Stereo Recording

M

MoDsOuRcEdOtNeT

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 31, 2003
Messages
469
Bought a dual stereo 1/4 -> 1/8 stereo adapter off ebay, and 2 mic -> 1/4 cables because I wanted to record in stereo.

Plug it into my mic port, and using audicity I only have sound from one mic. Ac'97 audio. Whats my weak link?
 
From what I understand you have mic + mic > y splitter > computer input?

The weak link would be that you can't sum inputs into one channel, thats what a mixer is for. You'll either need an external powered mixer running into your computer input, or you'll need an audio card with multiple input channels (like the ones from EMU and maudio).

Please correct me if I've misunderstood your current cabling setup.
 
Yeah, I figured one half of the Y adapter would be left, and one half right, going into a stereo plug.

How much does a cheap 2 channel mixer cost?
 
Ah... so the microphones get summed up into one stereo plug, then you're putting the plug into the microphone jack which is mono? Again, correct me if I'm understanding that incorrectly.

You're going to slightly hard pressed to find a good 2ch mixer outside of PA systems which already have the power amp built in. Most personal audio recorders are 4-6ch. Ranging from $50-$500 (it varies really). The other thing you could do is plug each mic into its own mic preamp, then combine the mic preamps into the stereo plug, then run the stereo plug into the Line-In port on your soundcard. Probably would not be any cheaper. Your best bet for cost + quality is to get a prosumer soundcard from EMU or Maudio.

Maybe someone else has a better idea though?
 
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Mixers-Live-Sound.gc?o=1

Your solution would technically work, but I'm not sure your motherboard would give enough power to the mics, resulting in too much gain and hiss as a result. Also, your motherboard won't have the best quality inputs. Just a heads up.

A Y splitter of some sort is going to be necessary no matter what, unless you use mono or digital connections.
 
That's because it's a TRS connector going into a TS connection. The right channel is just getting terminated.

You either need a multi-input interface or a mixer with at least two pres. My recommendation for a sub-$500 interface is, as always, the Mbox 2.

What kind of mics are these, by the way?

jwhazel said:
The weak link would be that you can't sum inputs into one channel, thats what a mixer is for.
Click to expand...
Correct. There must be some sort of summing amplifier.
 
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