Connecting a MacBkPro to a BeachTek DXA-5D

Audacity Help Forum macOS
1

I’m doing a video interview and recording an audio track into Audacity 2.0.3 on my '09 MacBook Pro (OSX Yeosimite). Can I send that audio feed into the camera as the sole or additional audio track for the video? If so, what cable do I need to connect the MBP to a BeachTek DXA-5D on a Canon Rebel T2i?

2

Does your MBP have connections that look like this?

http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/MacLineIn.jpg

Koz

3

Yes, that is exactly what the connections look like.

4

Please be aware that Audacity does not officially support Yosemite yet. To have the best chance I would suggest you upgrade to Audacity 2.0.6 (http://audacityteam.org/download/mac).


Gale

5

Welp. I know exactly how to do that, but I’d be in the garage with a Weller soldering station to build the adapters. The BeachTek DXA-5D, according to the instructions, will cheerfully accept a high level, stereo signal at its two XLR connections through switching. The MBP will cheerfully produce a compatible level, stereo audio show at the “headphone” connection. The type of physical connections however are completely foreign to each other.

Let me ooze to one side briefly and ask why you want to do that? You will be cutting the show in an electronic editor, so why on earth would you want to squeeze the audio through an analog pathway if you don’t have to? The distortion is only going to increase with additional Digital to Analog (MBP) and Analog to Digital (BeachTek DXA-5D) conversions. Given, the additional damage will be small; the equipment is all high quality, but still.

The problem with finding adapters is making sure they’re going to do what you need. There are audio adapters out there which have the required physical configuration, but are wired wrong inside. Go ahead, ask me how I know that.

Let me find the formulas.

Koz

6

OK [rolling up sleeves].

Male 3.5mm Stereo to dual RCA
http://www.cablestogo.com/product/39942

This will get you out of the MBP and provide the Left and Right signals on separate RCAs. Need one cable.


Female RCA to Male 3.5mm Mono
http://www.cablestogo.com/product/03195

This one will get you from RCA to 3.5mm mono. You’ll need two.


3.5mm Stereo Coupler
http://www.cablestogo.com/product/03170

All these do is change the sex of the 3.5mm. Need two.


Male mono 3.5mm to male XLR.
http://www.adorama.com/CVXLRPMP10ST.html

This will plug into the sex changer on one end and the camera sound adapter XLR on the other. Need two. There still a chance this isn’t going to work right because they don’t let me into the internal wiring diagrams, but just based on what they say it does, it almost has to work right.


http://www.adorama.com/CVXLRPMPS3EX.html

This looks like it would work in one shot, but it’s stereo on the 3.5mm end and weird mono mix on the XLR. And, of course, there’s only one XLR. There’s no way to split out left and right.

I’ve never seen any way to conveniently make this connection without building the custom cable. As I said, the signals are perfectly happy with each other, it’s the mechanical connections that kill you. The BeachTech is pro audio and the MBP is home audio.

Koz

7

Also you understand that if you do all this, you lose the ability to listen to the MBP. If there is no monitoring on the BeachTek, you will be flying blind (or deaf).

Koz

8

One other possibility. If you plug this into the MBP and the BeachTek, you may get Left show only. No stereo. If you have a mono interview, this may be enough.

Male mono 3.5mm to male XLR.
http://www.adorama.com/CVXLRPMP10ST.html


The MBP may object to the wrong cable. I don’t know. I know the MBP can switch services a little if it senses cable changes. This will be very much a not-normal cable.

Koz

9

Thanks for the responses. I have decided not to head down this road. I appreciate the guidance.

10

I have decided not to head down this road.

Good choice.
Koz