Bjorn Moren
June 7th, 2005, 01:53 PM
Perhaps you are already bored with FX1 mic discussions, but here's one more.... ;-)
The Audio Technica AT 897 seems to be what I need for some of the types of shots I do. And it seems many of you guys think it's worth it's price, so I'll try it out.
I want to carry as little extra equipment as possible, so I was thinking of skipping the pre-amp (=no Beachtek or similar). The FX1 has a low impedance unbalanced mic input. Since the input is low impedance no impedance transformer is needed for the mic, so it ought to work pretty fine just using a standard XLR to 3,5 mm jack, as long as the cord is short to minimize noise and such. The mic can be powered with a battery, no prob. Anyone tried that and compared it with using a pre-amp?
Next step would be to fix phantom power to the mic, since the specs show that the dynamic range will improve for the mic. The FX1 provides 2.5 V DC out of its mic input, so we just need a DC-DC converter to step up the 2,5 V to 24 V to use as phantom power. I was thinking about building it really small, all from surface mounted parts, (for instance around a SO8 mounted MAX630), perhaps small enough to fit inside a XLR jack. And then mount a pair of these XLRs more or less permanently on the FX1.
Any comments? Will DC ripple from the DC-DC converter ruin the sound? It's just parts for maybe $30, so it's a pretty cheap try.
I've looked on the web for this kind of adapter but not found one. I think it would be ideal for FX1 or camcorders with similar problems.
EDIT: The output impedance of the 2,5 V mic jack is 6.8 kohms, so it will probably not be enough current for the phantom power. But it could be worth a try.
The Audio Technica AT 897 seems to be what I need for some of the types of shots I do. And it seems many of you guys think it's worth it's price, so I'll try it out.
I want to carry as little extra equipment as possible, so I was thinking of skipping the pre-amp (=no Beachtek or similar). The FX1 has a low impedance unbalanced mic input. Since the input is low impedance no impedance transformer is needed for the mic, so it ought to work pretty fine just using a standard XLR to 3,5 mm jack, as long as the cord is short to minimize noise and such. The mic can be powered with a battery, no prob. Anyone tried that and compared it with using a pre-amp?
Next step would be to fix phantom power to the mic, since the specs show that the dynamic range will improve for the mic. The FX1 provides 2.5 V DC out of its mic input, so we just need a DC-DC converter to step up the 2,5 V to 24 V to use as phantom power. I was thinking about building it really small, all from surface mounted parts, (for instance around a SO8 mounted MAX630), perhaps small enough to fit inside a XLR jack. And then mount a pair of these XLRs more or less permanently on the FX1.
Any comments? Will DC ripple from the DC-DC converter ruin the sound? It's just parts for maybe $30, so it's a pretty cheap try.
I've looked on the web for this kind of adapter but not found one. I think it would be ideal for FX1 or camcorders with similar problems.
EDIT: The output impedance of the 2,5 V mic jack is 6.8 kohms, so it will probably not be enough current for the phantom power. But it could be worth a try.