Shure Beta 57A and a laptop

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Hello,

I'd like to hook up the Beta to my HP Pavilion ZT3000 laptop with a minijack
input. Is there anything I need to know? Or do I just go and buy a XLR to
minijack cable and be done with it?

Thanks for your help!

Peter

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

In article <HouKd.76927$_56.24123@fe2.texas.rr.com> pstepperemovethis@satx.rr.com writes:

> I'd like to hook up the Beta to my HP Pavilion ZT3000 laptop with a minijack
> input. Is there anything I need to know? Or do I just go and buy a XLR to
> minijack cable and be done with it?

What you should know is that the internal mic preamp is really junk
(and I don't say that about very many things), but the mic will
probably work with just a hard-wired adapter.

You'll need to find out a couple of things aobut that mini jack and
that might be difficult because they're not well documented (and
Usenet being Usenet, you'll get a lot of guesses from people who don't
know for sure). First, is it really a mic level input, or is it a line
level (only) input. Most computers have a stereo mini jack for line
level sources (like a tape deck) and some have a mono mini jack for a
mic level signal as well. Some have a stereo mic jack. And some
provide a DC voltage to power an externally powered "plug-in power"
mic.

Knowing exactly what kind of jack you have will determine what kind of
adapter you need. They're not all the same, and it's possible that you
won't be able to find exactly what you need off the shelf. What looks
right and fits the hold may not be right.

One very important thing, whatever you get, is to get an adapter that
has a piece of cable between the XLR and the mini plug. I've seen
these adapters that are all in one piece, and the weight of the XLR
connector on that mini jack will ruin the jack in short order.

If you're having trouble analyzing your input jack, find someone who
can do electronic repairs, take your computer, mic, and mic cable to
him, and have him replace the XLR (or just make you a new cable) with
the proper plug, wired correctly. It's not difficult for someone who
knows what to to, but there can be a lot of fumbling if you don't know
what you have and aren't sure how to figure it out.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers (mrivers@d-and-d.com)
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo