splitting a mic signal

[salomonander]

Hi there

I need some advice on how to record the same mic with different
preamps. Is there any device that splits the signal?
And...would this diminish my sound quality in any way.

thank you
Jakob

[GYang]

You need quality mic splitter from Palmer:
This one:

http://www.palmergear.com/prmms.shtml

or racked one:

http://www.palmergear.com/prmms.shtml

Great products

[salomonander]

cheers

would you know a cheaper alternative though?
I'm only in need of a one channel unit.

[Apemandan]

Make a Y-Spilt??

[moogus]

What kind of mic pres are you splitting to?



M

[salomonander]

HI

In reply to the question:

I want to split to a neve 1073/ siemens v276

[ramjet]

hi

just buy a splitting transformer and wire it up in a box yourself. i know that jensen make these transformers

cheers ramjet

[squeegybug]

If you go with a transformer on one leg then the sound will likely be different between the two outputs. So if you are after A/B comparisons that is not the best choice.

If you are using a tube mic with standalone power supply, or a dynamic/ribbon/battery powered condenser, then you can just use an XLR Y-splitter cable.

If your mic is requires phantom power and doesn't have onboard battery or dedicated P/S, you can use a remote phantom power unit like Audio-Technica CP8506, then use the Y-split after that.

I do all of these options all the time, no problem.

Steve

[moogus]

Yup that should work, just set the input Z of the 1073 to 1200ohms.


M

[ramjet]

Originally Posted by squeegybug

If you go with a transformer on one leg then the sound will likely be different between the two outputs. So if you are after A/B comparisons that is not the best choice.

If you are using a tube mic with standalone power supply, or a dynamic/ribbon/battery powered condenser, then you can just use an XLR Y-splitter cable.

If your mic is requires phantom power and doesn't have onboard battery or dedicated P/S, you can use a remote phantom power unit like Audio-Technica CP8506, then use the Y-split after that.

I do all of these options all the time, no problem.

Steve

what do you mean by "one leg"

cheers ramjet

[squeegybug]

Originally Posted by ramjet

what do you mean by "one leg"

I mean on those "mic splitter" boxes that have one ouput straight through and the other transformer isolated. Often used in live sound setups to allow mults to a board and a recorder, etc. I didn't think that was what the OP was looking for.

Steve

[salomonander]

hi guys

thanks for the input.
yes, my mic has it's dedicated power supply.
i was just afraid that a y-cable would somehow
diminish my quality (i'm obviously a musician not
an engineer). but if you say that a y-cable will
do..that's definitely the cheapest solution.
although on my siemens there is no option to
alter the input z.

[HiRaX]

M U L T

[moogus]

A Y cable is the most 'pure' way to do it, but if its really not working (unlikely) youll hear it and then you could look for other solutions.

Different mics will react in different ways too. Mics like the modern Neumanns (KM, M, TLM) have very low output Z and you could split them several times without it making a difference. Most ribbon mics, on the other hand, would be pretty sensitive to lowering the impedance that theyre driving (what happens when you Y slpit) and will change sound noticably, and also drop level.


M

[ethan_c]

Originally Posted by salomonander

Hi there

I need some advice on how to record the same mic with different
preamps. Is there any device that splits the signal?
And...would this diminish my sound quality in any way.

thank you
Jakob

Jakob,

This is the 'High End' forum. I think you would better serve yourself and everyone else to post this in another category.

[salomonander]

thanks moogus

and dear ethan c.
I am terrible sorry for wasting
your precious time.
my topic obviously tells you what
i am about to ask. if you think this
is an amateur question, do me the
favour and read another post instead
of worshipping your ego in here.
and by the way,
i am not trying to split a rode mic
to behringer preamp...so i figured
this would be the place to ask.

[steins]

Try searching the "Remote possibilities" forum - there are a bunch of guys there who knows everything worth knowing about mic splitters.

AFAIK, if you need only one, good quality splitter.....the more you pay, the better they are! $100 a channel seems like the norm for multichannel-splitters. Whirlwind makes a nice one-channel splitter with Jensen transformers, don't remember its name. Do a search.

Stein Tore

[ethan_c]

Originally Posted by salomonander

thanks moogus

and dear ethan c.
I am terrible sorry for wasting
your precious time.
my topic obviously tells you what
i am about to ask. if you think this
is an amateur question, do me the
favour and read another post instead
of worshipping your ego in here.
and by the way,
i am not trying to split a rode mic
to behringer preamp...so i figured
this would be the place to ask.

Uh, not sure where that came from but this has nothing to do with my ego. As a matter of fact I, and anyone else who has taken Pysch 101 would tell you that it is your need to look cool that motivated you to post this here instead of where it really belongs. By posting in the 'High End' forum you are somehow telling yourself that "you" are in fact 'High End'. However I digress...It is about reading the forum rules and respecting the time of the forum members here at GS. You wouldn't want to look at topics about Finale and Sibelius in the Mastering forum would you?

And just one last tidbit of advice. Don't blast away with personal attacks especially when you are wrong. It just makes you look even more silly than you are and gets you a response like this one....

Of course if you can tell me in any way how "splitting a mic signal" has ANYTHING to do with 'High End' audio I will retract the statements above...

[moogus]

Well just like anything else (like designing gear, recording, playing instruments) there are several 'high end' and 'low end' ways to split a mic signal. Each have benefits and drawbacks that will effect the sound. If you dont understand and manage these issues to best suit your situation, youll end up with a better recording and/or a more reliable recording system.

I dont think this kind of question is any more out of place than one about what kind of mic cable sounds better and (for me anyway) its a welcome break from people rabbiting on about how much they like this or that on bass or vocals or should I buy *massive list of gear* so I can become a super engineer...

I think people might actually learn some useful info that trancends taste and fashion from this thread.



stike
M

[RobR]

Well, to save from double threads, I'll toss in my certified low end query; as I, too, find myself in a very similar situation. Working around an m/box, want
to put mic/di/trs/ts > pre > adc > m/box (via spidf), and I must get a copied audio signal to the analog input per "low latency monitoring". Yes, a dynamic, condensor, and ribbon mic will be involved. Obviously, prosumer town, thus, no tt patchbay involved. Suggestions?

[7om]

Originally Posted by ethan_c

Of course if you can tell me in any way how "splitting a mic signal" has ANYTHING to do with 'High End' audio I will retract the statements above...

This would be a good way to evaluate high end mic pre's from a single source. Seems to me that mic pre comparisons are a common topic here in the high end forum. This may not be what the original poster had in mind, but it is one way in which splitting a mic signal has something to do with high end.

[moogus]

Originally Posted by RobR

Well, to save from double threads, I'll toss in my certified low end query; as I, too, find myself in a very similar situation. Working around an m/box, want
to put mic/di/trs/ts > pre > adc > m/box (via spidf), and I must get a copied audio signal to the analog input per "low latency monitoring". Yes, a dynamic, condensor, and ribbon mic will be involved. Obviously, prosumer town, thus, no tt patchbay involved. Suggestions?

Just make a Y lead and place it between the output of the mic pre and the input of your A-D and your mixer/monitoring device. You can usually split the output of any decent mic pre many times before you notice any change in the sound, unlike most microphones.


M

[RobR]

That was my plan from the get go, but some dude had a hissy fit at me.
Then again, why would I pay attention to dudes who have hissy fits?