l_rids
Hi all,
Just thought I'd run this past everyone before I start buying the cables and adaptors to do it.
Just wanted to discuss the differences between the mic input and line input on a mixer.
My understanding is that a mic input sends a low voltage supply to power a microphone as well as amplifies the signal by so much. Therefore the mic input is useless for anything other than a mic because you don't want your equipment damaged.
Question is... can I run my microphone throught the line input? I know I can't directly because there's no power but if I use a wireless microphone and use the unbalanced output from the receiver into a rca adaptor it should be ok? Anyone currently do this?
Reason I ask is my mic channel shares the 4th channel with my line input and I can only use one or the other. I have a 5th channel line input which I want to utilise which really designed for a soundcard input. It has no high, mid, low gain control.... just volume. Would this be a problem when using the mic?
BTW the mixer I'm using is the Ecler old Nuo4
Just thought I'd run this past everyone before I start buying the cables and adaptors to do it.
Just wanted to discuss the differences between the mic input and line input on a mixer.
My understanding is that a mic input sends a low voltage supply to power a microphone as well as amplifies the signal by so much. Therefore the mic input is useless for anything other than a mic because you don't want your equipment damaged.
Question is... can I run my microphone throught the line input? I know I can't directly because there's no power but if I use a wireless microphone and use the unbalanced output from the receiver into a rca adaptor it should be ok? Anyone currently do this?
Reason I ask is my mic channel shares the 4th channel with my line input and I can only use one or the other. I have a 5th channel line input which I want to utilise which really designed for a soundcard input. It has no high, mid, low gain control.... just volume. Would this be a problem when using the mic?
BTW the mixer I'm using is the Ecler old Nuo4
Posté Sun 09 Jan 11 @ 2:34 am
derekhollands
What you say about mic inputs is generally correct although the use of phanton power supplies to mic's which have built in pre-amps is unusual for most systems. Generally mic inputs are not dissimiallar to photo (magnetic cartridge/deck) inputs although there are some technical diffences in they response curves in order to get a broad and balanced output from the deck.
If you are very lucky and your radio mic has a very high output this may be enough to work through a line input with the gain right up but remember that the signal level of a mic is tiny in comparison to line level - somewhere around a thousand times smaller - so it is unlikely to be effective. Also you really need to have bass/mid/trebble/gain controls on each mic as they all have different characteristics and need adjustment just to sound slightly professional.
You're not likely to do any harm if you plug the wrong phono/mic/line in the wrong whole - it will either not work, be too quiet or soo loud it distorts the input signals.
My suggestion would be to either: get a different mixer or get a separate mic mixer to achieve this. You could pick up one on an auction site for relatively small amounts of money. This would then give you bass/mid/trebble and gain on each mic.
Hope this helps - a small investment in a suitable bit of kit will save you loads of time trying to do it badly and it will the control over the sound you need.
If you are very lucky and your radio mic has a very high output this may be enough to work through a line input with the gain right up but remember that the signal level of a mic is tiny in comparison to line level - somewhere around a thousand times smaller - so it is unlikely to be effective. Also you really need to have bass/mid/trebble/gain controls on each mic as they all have different characteristics and need adjustment just to sound slightly professional.
You're not likely to do any harm if you plug the wrong phono/mic/line in the wrong whole - it will either not work, be too quiet or soo loud it distorts the input signals.
My suggestion would be to either: get a different mixer or get a separate mic mixer to achieve this. You could pick up one on an auction site for relatively small amounts of money. This would then give you bass/mid/trebble and gain on each mic.
Hope this helps - a small investment in a suitable bit of kit will save you loads of time trying to do it badly and it will the control over the sound you need.
Posté Sun 09 Jan 11 @ 4:12 am
andytaylor125
Hi, generally mic inputs don't have a power supply element to them, particularly dj mixers. Like the other user said, it's only those with "phantom power" that put any voltage from the mixer to the microphone and they generally have a button to turn phantom power on or off. Most DJ mics don't need phantom power anyway (dynamic mics don't need it, condenser mics do need it) so that's not an issue.
It's just whether the radio mic receiver gives out a loud enough signal for the mixer's line input. If you say what make and model your mic is somebody could look it up and see if it has line level output or not.
And if your're really stuck I think you can buy a "mic pre-amp" which will amplify your mic's signal into a line level one so you can plug it into your mixer. I don't know much about them though apart from the fact that they exist.
Hope that helps.
It's just whether the radio mic receiver gives out a loud enough signal for the mixer's line input. If you say what make and model your mic is somebody could look it up and see if it has line level output or not.
And if your're really stuck I think you can buy a "mic pre-amp" which will amplify your mic's signal into a line level one so you can plug it into your mixer. I don't know much about them though apart from the fact that they exist.
Hope that helps.
Posté Sun 09 Jan 11 @ 11:06 am
l_rids
Thanks guys!
Posté Sun 09 Jan 11 @ 5:11 pm