Reddit reviews Shure A15AS Switchable Attenuator (15, 20, 25 dB), Passes Phantom Power
We found 6 Reddit comments about Shure A15AS Switchable Attenuator (15, 20, 25 dB), Passes Phantom Power. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
In-Line Attenuator reduces the level of any balanced microphone or line-level signal by 15, 20, or 25 dBSpecially suited to reducing the level of a high-output microphone to prevent it from overloading the microphone input of a mixer or recorder in applications with high sound pressure levels.A15AS may be used to reduce the level of a line-level mixer output to prevent overloading the aux-level input of a recorder.
You need to use a pad. If the mic and the preamp/interface don't have a built-in pad already, you can buy an inline pad.
OK, so it sounds like you understand how to get signal from your pre73 into your FA-66, bypassing the onboard pre's on your interface.
Now lets talk about actually getting the "gooey color" without overloading the A/D converters on your interface. The pre73 is designed to sound good when being driven into the red (when the clip light turns on), adding that vintage "neve" character to your sound. Problem is doing so will probably slam your converters. Simple to fix..
Grab an attenuator pad like this Shure model:
Shure A15AS Switchable In-Line Attenuator with 15, 20 or 25 dB of Selectable Mic Attenuation, XLR Barrel
And a balanced XLR->TRS cable like this:
Pro Co BPBQXF10 (10')
And place both between the Pre 73 and your FA-66.
You can now drive your preamp harder, without destroying your headroom and slamming your converters, simply by attenuating the signal coming out of the pre before it hits your interface. You still get the warmth and richness of the "1073" drive, without a blisteringly hot signal.
If you want a cleaner sound, turn the pre down and remove the pad from the chain.
That's correct, and one of the reasons I hate the Zoom H4n. You need a line -> mic pad, like this.
Or get a DR-40, which has line-level inputs.
With my ghetto rig, I want to do close miking of a high gain amp with a LDC (MXL v67g). I've played around with running the mic through a front XLR input of a Tascam US-1800, as well as through an SM Pro pr8 mic preamp into a Line In jack in the back of the Tascam (switched to +4Dbu). I get very bad clipping/pops when going through the pr8, unless i move the mic back over a foot and dime the preamp gain down. Same when going directly to the Tascam, though it's less frequent and i can both move the mic closer and adjust the input levels. The leads me to think i may need an attenuator to fix the issue.
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A quick glance at affordable options gives me something like this HOSA, or for a little more money a Shure. Probably a cheaper option is to build one myself, though I'm having issues understanding how I'm supposed to handle impedances and phantom power.
Can anyone, then, make a recommendation/opinion on the above attenuators, any cheap alternatives, or an idiot friendly resource for building what i need?
Probably not what you're looking for, but a possible solution might be to buy some 1/4" to XLR adapters and use an inline attenuator in between the output of your computer and your headphones.
http://www.amazon.com/Shure-A15AS-Switchable-Attenuator-Phantom/dp/B0002J1JKY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1462627074&sr=1-1&keywords=inline+attenuator
These are what I use. There are cheaper models that probably do just as well but this is what you need. They are also great for hot line levels to the xlr jacks as well.