Handling both line and mic input simultaneously
 

I'm doing some shooting at a local race track and they're providing the track announcer feed via XLR at line level. I need to be able to record the ambient sound as well, but both inputs must be either mic level or line level, not mixed.

So I can either get an amp for the mic to raise it to line level or somehow drop the line level to mic level (if that's practically possible). Any suggestions? All thoughts are appreciated.

Oh, and does phantom power enter into the equation at all? I want to use an NTG-1 which requires it.

cheap solution
 

There is one easy way but it will cost you about $30 for the adapters. You will need two things from Radio Shack. First, catalog number 274-016 to transform the line from them into a 1/4 inch plug then plug it into this 274-017 to drop the level down to mic level. you'll want to connect this to the camera with a mic cable so the weight of it isn't on the camera. That should do bring it down close enough so you can use the NTG with it and the phantom shouldn't matter...

Nathan... Thanks. That's a good option, but I'd rather have a single piece and with phono plugs there's the possibility of the connection being pulled apart.

I looked around on the B&H Web site and found some things that might work. A question that arose after that look is how much do I want to drop the level -40dB, -50dB, what? After more than a decade in radio, I never did get the whole impedance/levels thing. As you can tell, I was talent, not engineering.

Hi Tripp..................
 

I believe it's 50db, tho' couldn't find a 50 on the B&H site.


CS

A 40 dB pad is commonly used. With it a +4 dB line level feed is reduced to -36 dB, which is in line with the nominal output of the NTG-1.

The XH-A1 allows you to select which connections receive phantom power. (See the phantom power section in the manual)

You may find it appropriate to use the MIC ATT setting.

Chris & Don... thanks for the info. Yeah, I found the phantom switches ahead of the XLR connections on the cam after I asked the question. I assumed that phantom power setting was applied to both channels which just goes to show you that the manual is your friend.

I'll go with the -40dB pad from B&H. Don't obviously got that dB voodoo down pretty well.

Tripp,

I also am looking for something to have both mic and line in. Is this the item you found on th B&H web site?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._Line_XLR.html

thanks
jeff

Jeffrey... that's not the one I ordered, but it should work just fine. Same specs and matches what Don recommended as far as I can tell.

Jerry, that should work. This may seem obvious, but just do not plug it directly into the camcorder XLR connector (it may be too long and heavy creating a risk of snapping off something in the XLR module), tuck it in your belt, pocket, tape it to the tripod, etc. and connect it to the camcorder via a short XLR cable.