DR08 mic input questions

T

tayproductions

Well-known member
I have a dr08 that I use to capture sound from a soundboard. Works great, however I am in a situation that I need to capture some audio from a mic (SM58). I tried using an XLR to 1/8 in cable, but it sounded terrible...lots of noise-I really have to crank the gain. I am not a fan of the built in mics when it is being hand held.

Any suggestions to make this set up sound decent. I know the DR100 would be better suited for this, but I do not have a need for it usually.
 
Make sure that the external input is set to mic and not line. This is done from the REC menu screen, select Ext. Input and then select Ext. Mic.

A bigger problem is that the external mic input jack is a stereo jack, not a balanced low impedance jack. It's going to take some adapters and possibly a direct box to get this working or an external preamp to connect the low impedance SM58 to the recorder. I can see no direct way to connect a balanced low Z source to this recorder.



tayproductions said:
I have a dr08 that I use to capture sound from a soundboard. Works great, however I am in a situation that I need to capture some audio from a mic (SM58). I tried using an XLR to 1/8 in cable, but it sounded terrible...lots of noise-I really have to crank the gain. I am not a fan of the built in mics when it is being hand held.

Any suggestions to make this set up sound decent. I know the DR100 would be better suited for this, but I do not have a need for it usually.
Click to expand...
 
Rather than buy a microphone to fit your DR08, money would be better spent buying gear that moves you up the ladder. The most direct fit would be a cheap, stereo mic with stereo 1/8" plug. That puts it pretty far down the rung of quality. Additionally, stereo is not the way to record dialog and in a quick search, I've found no inexpensive handheld stereo mics that compare with the SM58. You're right in that the DR-100 would be a better choice. I have one on my kit. I started with just the DR-100 and a few quality mics. Since then I've been able to add a production quality mixer and the DR-100 still lives in my bag as my recorder (eventually to be replaced with the 680).

I guess what I'm saying is that you can buy a low quality mic that's compatible with your current recorder, and this mic will likely be abandoned as your gear improves, or begin the journey of investing in quality gear that will stay with you far longer than your camera. As an example, the shotgun I swing in my blimp is about 20 years old and still holds it's own when compared to current models. I can't think of many video cameras that are 20 years old and still being used in production.
 
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