View Full Version : Using 1/8 to XLR adapter w/PD170


Frank Pietrantoni
December 13th, 2004, 01:46 PM
Has anyone had problems/success using the on camera mic with a second mic (lav mic/receiver with 1/8 stereo mini to XLR)? I am trying to use my Audio-Technica Wireless Lav with my PD170, but am not getting any input signal. I am using an adapter cord I purchased from BH Photo (1/8 stereo to XLR Male), and I have checked that all cords/inputs/outputs are working fine.

I found that I can get signal if I plug the adapter into the headphone out of the receiver, but the signal is way too hot/distorted. If I come off the mic output, I get nothing. Can anyone help out here? Thanks.

Mike Rehmus
December 13th, 2004, 02:07 PM
<<<-- Originally posted by Frank Pietrantoni : Has anyone had problems/success using the on camera mic with a second mic (lav mic/receiver with 1/8 stereo mini to XLR)? I am trying to use my Audio-Technica Wireless Lav with my PD170, but am not getting any input signal. I am using an adapter cord I purchased from BH Photo (1/8 stereo to XLR Male), and I have checked that all cords/inputs/outputs are working fine.
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Something isn't set correctly or the cable is not wired for your setup.
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I found that I can get signal if I plug the adapter into the headphone out of the receiver, but the signal is way too hot/distorted. If I come off the mic output, I get nothing. Can anyone help out here? Thanks. -->>>
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Do you have the XLR input set up for microphone with the attenuator turned off?
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Frank Pietrantoni
December 13th, 2004, 02:53 PM
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I found that I can get signal if I plug the adapter into the headphone out of the receiver, but the signal is way too hot/distorted. If I come off the mic output, I get nothing. Can anyone help out here? Thanks. -->>>
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Do you have the XLR input set up for microphone with the attenuator turned off?
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Yes I've tried all settings to no avail. Do you know if there is specific adapter to use for this aplication? I assumed that the 1/8" to XLR from BH Photo would have done the trick.

Mike Rehmus
December 13th, 2004, 03:52 PM
It still sounds like a level mismatch or a wiring error.

If B&H said it would work, then I'd expect it to be wired correctly.

If you set the XLR input for Line and then feed in the earphone output, does that approximate a reasonable signal?

Frank Pietrantoni
December 13th, 2004, 06:49 PM
<<<-- Originally posted by Mike Rehmus : It still sounds like a level mismatch or a wiring error.

If B&H said it would work, then I'd expect it to be wired correctly.

If you set the XLR input for Line and then feed in the earphone output, does that approximate a reasonable signal? -->>>

Well...B&H didn't actually say this would work for this application, but I assumed it would (my mistake I guess). I tried setting input to Line but the signal is still too hot.

Maybe there's a different type of mini to XLR adapter that I need. I know that Sony's wireless lav system (UWPC1) uses what they call a 3-pole mini to XLR cable. But I haven't been able to locate that exact spec.

Frank Pietrantoni
December 14th, 2004, 12:10 PM
I found that Audio-Technica makes a mini to XLR Line Matching Transformer/Cable for this purpose. I'l give that a try.

Frank Pietrantoni
December 17th, 2004, 07:51 PM
<<<-- Originally posted by Frank Pietrantoni : I found that Audio-Technica makes a mini to XLR Line Matching Transformer/Cable for this purpose. I'l give that a try. -->>>

In case anyone was wondering, the Audio-Technica Cable solved my problem.

Mike Rehmus
December 17th, 2004, 08:19 PM
Great

Ty Ford
December 17th, 2004, 11:09 PM
<<<-- Originally posted by Frank Pietrantoni : <<<-- Originally posted by Frank Pietrantoni : I found that Audio-Technica makes a mini to XLR Line Matching Transformer/Cable for this purpose. I'l give that a try. -->>>

In case anyone was wondering, the Audio-Technica Cable solved my


>>I think the original problem was caused by you thinking the cable was a one inch stereo mini. Just because a mini has three conductors doesn't mean its stereo.

It's just a cable. It could be stereo. It could be mono. It depends on what it's plugged into on each end and the way in which the cable is configured.

A USUAL female XLR to mini TRS is NOT a stereo cable. It's a balanced mono cable. If the female XLR is wired with pin #2 connected to BOTH the tip and ring of the mini TRS, now you have a cable that allows a mono mic to be plugged into a stereo unbalanced camera input.

There are a lot of tips like this in the "Audio Bootcamp Field Guide", which makes a nice stocking stuffer, btw. ;)

Regards,

Ty Ford