Portable preamp for T30?

[jholm]

Well, I've been trying to get started in podcasting for a couple of weeks, got the idea, got the outlines, got the computer side, cannot seem to get the gear ready.

Though we were set, with the iriver T30 and the Giant Squid Lavalier Microphones. Put in the batteries to both, hooked them up tested and they don't work.

I do get recordings, which I can hear on the T30, but they they are unbearably soft on the computer.

So I poked around and I think I need a preamp for the mic even though this is a dynamic mic, not a condenser mic??? Anyone know a cheap, portable preamp. We're doing lots of field stuff, so I have to be portable.

Julie

[kickasspodcast]

I am not trying to insult, just double checking that...

You've got the iriver set to the External Mic setting?

You've got the recording level up? (I set mine to at least 45-often higher)

Is there an on/off switch for the lav mic (there is for mine)?

I don't think you need a preamp for the t30 plus the giant squid

you can also go to http://www.misticriver.net/ forums, those folks know pretty much all there is to know regarding irivers.


best o luck


Jack


PS- if you can, send the t30 back and get an ifp899,799,790 etc... they support more mic's(like mic's w.o batteries) and give you greater control over the encoding levels. The t30 you have should work just fine, I've never heard anyone needing a preamp to use it-

[jholm]

Please insult!!!!

:)

I have the iriver set to line in - choices are voice and line in. Voice (via the external mic) works fine.

I can only get it up to 31 on the iriver - there is nothing else that I can turn the level up on.

No off/on switch for the mic that I can see. It's fairly basic. I do plug the battery on.

Thanks. I'll keep digging.

Julie

[jholm]

I have read that people need a preamp to use it, but I didn't think that was necessary with a dynamic mic like the giant squid, just with a condenser mic. I went through the whole "your mic has to have power" thing, when getting the gear.

The ifp series are discontinued, and hard to get, except on ebay, which I'm trying to avoid (I know everyone likes ebay but we've had some bad experience). Can't buy it in a store.

[roadrageradio]

I have read that people need a preamp to use it, but I didn't think that was necessary with a dynamic mic like the giant squid, just with a condenser mic. I went through the whole "your mic has to have power" thing, when getting the gear.

The ifp series are discontinued, and hard to get, except on ebay, which I'm trying to avoid (I know everyone likes ebay but we've had some bad experience). Can't buy it in a store.

For some odd reason newer iRivers than the 7xx and 8xx series don't have a mic pre-amp buiit in, which means you need an external pre amp if you're using a line-in jack. If the mics you bought don't have their own power supply, you also need the pre amp to supply "plug in power" so the electret mics will work right.

Stereo Professionals makes good ones, but quite pricey. Google around for "battery mic pre amp" or "portable mic pre amp" and see what you find. Expect to spend at least $60. for a decent pre amp, which is about what a refurb ifp 7xx/8xx will cost you.

[jholm]

Thought you would all be interested in where we went with this.

Definitely need a preamp for the t30 with the Giant Squid - the little 9v battery does NOT constitute power. So we got a 799, which appears to be working (once we were clear that EXTMIC really is a microphone plugged in, not the little hole on the side - we managed to record one podcast on just LINE IN, which I think may not use the preamp, so I get to spend next week trying to boost thevolume on the files and remove the noise from them to get the podcast out!) (any hints on the best way to do this would be appreciated.)

But we managed to get our first cast up, and the second one is produced and pretty much done - it will be up Saturday.

We did, however, in the process of this, buy a tiny little preamp from Radio Shack (this thing has been discontinued - they had one in PA) that we can carry along with us. This makes the T30 act like the ifp799, so we have a backup field machine.

Now if we can only get our mixer software working for studio work. . . .

Julie

[jholm]

I answered my own question, fooling around with Garageband last night. Thre's an effects option called "Speech Enhancer" to use it you pick one of the podcasting (I have podcasting/no effects) options in the effects panel on the right of the screen.

Then select details, On the third "effect" down, Select "Speech Enhancer", and leave the right hand column at Manual.

Then SAVE it.

It worked for me. Next podcast will be fine, despite our boo-boo. A tad soft. So the listener will have to turn up the volume.

[jake359]

ahh, another DC area Podcaster. Welcome!
I saw a 7xx languishing in the back of a cabinet in a Circuit City somehwere...a 256mb version I think, but they still wanted $80 for it, even with newer, cheaper and higher capacity models available. I might have to go back and see if it's still there, and hammer a manager to sell it to me cheap.