Lavalier Wireless mic too quiet for DR-40

M

Mark080

Member
Ok as some of you know I was after a budget lavalier for doing some interview type recordings with my Tascam DR-40.

I managed to pick up a kit off ebay consisting of:

An Audio Technica ATW-T27 Wireless Transmitter,
An Audio Technica AT829 Lavalier Mic
An Audio Technica ATW-R03 Wireless Receiver

I think the gear may be oldish as I cant find much information on it. It all came in a light blue padded Audio Technica Case.

I can get it all to work but I find it far too quiet. I have the volume up full on the receiver but even when I talk loudly close to the mic It is very hard to get the AF Peak light to light up. I hook the output up to my DR-40 and have the input volume on the DR40 up full but it still hardly registers. Am I doing something wrong?

Would the condition of the battery in the transmitter affect the output volume at all. I have the gain trim on it up full too.

Any light anybody can shine on this would be greatly appreciated.
 
The manual can be downloaded HERE.

Always start with fresh batteries. If you're shooting all day, start with fresh batteries at the start of the day, and replace them at lunch as well (and again at dinner if you're shooting that long).

Also, have you adjusted the MT (mic trim) control on the transmitter, under the battery cover? See pages 4-7 of the manual for setup instructions.

The lack of signal could be the result of a myriad of issues. Again, start with fresh batteries and go through the entire setup from transmitter to receiver to recorder. It could be cold-soldered or loose connections in the lav (in which case a new lav could fix the problem), it could be cold-soldered/loose connections in the output cable from the receiver to the recorder (again, replace the cable), or it could be deteriorating electronics inside the transmitter or receiver (in which case there's no cost-effective way to repair it).

Don't expect miracles with this system. I have used AT's low-end wireless before, and it's absolute rubbish. I consulted with a high school's theater program several years ago and they had all cheap AT wireless... nothing but problems. Signal dropouts, high noise floor, poor frequency response. Is there a reason you absolutely have to go wireless?
 
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No I don't need to go wireless at all. I was going to go with a wired lav but saw this cheap on ebay. I think I will resell this as it's just not good enough. I have the Mic trim up full on the transmitter. Volume up full on the receiver. Fresh battery. Still the same. The only way I can get decent levels is put the the Dr40 onto external Mic input but the sound quality is terrible and the the lav receiver manual says it out puts a line in level.
Thanks for the link that's a great help. I couldn't find anything myself.
I think bottom line is the gear isn't great so I'm just going to get rid of it and buy a wired lav, which I'm getting recommendations for in another post just now.
 
It is (was) a rather low-end product, but the quality problems typically do not include simple signal level issues.
Are you sure you have the transmitter and receiver set for the same channel (frequency)?
It could help to post a sample we can hear. Of course they could have got rid of it simply because it is broken.
 
Yeah, I agree with Richard, either it's broken or not set up correctly. Something is wrong, POS or not.
 
On the transmitter there is a sticker on the back saying 175.000 MHz, and there is no screw or dial on it for adjusting frequency. The MT and GT trims are both up full. The power switch is at On and not ST. (with ST i get nothing)

On the receiver there is the same sticker on the back with the same frequency. No adjustment either. The volume is up full. The squelsh is about half way. I have tried the squelsh at different levels to no avail. If I walk about with the lav on I get weird distorted noises, kind of whoosing sounds.

The AF out goes into my Tascam DR-40 line in. I have it on mono recording, line in mode. I have the input levels up full and i have to shout into the mic to even get a tiny register on the levels on the DR40.

If I switch the DR40 input to mic in I get decent levels but the sound is horrible. The Transmitter manual says it gives a Line in output, not a mic in output.

The only thing I can think of is that the battery in the transmitter isn't good enough. Its brand new but a supermarket brand.

I will try record something and post it but I think for the hassle I would rather just have a wired lav straight into my DR40.
 
It seems quite possible that the microphone itself is broken. They are small, rather fragile, and easily susceptible to damage (like pulling the wire partially out of the mic head, etc etc.) Since you bought it used, there is no telling what trauma it may have suffered.
 
Mark080 said:
Ok as some of you know I was after a budget lavalier for doing some interview type recordings with my Tascam DR-40.

I managed to pick up a kit off ebay consisting of:

An Audio Technica ATW-T27 Wireless Transmitter,
An Audio Technica AT829 Lavalier Mic
An Audio Technica ATW-R03 Wireless Receiver

I think the gear may be oldish as I cant find much information on it. It all came in a light blue padded Audio Technica Case.

I can get it all to work but I find it far too quiet. I have the volume up full on the receiver but even when I talk loudly close to the mic It is very hard to get the AF Peak light to light up. I hook the output up to my DR-40 and have the input volume on the DR40 up full but it still hardly registers. Am I doing something wrong?

Would the condition of the battery in the transmitter affect the output volume at all. I have the gain trim on it up full too.

Any light anybody can shine on this would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

This is very old and uses the old VHF licence-free frequencies.

I don't think anyone makes equipment on these frequencies anymore as UHF frequencies are less susceptible to interference from digital devices and as they share components and technology with mobile phones are now cheaper to make. So use of the VHF band has died for radiomic. use.

Your problem could be several things, but as Richard said, it could be a mic. problem - maybe the mic. has sweated out.

Personally I would check it out with a different mic.

I don't normally recommend cheap mics, but maybe it would be a good idea to get a cheapo mic. to test out the system
 
Lavalier mics are prone to problems with the cables and connectors. The wires are very thin, and get bent and stressed a lot while rigging, especially near the point where the cable enters the microphone head. Breakage of the leads at that point is the most common cause of failure in my experience. This can manifest itself as a crackling noise when the cable moves a little, a very low level as you've experienced, or outright loss of all output from the microphone. Some modern (and much more expensive) lavaliers come with a cable reinforced with a Kevlar line or steel wire incorporated into the internal structure of the cable, to reduce the stress on the tiny stranded conductors. This helps, and it's also high on my list of priorities when shopping for lavs to look for models with easily replaceable or interchangeable cables. Unfortunately, this runs counter to the trend toward smaller and smaller mics that are sealed and/or too tiny to be user-serviceable. I do like the "MiCon" connectors on the Rode Lavalier family, but these make the microphones larger than the tiniest ones available.

Barring an electronic failure in the transmitter or receiver -- possible, but not the most likely scenario -- I think you may have a cable issue as described above. Substituting another microphone for the stock lav would help diagnose the problem. Those VHF units have got to be pretty old, though -- I'd avoid them for really serious work because of the likelihood of interference issues if nothing else.

- Greg
 
The microdot connector used by the Rode lav and headset and pin mics is on the order of 2mm in diameter. The lav microphone head itself is scarcely larger than a match head. The convenience of field-repairable cables and especially interchangeable connectors makes the Rode scheme a big winner IMHO. They have put the competition to shame for such a brilliant concept and execution. It would almost make one believe that the others make their products non-repairable to sustain sales volume. :shocked:
 
I was going to say almost exactly the same thing, but didn't want my message to turn into a Rode commercial! Thanks, Richard! I have four Rode Lavaliers and always carry a set of spare cables, windscreens and tie clips tucked into the extra space in their cases. They're compact enough for almost every scenario where I would use a lav. Still, the Countryman mics are a bit smaller.

- Greg
 
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