Wiring mic cable...
 

I recently got a Rode ntg2 mic. A guy who knows about connecting things up, advised me how to wire from the XLR plug to a mini plug, so as to go into my Panasonic GS400 and 500's cameras. I used a mono miniplug seeing the mic is mono. The connection works on the cameras.

However, on Saturday I used it connected to an Iriver 890, and have discovered it did not work, so all the important audio I was 'recording' was not in fact recorded at all. (Chalk another one up to experience!!!) I had assumed that because it worked on the cameras that it would work on the Iriver. It did not.

It appears I need to use sterio connectors rather than mono ones for it to work with the Iriver, even though the mic is mono.
Can anyone advise me on how to make the suitable connections at both the XLR are miniplug ends of the cable? Help would be appreciated.

I don't recall the details but I think the iRivers use a non-standard plug arrangement on their mic input. Try a google search and see if something turns up.

The left/right channels are reversed on the irivers. Get an 1/8" mono to stereo adapter to go into the iriver from the minijack so that audio is going to both channels. If you don't want to do that, I think that you could set the iriver to record in stereo, then just take the right channel an double it.

So your setup will have a XLR to mono minijack cable, then a mono to stereo adapter on the end of that, then that will go into the iriver. I think it is also possible to get an XLR to 1/8" cable that automatically double the signal to left and right channels, meaning the iriver would pick up the right.

Always test record and listen beforehand, as the audio still feeds through headphones even if the device is not recording it.

One more thing, if you don't have an iriver mic from Giant Squid Audio yet, get one. Or two. Or more, they're amazing for the price.

http://www.giant-squid-audio-lab.com/gs/gs-mono1.htm

Thanks for the replies. I have 6 Irivers and six giantsquids, along with a Rode VM, and now the NTG2 to use in a blimp and on a mic stand. GS's seem to me to be pretty good, and in the past I have just hung one connected to an iriver on the mic stand and have had satisfactory results. But seeing I had my new mic I thought I would use that - as it turns out with no result!!! :-(

I have used the VM with the Irivers in the past and it has worked - at least I think it has, must check that.

But if the Iriver is wired differently to, say my cameras, that appears to mean that I will need two separate leads, one when the NTG2 is going to be used with the camera and another for use with irivers. (But then why did the VM work?)

The GS have two wires to one connection so I presume that means both channels are combined by this method.

I know next to nothing about what should be connected to what and need to be led by the hand in such matters - by diagrams preferably. If I'm told what to connect to what, I can do the connections no sweat.

Basically, the reason the Videomic worked is because you're doubling the signal from one channel (left) to both left and right stereo.

What matters is the plug that goes into the river and the plug that terminates your xlr adapter. Use stereo to go into the iriver. Take a look at the setups, and pay close attention to the plugs, one line on the 1/8" plugs means mono, two lines mean stereo.

I'm not sure what your xlr to 1/8" looks like, so match it up with the pics. Hope you like my crappy photoshops! :)

You can rewire the XLR to stereo mini plug or just use the standard XLR to mini and set the iRiver to record stereo.You'll only get one channel and 1/2 the recording time but it will work.
If you rewire the XLR to mini adapter the iRiver reads the ring lead in mono and not the tip.

oh yes, i forgot, the iriver defaults to stereo when a stereo jack is inserted. Good call Jack.

OK...so I've got my xlr and minijack plugs, and cable. What do I connect to what - both ends?

The Gold plug is one from a GiantSquid.