mic does'nt work - can hardly hear anything

[peter_g]

hi all,
I'm using a mic that has a "fat" plug which I use a converter to insert into my soundcards 3.5mm jack. My problem is any audio I record is barely audiable at all for some unaparent reason. its like the volume is turned right down even though I've adjusted the settings in windows recording control (which you get by going into start menu>accesories>entertainment>volume control and then clicking options>properties and clicking over to recording) but this does'nt help. Can anyone offer any suggestions?
thanks

[belovedmonster]

check the line in volume not the playback volume.

But idealy you should use a mixer sat between the mic and the computer. It will stop you from damaging your sound card by having the big coverter weighing down on the thin plastic but somewhat more importantly it will allow you to tweak the imput volume so it is as loud as possible without distorting the signal.

Other more simple things to try... is the mic quiet without the converter thing? maybe that is broken.

Are you putting the mic into the line in socket of your card when you need to use the mic in socket to give it the signal boost?

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ August 09, 2003 10:19 PM: Message edited by: belovedmonster ]</font>

[Alex]

Originally posted by belovedmonster:
check the line in volume not the playback volume.

Are you putting the mic into the line in socket of your card when you need to use the mic in socket to give it the signal boost?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ding, Ding, Ding, one of those two things is probably the problem. Is the "fat" plug an XLR three pin connector?

[peter_g]

no its like the connection used from an amp into an electric guitar. It looks quite like a rifle bullet.

[Alex]

agree.

[belovedmonster]

get a mixer...

[Filmmaker58]

It sounds like the input to your computer is line level, and the mic is obviously mic level, so it's an impedance issue. Getting a mixer will solve this problem, and unless there's a mic level input on the computer you may need to do that. It may also be that the mic with the 1/4 inch jack may require phantom power, which the mixer would also provide.

[Alex]

But if you get a mixer (and you should), be careful to NOT wire it so that the output from the computer goes through the mixer, UNLESS your mixer has a perfect preset position that does not alter the audio in anyway. (few mixers have this feature, virtually no lower end mixers that I have heard of have this feature)

Many NLE beginners make the mistake of running their audio through the mixer going into the computer, and then on the way back out. If you do this you increase the odds of changing your audio more than you intended to.