me recording guitar and steel and doing some pod casting. I know that adding a transformer in the signal path will increase your signal a little and of course a mixer will as well.
Of course now with cost effective USB mics out there is easy to get a great sound and lots of gain from either a dynamic or condenser style mic plugged in the USB port. I've tried a couple of different CAD USB mics and they work and sound great.
_________________
A couple of guitars
Fender GTX 100 Fender Mustang III Fender Blues Jr. Boss Katana MKII 50
Justice Pro Lite and Sho Bud Pro II

John Gould · From: Houston, TX Now in Cleveland TX

Here's what Monster says about their cable
Sing It Loud and Proud– Right Onto Your Hard Drive
A longer, single cable for a fast, flexible connection from your microphone to your laptop or desktop.
With the release of powerful, easy-to-use software like GarageBand and Logic® Express, Apple® has helped bring digital recording to the mainstream. Now Monster® gives you the same great sound and convenience from your microphone-to-computer connection with Monster iStudioLink™ Microphone Cable.
Just plug one end into your microphone’s XLR male audio-out and the other into your computer’s 1/8” audio input and you’re ready to rock.
The extra-long, 12’ length provides plenty of slack for flexible movement, gear setups and comfort while recording.

Use the Cable the Pros Use: Monster Cable®
Advanced Monster Cable audio technologies and ultra-flexible construction make a difference in getting great sound.
Mic cables are prone to a lot of wear and tear, so they need to be built to last and sound great in the long run. The iStudioLink Microphone Cable is made highly durable, with advanced Monster Cable technologies to help you get vocal takes with greater accuracy, power and presence. Monster Cable is used by an internationally known roster of “Famous Monsters” (MonsterCable.com/Famous)–music pros who know that cable is just as important as any other gear in enhancing their signature sound. So if you want your vocal tracks to shine, use what the biggest names in music use: Monster Cable.

Monster and Apple Sound Great Together
You’ve got the right gear. Now get the right cable to bring out its best. Recording on your computer used to mean having to use multiple connections, expensive input devices or sound cards. Now 12’ long Monster iStudioLink Microphone Cable gives you a durable, heavy-duty connection that helps pick up anything you record with maximum convenience and improved sound.

24k Gold Contact Connectors
For maximum signal transfer and corrosion resistance.

Twisted Pair Construction
Tightly twisted construction rejects interference for tighter, cleaner sound.

Copper-Braided Shield
Dense copper-braided shield provides excellent noise rejection.

Special Copper Windings
For improved clarity and tighter bass.

Heavy-Duty Injection
Molded Connector Specially-designed strain relief increases cable durability to resist damage.

Ultra-Flexible Duraflex®
Protective Jacket Coils and uncoils effortlessly. Withstands heavy use.

_________________
A couple of guitars
Fender GTX 100 Fender Mustang III Fender Blues Jr. Boss Katana MKII 50
Justice Pro Lite and Sho Bud Pro II

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

We're talking about a Microsoft OS PC, not an Apple. And, you couldn't give me an over hyped and over priced Monster cable.

John Gould · From: Houston, TX Now in Cleveland TX

I know we were talking PC and not Mac , and as a note I did get the cable for free from the Monster sales rep for this area. I thought Monster cable was a bunch of bull till I compared them to everything else out there. There is a difference in the sound of the studio series Monster cable and every other cable I've tried. More Highs and Lows, I didn't want to believe it but it's true or at least in my gear and recording setup. I'm not trying to get you stirred up Jack, I'm just passing on what has worked for me.
_________________
A couple of guitars
Fender GTX 100 Fender Mustang III Fender Blues Jr. Boss Katana MKII 50
Justice Pro Lite and Sho Bud Pro II

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

A couple of things. First the "Gold myth". Gold is an excellent conductor but unless you are plugging it into something that is a more or less permanent connection and the jack is also gold, it's not really going to buy you anything but cost $$. If it's something that is plugged in and then unplugged, such as a guitar cord or patch cable the gold doesn't make it "better".

Second, cables with molded connector ends are not repairable. True they may have a "lifetime warranty" but if it breaks you can't get into the connector repair it, all you can do is either send it to the manufacturer and wait for a replacement or throw it away. I've only had one bad connection on a George L's cable that I've used exclusively on my steel for over 20 years, but it only took 5 minutes to fix the George L's on a gig. I used to work as an amp tech (in Nashville) and fixed a lot of cords with Switchcraft connectors or XLR connectors but I wouldn't touch a molded connector cord.

Most techies that I know consider Monster Cable as a success story but also over hyped and over priced.

I can't for the life of me understand why a 6 ft Monster HDMI cable is $124.95 at Best Buy is better than the free HDMI cable I got with my Cable HD converter box.

John Gould · From: Houston, TX Now in Cleveland TX

I must agree with Jack about the George L cable.
In all the cable shoot out's over the years the George L cables have done really well. It's easy to repair without tools other than wire cutters and a screwdriver. It's good low capacitance cable and coils up well. You can make custom lengths to fit your particular needs. I have a custom pedal board that is wired with all George L cables. My stand on Monster is with Jack in a way as far as how pricey it is. I'm lucky to get the Monster stuff at about half of the retail price otherwise it would not be cost effective for me. It has made a big change in the sound in my home studio which previous to the monster cable was wired with Tascam cable.
_________________
A couple of guitars
Fender GTX 100 Fender Mustang III Fender Blues Jr. Boss Katana MKII 50
Justice Pro Lite and Sho Bud Pro II

Rick Hedges · From: Oregon, USA

What does the manual say for the soundcard? Is the jack actually an input for a stereo mic, or is it simply a balanced microphone connection? If it's the former, you're probably going to have to get a dedicated mic preamp (or a small mixer) and run that into a line input on the soundcard. I'm guessing that's the case here, because usually a balanced connection (which, like a stereo connection, also requires three wires) will be presented in the form of an XLR connector or a 1/4" TRS, not a 1/8" TRS connector. But see what the manual says to be s(h)ure.

Rick Hedges

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

To reiterate the jacks on an industry standard sound card or on Integrated Audio (on the motherboard) systems on computers for at least the last 12 years (and maybe more). The microphone jack is a 1/8" (3.5mm) TRS (stereo) jack but it is NOT stereo, the tip is the audio and the ring has 5VDC to run a computer condenser mic (on some Laptops this is a "combo" mic and line input jack depending on how it's set up in the Control Panel). The level on this is similar to near line level, not the low level of a standard P.A. type mic (e.g. an SM58). The "Line In" jack is also a 1/8" stereo input and it too requires the same near line level signal as the microphone input.

John Gould · From: Houston, TX Now in Cleveland TX

Just want to add to my previous post, my particular Dell laptop Inspiron 640m has a Mic input on the side and when you plug a cable in that jack the software pops up and ask what your plugging in. A mic or something line level all I do is set it for mic level and set the appropriate level in Audacity and it works fine. I realize after playing with a couple of my other PC machines around the house this is not the norm.
_________________
A couple of guitars
Fender GTX 100 Fender Mustang III Fender Blues Jr. Boss Katana MKII 50
Justice Pro Lite and Sho Bud Pro II

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