#2,039 in Musical Instruments
Use arrows to jump to the previous/next product
Reddit mentions of Audiogadgets -10 dB Mic Pad/True Balanced In Line XLR Attenuator Cable
Sentiment score: 1
Reddit mentions: 1
We found 1 Reddit mentions of Audiogadgets -10 dB Mic Pad/True Balanced In Line XLR Attenuator Cable. Here are the top ones.
or
True Balanced circuit design keeps noise cancellation intact throughout signal chain.Impedance design to mirror mic/preamp impedance for transparent attenuation.Flexible jumper design keeps preamp connections damage and stress freeAudio tested for performance with real mics in a real studio by a real person.Allows for more headroom to really saturate colored preamps.
Specs:
| Color | Cable Colors Vary |
| Weight | 0.14375 Pounds |
So, to a certain degree you've got a combination that doesn't play well with eachother. The NTG2 has fairly low sensitivity, and a noticeable bit of self noise, which means it needs a lot of gain. The H4n also doesn't have good quality pre-amps so it adds a lot of noise any time you have to jack the gain up. It looks like you've got the original silver body, which is infamous for being noticeably bad. The black body Pro model has upgraded pre-amps which are less bad. So, you can see how this combo isn't ideal, and more or less setting you up for a noticeable hiss even under ideal conditions.
Unfortunately a lot of people review the H4n highly because they're musicians and they've got it taped to the front of a guitar amp or something. It's relatively speaking easy to get good sound from an inch away from an amp, compared to a speaking voice from 2+ feet away. A few inches can make a lot of difference. Such as going from 20 inches to 6 inches overhead, that can often immediately make things sound a lot better.
If for stylistic reasons you need a lot of headroom, I recommend getting a lav instead. I have a Countryman B3 wired for xlr that I just plug straight into my recorder for shots like this. It'll almost certainly sound better by sheer virtue of being that much closer.
Make sure you're not on 4CH mode, as that will be recording from the built in capsules at the same time as your shotgun mic.
Make sure Stamina Mode is turned off.
Also, where you point the mic plays a large part. For example if there is a fan behind the person and you've got the mic pointed over the person's shoulder. Or pointed out a window, etc.
That all said though, if you're having to max the gain, something is wrong. Even with a low sensitivity mic like that unless the person is whispering you shouldn't have to crank it up that high. It is theoretically possible you've got an attenuated cable. Unlikely, since you usually have to look around for them, but some cables have a "pad" built in, so every so often if someone just grabs the first thing that comes up they can end up with a cable that has a -10, or -20, or even more pad on it, and you'll need to crank that gain way up to compensate.
Audiogadgets -10 dB Mic Pad / True Balanced In Line XLR Attenuator Cable https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00A9JWJ1A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6NJCCbDSDT9WM
Just to check, because I have literally seen it happen multiple times, are you SURE you're turning up the gain(Rec Level) on the righthand side, or the headphone volume(Vol) on the lefthand side? They're both the same kind of buttons, so I've seen people get them confused. What levels was it showing when you were recording? Does the gain need to be that high while recording with the built in mics?
Try some experiments, move the mic around the area, and check if the noise is constant. Lots of people have mentally tuned out the sound of their houses and workspaces, so you can have loud fans, humming electronics, buzzing lights, etc and hearing it through a mic makes them notice it again and suddenly it sounds loud and foreign.
Or, another super common thing is that people are unused to the sound of their own voice. It will never sound as rich and deep as it does in your own head. Everyone sounds higher pitched and often more nasal than they think they do. So while we might think we've got a prime Movie Trailer Guy Voice that is rich and deep, we actually don't.
If you know anyone who has some equipment, or you've got a friendly local store with demo units, take your kit over and try your mic with their recorder, try their cable, try their recorder, try their mic with your recorder.
If you don't have any audio software, a DAW, I strongly recommend Reaper. Unlimited trial period, or a license is $60. If you're going to be working with audio it will be a much better option than what comes packaged with NLE video editors.
If you plan to do this more often, upgrading away from the H4n is strongly recommended if you can. The F4 is several generations newer, better in every way, and has been as low as $350 new.