[just bob[_2_]]

I've got two of the original Radio Shack PZM mics from probably 20 years ago
and now want to record my daughters performances. Problem is, they have
1/4-inch plugs and it seems the USB interfaces I am looking at, like the
M-Audio Pre, have XLR inputs. Should just ditch these mics and get something
else or find a USB interface to suit? I just know I got some sweet
recordings from these direct into a cassette tape and later into a portable
Casio DAT machine.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[just bob[_2_]]

Oh, and I was thinking of using Sony Vegas 7 for recording audio. Probably
overkill, huh?

"just bob" wrote in message
...
I've got two of the original Radio Shack PZM mics from probably 20 years
ago and now want to record my daughters performances. Problem is, they
have 1/4-inch plugs and it seems the USB interfaces I am looking at, like
the M-Audio Pre, have XLR inputs. Should just ditch these mics and get
something else or find a USB interface to suit? I just know I got some
sweet recordings from these direct into a cassette tape and later into a
portable Casio DAT machine.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[Richard Crowley]

"just bob" wrote ...
I've got two of the original Radio Shack PZM mics from probably 20 years
ago and now want to record my daughters performances. Problem is, they
have 1/4-inch plugs and it seems the USB interfaces I am looking at, like
the M-Audio Pre, have XLR inputs. Should just ditch these mics and get
something else or find a USB interface to suit? I just know I got some
sweet recordings from these direct into a cassette tape and later into a
portable Casio DAT machine.

Depending on what model they are, you *may* be able to just replace the
1/4 inch phone plugs with XLRs. Radio Shack sold a few very different
microphones all with the same general name.

[Richard Crowley]

"just bob" wrote...
Oh, and I was thinking of using Sony Vegas 7 for recording audio. Probably
overkill, huh?

If that's what you've got, why not?

[Mike Rivers]

just bob wrote:
I've got two of the original Radio Shack PZM mics from probably 20 years ago
and now want to record my daughters performances. Problem is, they have
1/4-inch plugs and it seems the USB interfaces I am looking at, like the
M-Audio Pre, have XLR inputs.

So get an adapter or cut off the 1/4' plug and solder on an XLR. The
Radio Shack
PZMs from 20 years ago actually have an output transformer and there are
three wires coming
out to the 1/4" plug. The shield and one of the wires are tied to the
sleeve of the plug, and the
other wire is connected to the tip. You can wire a balanced XLR to the
cable by connecting the
shield to pin 1, one of the signal wires to pin 2 and the other wire to
pin 3. I don't know what the
polarity is, but if you get it wrong, either you won't notice or you can
correct it with most DAW
programs.

Unless of course the years have gone by too quickly and 20 years ago
they were making a real
unbalanced output microphone. In that case, connect the shield to pin 1
of the XLR, the center
conductor of the cable to pin 2, and tie pin 3 to pin 1.

[Scott Dorsey]

In article ,
just bob wrote:
I've got two of the original Radio Shack PZM mics from probably 20 years ago
and now want to record my daughters performances. Problem is, they have
1/4-inch plugs and it seems the USB interfaces I am looking at, like the
M-Audio Pre, have XLR inputs. Should just ditch these mics and get something
else or find a USB interface to suit? I just know I got some sweet
recordings from these direct into a cassette tape and later into a portable
Casio DAT machine.

These have internal transformers.. there are actually three wires to the
1/4" plug and you can chop the plug off and solder an XLR on.

Even better you can ditch the power box completely. Phil Rastoczny posted
a set of modifications here around 1989 or so, which you can probably find
with a google search. It works well.

I'm not a PZM fan, but try them. You've already got them, you might as
well use them first.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."