Guitar Accessories: There are bunches of guitar pedals out there, but some specific problems have yet to be solved.
DIY Add Line Out to Your Guitar Amp
Live Sound: When you are faced with a huge mixer and a bunch of premadonnas with microphones and guitars.
Sound Reinforcement – Getting Started
Home Recording: Only one premadonna, and he or she doesn’t have much money.
Who am I?
Originally from Montana, I studied Electrical engineering because of a combined fascination with music, audio and computers. I work on the basic assumption that there must be a better way to solve the problem in front of me.
Quite often the “better way” is a simpler way. Simple solutions have fewer chances for failure. Simple solutions are more easily understood and used.
Back to the Home Page: www.hortonwho.org.
Wow because this is really helpful job! Congrats and keep it up.|
Thanks! Hopefully I’ll get some of my DIY widgets up soon.
Hi HW: I have a Fifine lav mic mini XLR out into a Ffine K037 transmitter UHF. I am a harmonica player the lav mic Xmit works great. Question: I would like to build an inline volume control w/ mini XLR in and out. Do you have a schematic or a past post for such a thing? The idea that it has a 3v power confuses me. My solution is to buy a Sescom SES-MKP-29 and adapt the XLR in and out with cable adapters to Mini XLR (TA3) but I’m not sure it would work. I love you site it tech enough. MF
Hey Michael,
Unfortunately wiring of lapel mics isn’t standard. Your idea might work, depending on the actual wiring, but I’m guessing it wouldn’t do what you want.
For a little about how it might be wired, see the wikipedia article on electret microphones:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electret_microphone
I suspect the DC blocking cap and bias resistor are inside the body pack, and that likely only two wires are used. A potentiometer between those two would change the DC voltage by loading the bias resistor, but it might not change the audio signal as expected. A resistor in series with the bias resistor might do the job – more resistance equals less volume.
The device you mentioned seems like a pricey solution vs. buying a Nady mic (I’ve had OK luck with them), or you can get a small metal box, mini DIN connectors/cables and an audio taper potentiometer (ground the box to the cable shield). I would start with a high value like 100K or even 500K and if it works only at the end, then measure the resistance where it starts to work and get a pot that covers the correct range. If you only want a fixed gain, you might find a resistance that works and build a shielded cable with one in it.