Do I need XLR Cable? « Videomaker Community Forums

jimhawley
Member

Newbie question...

I have a simple Canon ZR40. I have purchased an ATR-55 to go with it. If I want to record off-camera...let's say with a 15 or 20 foot cable, do I need an XLR cable? Both the camera and the mic have standard 1/8" jacks.

Thanks for the help,

Jim

Posted 6 years ago #
Video-maniac
Member

If your mic uses an 1/8" pin then chances are it's not an XLR mic. You can use a 1/8" pin for a mic cable but you run the risk of picking up unwanted noise interference because it's not shielded properly. You might be able to go maybe 3 or 4 feet before you start noticing anything.

With a true XLR mic and cable you would be able to pretty much go as long as you want (with in reason of course) provided you have a phantom power supply <AND> you wouldn't pick up any interference.

Sooooo... if you had a true XLR mic (3-pin configuration) you could run that cable all the way to where your camera is but then you would need a special adapter that converts your XLR jack to a 1/8" pin so that you can plug it in your camera and you would be all set. There is an adapter out there called "Beachtech" I think. I'm sure someone here will give you the correct name and model.

RAM

Posted 6 years ago #
jimhawley
Member

Right, but what I am wondering is...

If I do not have an XLR mic, which I am sure I don't, does XLR cable do anything for me? In other words, if I took an adaptor/transformer out of my mic that that converted the 1/8" to XLR, would that provide me any greater benefit than using standard cable?

Thanks again,

Jim

Posted 6 years ago #
Video-maniac
Member

Well I'm not sure if I have ever seen this done before but for sure an XLR cable is better that just a plain shield coax cable because it has an additional ground. The only thing I'm not sure of is the mic/adapter set up and if that works or not. Maybe someone else can shed some light on that.

RAM

Posted 6 years ago #