www.stevegongphoto.com
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I want to make binaural audio recordings.
I have a pair of headphones, but when I plug them into the line in jack of my MacBook Pro, the input levels are very low, even if I crank up the gain all the way. I presume this is because my headphones are not providing an amplified audio signal. So what can I do about this? On another note, I've just ordered this portable recording device. How do I figure out if this device supports plugging in headphones into the mic jack and whether it is able to amplify the signal? Thanks. |
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Rocket Surgeon
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: The Canadark
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While a pair of headphones will theoretically work as a pair of microphones, they won't work well. Sound quality (and level, as you've noticed already) will be extremely poor.
I did a project a few years ago that involved binaural recording and we used a polystyrene head designed for storing wigs with two holes drilled in it and a couple of condensor mics embedded in it. Sounded great. |
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www.stevegongphoto.com
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What kind of mics did you specifically use? Do I just need condenser mics, and that will yield a more powerful signal? What recording equipment did you use?
Can I see your project? I seem to think part of the reason is that line-in jacks need amplified signals, whereas mic jacks can take anything. |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Portlandia
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Go here:
http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cg...egory/110/mics They have head-mounted binaural microphones to fit many budgets. They've been selling to the concert bootleg crowd for years, so a lot of them are made for unobtrusiveness. "What a computer is to me is it's the most remarkable tool that we've ever come up with, and it's the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds." - Steve Jobs |
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Rocket Surgeon
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: The Canadark
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You can see the project...but...you'd have to go to DanceCity in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and use the "jukebox" in there. It's not online. Mic level and Line level are miles apart. Line level is -10dBV*. Mic level is -60dBV. dB is logarithmic, so there's a lot of difference between those two... ie: it's a case of what the input is "expecting". Plug a line-in source into a mic input and you'll peak the crap out of it. Plug mic level into a line-in and you'll get virtually nothing. Sometimes equipment has built in switchable "pads" that allow you to deal with both on the same input, although I don't see any evidence of that on the unit you're buying. The link that Sunrain gives looks promising for a low-fuss solution - I would be concerned about handling noise though. Short answer; use real microphones. Headphones aren't microphones. * = Or +4dBu. But then we have to mess around comparing different units. Last edited by Bryson : 2010-05-14 at 14:45. |
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Rocket Surgeon
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: The Canadark
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