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Gear / Technical Help => Recording Gear => Topic started by: any slash on August 27, 2008, 08:10:48 AM

Title: will the m-audio t-mic work with an iriver?
Post by: any slash on August 27, 2008, 08:10:48 AM
just a quickie...

havent been able to find any other t-mics and was wondering if the m-audio replacement t-mic (http://www.dv247.com/invt/51943/ ) would work with the iriver?


thank you!
Title: Re: will the m-audio t-mic work with an iriver?
Post by: sunjan on August 27, 2008, 08:22:53 AM
havent been able to find any other t-mics and was wondering if the m-audio replacement t-mic (http://www.dv247.com/invt/51943/ ) would work with the iriver?

I strongly doubt that the mic power provided from the Iriver would be sufficient. Even with 1.5V battery powered mics (Sony ECM type), the signal is too low. When I tried that setup, I had to add more than 24dB, and push the gain way into the digital domain (bad thing!).

So short answer: no. Sorry!
Title: Re: will the m-audio t-mic work with an iriver?
Post by: heyitsmejess on August 27, 2008, 09:11:17 AM
try the sound professionals.

they have a couple of t-mics, and i THINK they are on sale, as well....
Title: Re: will the m-audio t-mic work with an iriver?
Post by: sunjan on August 27, 2008, 10:04:18 AM
try the sound professionals.
they have a couple of t-mics, and i THINK they are on sale, as well....

My understanding is that all mics that rely on power from the mic jack will suffer from the same limitation. Since the iRiver doesn't provide enough juice, the signal will require too much amplification. And since the iRiver switches from analog to digital gain at 24dB, your recording will either be too low or have digital noise. YMMV.

It's not about finding the right brand of T-mic. Since they are designed to rely on power from the mic jack, it's an inherent "weakness" in the design when trying to pair it with iRiver and the likes...
Title: Re: will the m-audio t-mic work with an iriver?
Post by: heyitsmejess on August 28, 2008, 09:09:19 AM
true. 

you could go t-mic > cheap battery box > line in on the iriver.  wouldnt be the greatest, but you could pull a listenable recording.
Title: Re: will the m-audio t-mic work with an iriver?
Post by: run_run_run on August 28, 2008, 10:21:41 AM
The iriver puts out like 3.3, I don't see why it would not work?
Title: Re: will the m-audio t-mic work with an iriver?
Post by: divamum on August 28, 2008, 01:23:52 PM
I used to record CMC8's direct mic-in into my iRiver h120- got some great recordings (acoustic/classical, but even so...). I never had to run all the way to the top of the levels; it's been a while now, but I think I was about halfway up the recording levels - certainly nowhere near maximum.

Biggest problem was keeping the mics far enough away from the hdd so that they didn't pick up the whirring noise from the unit; that might be a problem with a Tmic, but if they're designed for plugin power, the iRiver can certainly generate a decent enough recording IME.

FWIW.
Title: Re: will the m-audio t-mic work with an iriver?
Post by: sunjan on August 29, 2008, 09:30:04 AM
I used to record CMC8's direct mic-in into my iRiver h120- got some great recordings (acoustic/classical, but even so...). I never had to run all the way to the top of the levels; it's been a while now, but I think I was about halfway up the recording levels - certainly nowhere near maximum.

Interesting! I've read mixed reports on this, so it's good to someone that succeeded. Next time you run that setup, can you take a note of how much gain you have to add?

My experience so far with iRiver is that you often need more than 24dB gain when relying on plugin power. But maybe this factor varies with the sensitivity of each particular mic model???
Title: Re: will the m-audio t-mic work with an iriver?
Post by: run_run_run on August 29, 2008, 11:39:45 AM
My experience so far with iRiver is that you often need more than 24dB gain when relying on plugin power. But maybe this factor varies with the sensitivity of each particular mic model???
its all about the sensitivity of the mic. I have tested my Panasonic WA-61s and need like 14-16ish with plug in and in the field I use a 9 volt battery box.
Title: Re: will the m-audio t-mic work with an iriver?
Post by: Arni99 on August 29, 2008, 11:47:18 AM
My buddy taped lotsa shows with his low-sens-modded SP-CMC-4U and his H120´s plugin-power without a bbox.
He tapes Punk/Hardcore/Indie bands only.
He typically starts with +15db gain and it happend to him that safety-clip lowered gain to below +10db.
=>means +15db gain was too high initially.

Title: Re: will the m-audio t-mic work with an iriver?
Post by: divamum on August 30, 2008, 08:53:20 PM

Interesting! I've read mixed reports on this, so it's good to someone that succeeded. Next time you run that setup, can you take a note of how much gain you have to add?


If only I could!  I was mugged last year and the bag with my iRiver was stolen ::sob::. I still miss it. I'm happy with my R09, but oooohhhhhh how I loved my H120....

I don't ever remember running it that high much above about 50-60%, but don't hold me to that. What I can say is that the recordings were good!
Title: Re: will the m-audio t-mic work with an iriver?
Post by: rsimms3 on August 30, 2008, 09:10:39 PM
I have run AT803b > 4.7k mod cable > iRiver plug in power before.  I can't recall the gain I needed but I turned in a good tape.