EV Cobalt CO9 mic, is it stereo or mono?

I’ve been looking all over the internet trying to see if the mic was either stereo or mono. I want to know this because I plan to use this mic for vocals and I only see stuff about it being a dynamic microphone. I plan to use an adapter for XLR to a mic jack in my computer. I need to know to get the right adapter (there is the stereo kind and the mono kind) so the sound comes out right.

I’ve seen something along the lines of “listing the mic as stereo/mono” and it will function properly with that. I just have so many questions.

Thanks for any help.

It is a Dynamic (moving coil) microphone. It’s a cousin to the “Rock Band” Shure SM58.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SM58

You need a special adapter to plug one of those into the pink Mic-In of a soundcard, and even then it might not work right. Mic-In of a soundcard expects to be married to a Computer Microphone.

http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/computerAnalogMicrophone.jpg

There are connections inside that cable that go both directions. It’s more complex than you think.

I’ve been able to get an SM58 to work with one of these adapters that I made. This graphic has the wiring formula.

http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/UnbalBalAdapter.jpg

You can get there without soldering iron and tools with a rock band guitar amp microphone cable and a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter.

http://www.cwc-group.com/xlr3fecowise.html
http://www.radioshack.com/16-ft-xlr-to-1-4-microphone-cable/3304012.html#.VHlVxWTF-Qw

And then:

http://www.wwbw.com/Live-Wire-1-4-F--Mini-M--Mono-Adapter-330863-i1166768.wwbw?CJAID=10563961&CJPID=1609763&CJSID=tfc_-_17_12_130121_ac20e7a55afe2c470a824a4b860d33df:0000

Oops. There used to be another supplier for that adapter. Hosa Technology. Their page died.

Here’s one.

http://www.fullcompass.com/product/305897.html

Mic-In on a computer soundcard is a mono connection. If you use the wrong stereo adapters for your single microphone, some very nasty things may happen. Plug the computer end in first, and then the microphone. There will be a lot of physical stress on that connection. You might want to tape down the cable so when you’re performing, it can’t move the computer around.

GLS Audio has a Shure SM-58 knockoff. ES-58. I did side-by-side comparisons and for most screaming rock bands, the differences are insignificant.
http://www.speakerrepair.com/page/product/microphones/37-205.html

The build-in sound card is not collecting any awards for high quality. They’re usually high noise and slightly ratty sound quality. Just enough to Skype in to the home office for that business conference call that you didn’t really want to be there for anyway.

Koz

If you’re not completely snowed yet, I can do more.

The three pins at the bottom of your microphone are sound (your voice, usually pin 2. Look at the pins with a strong flashlight. They’re numbered) the sound protection signal (pin 3) and the protective shield (pin 1). If you have a good performance sound mixer that can use a microphone like that, you can run a sound cable a hundred feet between the mixer in the sound truck and the stage.

Contrast that with computer microphones which don’t have a protection signal and are designed to run six feet (2M) from your desk to the computer. Very basic mismatch. The adapter in that posting makes your microphone as bad as a computer microphone. The computer doesn’t suddenly get as good as a rock band microphone.

Koz

Would this work?

http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-XVS101F-Right-Angle-3-5mm/dp/B000068NZG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417279234&sr=8-1&keywords=hosa+3+pin+xlr+female+to+3.5mm

Nope. The 1/8" plug has too many black bands (attach). That’s the common cable which can cause damage when used with a normal computer soundcard. That plug needs to have only one black band.

http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/UnbalBalAdapter.jpg

I once found a maker that actually offered the right cable, but it was so much of a pain to find and order it, I settled on the rock band cable (wired right but the wrong plug) and simple adapter. Those are cheap and common as dirt, but they are a little more fiddly to use.

I’ll see if I can find the one I saw a couple of months ago.

Koz
Screen Shot 2014-11-29 at 21.31.44.png

And just to spread even more sunshine, there’s the possibility it’s still not going to work. I have an external sound adapter that doesn’t work with this trick. Koz

There it is.

http://hosatech.com/product/xvm-305f/

You need to make sure the right-angle plug will fit to your computer. It Must plug all the way in. It would probably work OK with this computer.

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

But probably not one of these.

http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/DesktopLine-In.jpg

The soundcard is stuck so far into the computer body the right-angle plug may not work right.

Koz

They helpfully include a wiring diagram (I’m starting to like that company) so there’s no doubt this is the correct cable.
Koz
Screen Shot 2014-11-29 at 22.08.13.png