Mike inputs

  • Thread starter Thread starter Geoff
  • Start date Start date
G

Geoff

Does anyone know the correct connections of a microphone socket on a pc
soundcard?
The microphone socket on the average card is presumably stereo in; or is
it?
Normally, for stereo, the Tip & Ring are the L & R inputs and the sleeve is
ground.
However on a mono microphone, the only two wires are to the tip and ring.
It appears that the sleeve is not connected.
Can anyone advise please, or are they all non-standard? I need to make up a
lead to connect from a mono source to the mic in on the soundcard.

TIA

Geoff.
 
Does anyone know the correct connections of a microphone socket on a pc
soundcard?
The microphone socket on the average card is presumably stereo in; or is
it?
Normally, for stereo, the Tip & Ring are the L & R inputs and the sleeve is
ground.
However on a mono microphone, the only two wires are to the tip and ring.
It appears that the sleeve is not connected.
Can anyone advise please, or are they all non-standard? I need to make up a
lead to connect from a mono source to the mic in on the soundcard.
Click to expand...

No, the sleeve is the long barrel that makes up most of the plug. A mono
plug has no ring. Plugs always have a sleeve.

What happens when you plug a mono mic into a stereo input?
mic input
--- -----
mono tip -> tip L
sleeve -> ring R
sleeve -> sleeve (ground)

Since the sleeve of the mic is connected to both the ring and the sleeve
of the input, obviously the mono mic shorts the other stereo channel
input to ground. That's OK, it's better than letting it float and act like
an antenna, to pick up noise. I'll take your word for it that the tip is
the L(eft) channel. Too lazy to go check it.

BTW, you should never connect a mono plug to a stereo output! That would
also short one of the channels, and damage the amp driving it (unless the
amp has adequate protection built in).
 
Does anyone know the correct connections of a microphone socket on a pc
soundcard?
The microphone socket on the average card is presumably stereo in; or is
it?
Click to expand...

No, mono.
Normally, for stereo, the Tip & Ring are the L & R inputs and the sleeve is
ground.
However on a mono microphone, the only two wires are to the tip and ring.
It appears that the sleeve is not connected.
Click to expand...

Are you sure?
Passive mono mics only have tip and "sleeve", two contacts..
Then again, most people call that tip and ring because they
aren't using term "ring" on different stereo plug.
Can anyone advise please, or are they all non-standard? I need to make up a
lead to connect from a mono source to the mic in on the soundcard.
Click to expand...

"sleeve" is ground
 
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