AV News 194 - November 2013
By now, you may be ahead of me. What happens if you plug a Figure 5 lead
into a Figure 4 socket? Apart from getting Figure 6, you also get no signal
because both signal connections are shorted to the screen, one in the lead,
and one in the socket. No signal is going to reach the mic input amplifier.
This error is by far the most frequently responsible for 'it won't work at all'
problems. There are others, of a similar nature, but I hope this has given
you an idea of the kind of thing which can go wrong. The big message is
'just because a lead has the right connectors on the ends doesn't
automatically mean it is wired correctly for the situation in hand'.
I kid you not; whilst I was sitting at my computer putting this article
together, an e-mail arrived from someone who had exactly this problem.
Please don't blame the mic manufacturer, or the lead supplier (unless you
told him EXACTLY how you were going to use it) - the problem is caused
by consumer equipment manufacturers not agreeing on a standard
connection protocol. By contrast, ALL professional equipment works to the
same standard (Figure 2.) You just plug it in and it works.
There is one other, slightly less common, situation which sometimes
accounts for 'it works with this but not with that' type problems - mic
powering. Most mics you will encounter require power from somewhere.
There are a few, most usually encountered in consumer hobby or computer
shops, (ideally avoid both for audio equipment) which derive their power
from the recorder etc to which they are connected. Since not all recording
devices supply such power, the use of such mics is limited. Choose a mic
which has its own built-in battery, then it will work with everything.
And finally - if you are thinking of buying a mic, or starting to make your
own recordings, I really do recommend listening to 'All About Microphones'
first. It could save an expensive mistake. If everyone did that, it would more
than halve the number of telephone and e-mail queries I get from frustrated
would-be recordists. It's always a bit awkward explaining to someone that
they have just spent a lot of money on the wrong equipment. Even more
awkward if they then insist on spending even more money on trying to
adapt the world to fit the 'wrong' equipment that they have just bought!
Howard Gregory - [email protected]
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