There may be a question in your mind, How to connect a microphone to speakers?
Since there are no audio input jacks on this computer, we need another way to hook up the speakers. This circuit uses both jacks as inputs, which allows for the sound to come into the microphone jack and then go out of the speaker jack.
The first question that arises when connecting a microphone to a speaker is: “do I need an amplifier for this?” The simple answer is no because the speaker already has its own power supply and input jacks. Of course, the speaker needs to be compatible with your microphone’s signal type (mono or stereo),
And there’s also the matter of the microphone’s output type (XLR or 1/4” stereo) to consider.
Mic inputs will be available on some powered loudspeakers. In this situation, connecting a microphone directly to the speaker and having the speaker’s internal amplifier increase the mic level signal to speaker level is simple.
A typical speaker has the ability to produce sound at around 80 dB. For reference, the typical conversation takes place at around 60 dB. This means that if you were to speak into a microphone connected to a speaker
The dynamic microphone does not require external power, however, the condenser microphone requires (+48V). The mixing console provides electricity to the condenser mic. As a result, you’ll need to connect the condenser mic to a mixing console, as it won’t work without the necessary external power.
Connector Types
The speaker and microphone will need compatible connectors. Speaker inputs usually take a 1/4″ TRS stereo jack while most microphones use an XLR male connector, although there are some condenser microphones that use TS phone connectors.
If you want to connect a TS MIC to the speaker with RCA inputs, you will need an adapter like this (note that it converts both ways, i.e., the output is 1/4″ TRS stereo on the other end).
To physically connect a microphone to a speaker, first, find the speaker input connector, then use the appropriate cable adapters to connect the mic output signal to the speaker input. A mic-level signal is far too faint to drive a loudspeaker without amplification.
Microphone Connections
If your microphone has an XLR connector then all you need to do is connect it to the speaker.
The output on the speaker will be mono because microphones are mono devices, but each channel of the microphone will be receiving its own audio feed which can later be manipulated in an audio editor or mixer.
You can see below that this particular speaker has two XLR inputs so you could record two different mics (for ambient and direct sound) if you wanted.
Speaker Connections
A 1/4″ stereo jack will take two mono inputs, which is the same as an XLR connector, so you can plug a single microphone into a speaker with this type of input.
The only potential problem here (and it’s not really a problem) is that you may get a bit of stereo crosstalk, meaning there will be some bleed between the channels.
Crosstalk isn’t usually a problem when recording vocals or solo instruments because they’re recorded on individual tracks and then mixed together during the editing process, but if you do want to avoid this, use two separate microphones rather than plugging a single one into the speaker.
Connecting with XLR
How to connect microphone to speakers? If the speaker has an input jack that matches your microphone’s output connector, then you can just connect them together directly without any adapters or converters.
It means your mic should have an XLR jack and speaker with the XLR output, the speaker must be powered, and nowadays in 2022 almost all of the professional speakers are powered and have an XLR output.
If you are not sure, that your speaker is powered or not, check the backside or on the sides, they may have a powered cable, plugged into the board. It is a very simple point just mentioned here, otherwise, all of us know better about this point.
This is typical of powered speakers and even some guitar amps which have both audios IN and OUT jacks.
Without the XLR input, you can never connect a dynamic mic to a speaker. This input is located on the Speaker’s backside.
Connecting with 1/4″
If your speaker has a single mono jack and you have a microphone with a stereo TRS output, then you’ll need to use something like the RCA to 1/4 inch converter shown earlier.
The only downside here is that this type of adapter will also split your signal in two, sending the left channel to MIC 1 and the right channel to Mic 2. If you need your inputs split like this, go ahead and use it but know that this will affect how the tracks are recorded — one track will be receiving only half of the signal!
Other Connections
The other alternative is to use a “Y” cable, which is basically two cables attached together. The first cable has a 1/4″ mono connector at one end and two connectors (usually both male but sometimes one male and one female) at the other end.
The second cable has either a single XLR connector or two TRS connectors, depending on your equipment.
Plugin your microphone’s output to the first cable and connect the other ends together to get both MIC 1 and MIC 2 outputs.
Summary
How to connect microphone to speakers? As you can see, it’s usually pretty simple to hook up a microphone to a speaker.
The main thing to remember is that your speaker needs an input jack that matches your mic output type (XLR or 1/4 inch) and that sometimes you’ll need either an adapter or a “Y” cable to accommodate both input types.
You may also find speaker models that have two inputs, which is convenient if you want to record two mics for ambient room sound as well as the direct signal from your microphone.
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