long cable run with unbalanced connection. other solution? balanced mic-preamp? at DVinfo.net

Juan Dela Cruz · September 8th, 2006, 04:02 AM

I want to put a wired mic on stage 10meters from my camera. My connection is unbalanced 1/8" which is prone to interference. Beachtek and sound devices product are not avaialble here. any other alternative? mixers are hassle to carry for me even the 4-6chanel one. I'm thinking of XLR Mic preamps which is more portable I guess. do you think it will work so that I can run long cable? My only purpose is that I can run long cables and let the mic-preamp reject all unwanted noise before it goes to the unbalanced jack of my camera. correct? Are there battery operated mic preamps? My budget is around less than $100

Anothers question. output from the mic-preamp/mixer to the camera. what setting? line input or mic input?

Greg Bellotte · September 8th, 2006, 02:41 PM

i have to laugh, when i think of long cable runs it is usually measured in miles. :-) sorry.

I've run unbalanced 30 feet before without incident. Have you tried a test run to see how it sounds? You may be suprised. As long as there are no rf transmissions within 50-100 feet of you (cell phone, walkie talkies, etc.) I think you'll be ok. Try it at least, becasue I think you'll find that most mic-pres under $100 are pretty noisy, esp. the battery powered types.

If you do get into a mic pre, put it as close to the mic as you can, leave the longer run of cable running at line level all the way to your camera and use the line input setting on the cam. Trouble with most cams though, is they have unbalanced inputs. So even if you are balanced leaving the mic pre-you really aren't because of the cam input. However running line level over a long cable run keeps the good audio (microphone) louder than the interferrence you might pick up in the wire.

And yes, I really do run microphones over a mile (5000 ft+) on a regular basis. With the proper equipment of course...

Jarrod Whaley · September 9th, 2006, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg Bellotte

And yes, I really do run microphones over a mile (5000 ft+) on a regular basis. With the proper equipment of course...

I know we're getting off-topic, but... why?

Greg Bellotte · September 9th, 2006, 05:18 PM

why you ask? i do tournament golf coverage for several three letter networks. we have microphones all over the golf course and they all have to come to a common point for broadcasting. i'd say a third of all mics in a typical setup are at least 5000 feet away.

Jarrod Whaley · September 9th, 2006, 05:29 PM

That makes sense... I was just curious.

Ty Ford · September 10th, 2006, 05:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juan Dela Cruz

I want to put a wired mic on stage 10meters from my camera. My connection is unbalanced 1/8" which is prone to interference. Beachtek and sound devices product are not avaialble here.
Anothers question. output from the mic-preamp/mixer to the camera. what setting? line input or mic input?

Yes 30 feet of unbalanced cable MAY allow noise to enter the audio. It's always a gamble. I've even had conditions radiate noise into balanced cables that long.

1. Where are you that you can't mail order something?
2. Line is preferable because it's higher in level than mic, and therefore more resistant to local interference. However, if your camera only has mic level inputs, go with mic level outputs.

Regards,

Ty Ford

September 8th, 2006, 04:02 AM	#1
Juan Dela Cruz Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 83	long cable run with unbalanced connection. other solution? balanced mic-preamp? I want to put a wired mic on stage 10meters from my camera. My connection is unbalanced 1/8" which is prone to interference. Beachtek and sound devices product are not avaialble here. any other alternative? mixers are hassle to carry for me even the 4-6chanel one. I'm thinking of XLR Mic preamps which is more portable I guess. do you think it will work so that I can run long cable? My only purpose is that I can run long cables and let the mic-preamp reject all unwanted noise before it goes to the unbalanced jack of my camera. correct? Are there battery operated mic preamps? My budget is around less than $100 Anothers question. output from the mic-preamp/mixer to the camera. what setting? line input or mic input?

September 9th, 2006, 05:29 PM	#5
Jarrod Whaley Major Player Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: chattanooga, tn Posts: 721	That makes sense... I was just curious. __________________ -->jarrod whaley. www.oakstreetfilms.com

September 8th, 2006, 02:41 PM	#2
Greg Bellotte Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: SLC, UT Posts: 291	i have to laugh, when i think of long cable runs it is usually measured in miles. :-) sorry. I've run unbalanced 30 feet before without incident. Have you tried a test run to see how it sounds? You may be suprised. As long as there are no rf transmissions within 50-100 feet of you (cell phone, walkie talkies, etc.) I think you'll be ok. Try it at least, becasue I think you'll find that most mic-pres under $100 are pretty noisy, esp. the battery powered types. If you do get into a mic pre, put it as close to the mic as you can, leave the longer run of cable running at line level all the way to your camera and use the line input setting on the cam. Trouble with most cams though, is they have unbalanced inputs. So even if you are balanced leaving the mic pre-you really aren't because of the cam input. However running line level over a long cable run keeps the good audio (microphone) louder than the interferrence you might pick up in the wire. And yes, I really do run microphones over a mile (5000 ft+) on a regular basis. With the proper equipment of course...

September 9th, 2006, 05:18 PM	#4
Greg Bellotte Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: SLC, UT Posts: 291	why you ask? i do tournament golf coverage for several three letter networks. we have microphones all over the golf course and they all have to come to a common point for broadcasting. i'd say a third of all mics in a typical setup are at least 5000 feet away.