Topic: SHURE FP24 (MixPre) and ChurchAudio CA-11 mics

[coolrat33]

Hi

I have a question that's probably incredibly simple. But I'm wondering if my Church Audio CA-11 mics with 1/8 miniplug can be used with the FP24 (Mixpre)?
I tried to use a miniplug to XTR converter but it didn't work.  The unit apparently did not receive any signal?

What's the problem?  Do I need a battery box to supply 9v to the CA-11 mics?  The FP24 can provide 15v or 48v of phantom power, but I had this turned off (my xtr input mics are self-powered).
Or do I need to plug the CA-11 cardiods into a miniplug stereo input which then divides into left and right XTR plugs which I then plug into the FP24 (MixPre).

I'd appreciate any advice! 

[Church-Audio]

Hi

I have a question that's probably incredibly simple. But I'm wondering if my Church Audio CA-11 mics with 1/8 miniplug can be used with the FP24 (Mixpre)?
I tried to use a miniplug to XTR converter but it didn't work.  The unit apparently did not receive any signal?

What's the problem?  Do I need a battery box to supply 9v to the CA-11 mics?  The FP24 can provide 15v or 48v of phantom power, but I had this turned off (my xtr input mics are self-powered).
Or do I need to plug the CA-11 cardiods into a miniplug stereo input which then divides into left and right XTR plugs which I then plug into the FP24 (MixPre).

I'd appreciate any advice! 

What recorder are you using? I ask this because it might be better to skip this preamp and get a 9100, Your preamp is a nice preamp but its designed for balanced microphones and it provides PHANTOM power not Plug in power by connecting my mics to your mixer you could end up blowing my mics up So I think you need to step back and think about what you need to achieve. What is it your trying to record?

[coolrat33]

Hi Chris and thanks for your reply!

I'll outline my situation. I'd appreciate any help you can give.  I have explained my situation as concisely as I could. Still looks like a messy explanation    but I hope you can get the picture


The Equipment
I'm using one of 3 recorders:
a) Pansonic SJMR100 minidisk with line-in. 
b) iAudio X5 with Rockbox and using line-in
c) Marantz 620 using line-in
d) soon to be adding an iRiver H140

Mics: CA-11 cardiods, an Rode NTG2, a AKG C100s.
PreAmps: CA STC9000, FP24 (Mixpre)

What I'm trying to do:
I'm doing interviews with people in rural China and occasionally recording local singing, chanted prayers, or musical folk instruments.  My group often splits into 3 teams, each person with recorders.  That's why I have 4.  Size and weight of the equipment is a big problem because transportation here is very crowded, and I always have too much gear. Most of the time I don't want to carry the Rode NTG2 and a AKG C100s and would rather use your CA-11s.  The environment is noisy at best, and I try to place mics as close to the speaker as possible during interviews.

But I often videotape interviews and festivals as well.  I use the Rhode NTG2 on my videocamera. Sometimes I use it pluged into the FP24 (MixPre) with one of the digital recorders.  For stictly audio interviews,  most of the time I use the CA-11 mics with the CA STC9000 preamp connected to the Minidisk recorder or the iAudio X5 line-in.

Occasionally, (and someon might laugh at this arrangement!!), I connect use the Rhode NTG2 as my main mike pointed at the person speaking (my interview subject), and use the AKG C100s as a mic to pick up ambient sound.  Often the interviews are taking place in very noisy festivals (everyplace here is noisy).  The noise is part of the appeal of the environment and I think that the Rhode NTG2 will miss much of the ambient sound and leave me with only a hollow-sounding voice.  So I run both mics into the FP24 (MixPre) and record onto my videocamera (or onto one of the digital recorders)

Questions:
a) Could I get rid of the Rhode NTG2 and the AKG C100s and just use your CA-11s cardiods and omnis for everything?


Here is my main issue.
When I run the CA-11 cardiods through the STC9000 into the Pansonic SJ-MR100 minidisk recorder, the sound levels are still very low. The recording meter hardly registers.  When I playback the sound it is soft at maximum volume.  To try to remedy this, I connect the Pansonic SJ-MR100 minidisk headphone plug to the STC9000 preamp, boost the signal to gain +30, then re-record onto my iAudio X5 using line-in.  This has worked, but there is considerable hiss.  This hiss does not seem to be present on the original minidisc recording. 

Questions:
a) Why are the line-in levels so low on the Panasonic minidisk? Is the +30 gain on the STC9000 preamp not enough?
b) Is the CA STC9000 causing the hiss when I re-record from minidisk to the iAudio?  Or is the iAudio noisy?
c) can I use the STC9000 in this way? Will its 9volts plug-in power be transmitted to my minidisk headphone jack and fry it?  Can the STC9000 be used as an amp?  Or is it strictly a preamp for mics?

The reasons I want to use the FP24 (MixPre) with your mics is:
a) it offers a huge amount of gain
b) the levels meter is very nice
c) I can use it with my XTR mics
d) it was damn expensive and I figured I should use the best piece of equipment wherever possible

The phantom power option on my FP24 (MixPre) is off all the time so hopefully it can't fry the CA-11 cardiods.
So it is possible to plug the CA-11 cardiods into a miniplug stereo input which then divides into left and right XTR plugs which I then plug into the FP24 (MixPre)?


Wow.  Now that I look at this, I hope it makes sense to others.   

Any suggestions on how to better use this equipment will be appreciated.

[Church-Audio]

Hi Chris and thanks for your reply!

I'll outline my situation. I'd appreciate any help you can give.  I have explained my situation as concisely as I could. Still looks like a messy explanation    but I hope you can get the picture


The Equipment
I'm using one of 3 recorders:
a) Pansonic SJMR100 minidisk with line-in. 
b) iAudio X5 with Rockbox and using line-in
c) Marantz 620 using line-in
d) soon to be adding an iRiver H140

Mics: CA-11 cardiods, an Rode NTG2, a AKG C100s.
PreAmps: CA STC9000, FP24 (Mixpre)

What I'm trying to do:
I'm doing interviews with people in rural China and occasionally recording local singing, chanted prayers, or musical folk instruments.  My group often splits into 3 teams, each person with recorders.  That's why I have 4.  Size and weight of the equipment is a big problem because transportation here is very crowded, and I always have too much gear. Most of the time I don't want to carry the Rode NTG2 and a AKG C100s and would rather use your CA-11s.  The environment is noisy at best, and I try to place mics as close to the speaker as possible during interviews.

But I often videotape interviews and festivals as well.  I use the Rhode NTG2 on my videocamera. Sometimes I use it pluged into the FP24 (MixPre) with one of the digital recorders.  For stictly audio interviews,  most of the time I use the CA-11 mics with the CA STC9000 preamp connected to the Minidisk recorder or the iAudio X5 line-in.

Occasionally, (and someon might laugh at this arrangement!!), I connect use the Rhode NTG2 as my main mike pointed at the person speaking (my interview subject), and use the AKG C100s as a mic to pick up ambient sound.  Often the interviews are taking place in very noisy festivals (everyplace here is noisy).  The noise is part of the appeal of the environment and I think that the Rhode NTG2 will miss much of the ambient sound and leave me with only a hollow-sounding voice.  So I run both mics into the FP24 (MixPre) and record onto my videocamera (or onto one of the digital recorders)

Questions:
a) Could I get rid of the Rhode NTG2 and the AKG C100s and just use your CA-11s cardiods and omnis for everything?


Here is my main issue.
When I run the CA-11 cardiods through the STC9000 into the Pansonic SJ-MR100 minidisk recorder, the sound levels are still very low. The recording meter hardly registers.  When I playback the sound it is soft at maximum volume.  To try to remedy this, I connect the Pansonic SJ-MR100 minidisk headphone plug to the STC9000 preamp, boost the signal to gain +30, then re-record onto my iAudio X5 using line-in.  This has worked, but there is considerable hiss.  This hiss does not seem to be present on the original minidisc recording. 

Questions:
a) Why are the line-in levels so low on the Panasonic minidisk? Is the +30 gain on the STC9000 preamp not enough?
b) Is the CA STC9000 causing the hiss when I re-record from minidisk to the iAudio?  Or is the iAudio noisy?
c) can I use the STC9000 in this way? Will its 9volts plug-in power be transmitted to my minidisk headphone jack and fry it?  Can the STC9000 be used as an amp?  Or is it strictly a preamp for mics?

The reasons I want to use the FP24 (MixPre) with your mics is:
a) it offers a huge amount of gain
b) the levels meter is very nice
c) I can use it with my XTR mics
d) it was damn expensive and I figured I should use the best piece of equipment wherever possible

The phantom power option on my FP24 (MixPre) is off all the time so hopefully it can't fry the CA-11 cardiods.
So it is possible to plug the CA-11 cardiods into a miniplug stereo input which then divides into left and right XTR plugs which I then plug into the FP24 (MixPre)?


Wow.  Now that I look at this, I hope it makes sense to others.   

Any suggestions on how to better use this equipment will be appreciated.

For this application I recommend a HIMD recorder with a pair of my omni mics  go into the mic input. This will provide high gain and low noise. My preamp can be used in the mic input for some additional gain but you have to be careful For your situation you need between 30-50 db of gain and very sensitive microphones. My cardioid mics are not very sensitive. But I can make you a pair of my omni ca-11 omni mics that are very sensitive with very little self noise. This is the best solution for your application. For not alot of $$$ I would not get the iriver because it does not have enough gain for this type of recording HIMD or Edirol R09 mic input is the way to go.

Chris

[coolrat33]

Thanks for the reply Chris.

The problem is that I'm trying to gather "do-everything" equipment.  And I think your stuff is the closest I've come.  Problem is with my recording equipment. I'm mainly recording interviews with people. Background noise is always a serious problem so I can only use Cardiods.  But I also occasionally want to be able to record music and performances.

When I record using mic-in on my Pansonic SJMR100 minidisk, its built in preamp is very noisy and it has annoying auto sound level boosting.  So I got your STC-9000 preamp.  Of course, its great, but even with +30 gain, the signal into the line-in is very soft.

The iAudio X5 line-in with the STC-9000 preamp is great, but the problem is the stupid iAudio X5 must use a flimsy clip on adapter to provide line-in. Its a shakey set-up to have in my pocket. Everything can become unplugged so easily. Also, the internal battery is terrible.

The iRiver H140 was great, but it worked for only 2 days before the hard-disk died. If I had I know about the CF card mod, I would have done it myself. But iRiver repaired it and I'll receive it soon (after a year of them bumbling around).  You mentioned that its built-in preamp is too weak?  Is it noisy too?

My Marantz 620 also broke after 2 days of using it.  I read rave-reviews online about its great build-quallity.. hahaha.. those guys must quite a different opinion of build-quality.  Its build-quality is lousy- light, plastic-y, feels like the battery door will snap off any second, etc etc.  So it broke by itself in its bomb-proof Pelican storage box.  Go figure. I should get that back soon too.

What's the sound quality like with the Marantz 620 built-in mics?
Does the Marantz have decent pre-amps in it?  Or am I still better off using your preamp and external mics?

Also, still wondering if there's any way to use the CA-11 Cardiods with my MixPre?

And lastly, is there much difference in sound between the STC-9000 and the 9100?  The 9000 has +30 db gain, and the 9100 has +20. I don't think +20 is enough. Can you make a 9100 with more gain?  .  I really do want to try to use the best equipment that I can (within reason). I only have 1 chance to record this stuff.

So many questions, sorry about that. Hopefully this is useful to someone else too

[ambo]

You can get xlr transformer cables from Naiant, Microphone Madness and Sound Professionals that will power pip mini mics through a 48v phantom xlr preamp. It looks like a female mini stereo to 2 male xlr cable, but the xlr part is actually 2 transformers that drop the powering voltage to 9v. I'm interested in this setup as well but am waiting until someone tries it and reports here. Cost is about $60 USD.