I have an Olympus DM-5 digital voice recorder and I’m wanting to record vinyl’s with a cable coming out of the mixer and into the DM-5 before transferring the files to my Mac for use with Audacity. Now the DM-5 has a MIC input and I’ve been researching the issue and getting different opinion of various people. One person said It is achievable but I need to purchase an Olmpus KA-333 attenuator cable which will reduce the line level inputs down to a safe frequency for recording via MIC in. Also the DM-5 has a MIC sense setting of low, medium or high for the internal microphone but the manual doesn’t state if this feature is automatically switched off when you record via a cable going into the MIC socket.
Also can I damage the unit just by plugging a line-in cable into the mic and trying to record direct? If that’s the case am I best purchasing the Olympus KA-333 attenuator cable.
This is what I have found on another forum:
"1. Yes, it is capable of line level recording. Most people only see that it has an ext MIC input, but this connection serves the dual purpose of ext MIC input AND line level input. The manual clearly indicates this. I have tried it for myself, and it works great. One only needs to watch the level of your source, and the LS-7 does just fine. I suggest the following settings: In the Record menu, set the REC Level to Manual, and Limiter/Compressor OFF. Then adjust your recording level manually to “0” on the LS-7. Phono line level output from my receiver works just fine, and the LS-7 does not peak out.
- Secondly, there is plenty of information out there in audio forums that say that when an external mic (or line level input) is used, there is a frequency roll-off at 70Hz, basically filtering out anything below 70Hz. This is completely false. Using a precise noise generator tuned down to 20Hz, I have recorded directly into the MIC input and verified that this input IS NOT rolled off."
This is what someone has put on Amazon:
"I have an Olympus LS-7, a hand-held digital recorder capable of recording two channels in high quality audio formats. It has built-in stereo mics, but I wanted to record a direct feed from my performance mixer and the only external input jack takes microphone-level signals.
This cable allowed me to directly connect the line-level outputs from my mixer to the microphone-level inputs on my digital recorder."
Finally if my requirements are achievable then are the results going to be as good as recording it via a computer using a software package? The only reason I’m not linking the record deck directly to computer is due to them being in different rooms.
Rob
