Iam using sennheiser e604 for toms and e901 for kick when going from mic xlr to jack into input 4 i only get a very weak signal i have tried going into the jack input on 2 and 3 and get the same weak signal xlr to xlr is fine
Hi Jeffm,
It sounds like you have an L1® Model I or Classic.
What Model L1® do you have?
–?8T? Please click the picture for more details ?T8?--
Looking at the manual for the Sennheiser e901 microphone it requires phantom power. If you are connecting to the L1® XLR inputs then you have phantom power available. If you are using the ¼ inch jack inputs - there is no phantom power.
How are you connecting the microphone to the ¼ inch jack input jacks?
I am using L1 Model 2 with T1 tone match and are using an xlr to 1/4 jack mic cable the e604 for the toms is the problem when using the 1/4 jack input on 4/5 or 1 2 3 i only get a weak signal using same mic with xlr to xlr no problem but dont have enough inputs to not use input 4/5
Hi Jeffm,
A simple cable without the impedance matching transformer will usually not work in these situations.
It sounds like you need an impedance matching transformer (XLR to ¼ inch jack).
Like this:
–== click for details ==-
or 
–== click for details ==-
Edit:
Note that I have used this kind of device in a pinch and it worked fine for vocals, but it may not give you all the gain you need for drums in a loud setting.
Channels 4/5 on the T1 are not really intended for mic inputs, there is less gain available on those channels.
I’ve also noticed that a bass guitar direct in to 4/5 is weak.
A simple transformer has not worked for me.
I have had good luck when using an old Presonus Blue Tube 2-channel mic preamp into channels 4/5 though.
A dedicated mic preamp will give you all the gain you need for those channels.
When I do mic drums, I use E604s myself, and an Audix D6 or AKG D112 for kick.
I will generally use a mic splitter for the two toms into a single channel, usually 2.
How do you like the kick gate?
Hi Drumr,
What is the Mic splitter look like? It is a great idea to save channels.
Khucdu
Hi Jeffm,
After reading Drumr’s reply, I agree with him. I have added the following note to my post above.
quote:Originally posted by ST:
Note that I have used this kind of device (impedance matching transformer) in a pinch and it worked fine for vocals, but it may not give you all the gain you need for drums in a loud setting.
quote:Originally posted by Drumr:
Channels 4/5 on the T1 are not really intended for mic inputs, there is less gain available on those channels.
I’ve also noticed that a bass guitar direct in to 4/5 is weak.
Agreed - Channel 4/5 is intended for line-level inputs. I’ve been able to use Channel 4/5 for some instruments but the input sensitivity is lower than with Channels 1,2,3 and some of my instruments really require a preamp of some sort to work well with Channel 4/5.
quote:
A simple transformer has not worked for me.
I have had good luck when using an old Presonus Blue Tube 2-channel mic preamp into channels 4/5 though.
A dedicated mic preamp will give you all the gain you need for those channels.
Definitely. A dedicated preamp has worked well for me too.
quote:
When I do mic drums, I use E604s myself, and an Audix D6 or AKG D112 for kick.
I will generally use a mic splitter for the two toms into a single channel, usually 2.
How do you like the kick gate?
quote:What is the Mic splitter look like? It is a great idea to save channels.
Khucdu Look Here, the "YMFF" is the one for this application.
The single end goes into the T1, the dual end is attached to two mic cables running to the mics.
I would recommend using the same type of mic when going dual.
I have used an SM57 and the E604 together though, and it worked "okay".
Forum member "Baby Blue Eyes" uses this splitter with his Classic L1, for his vocal trio on their mics and it works very well.
When using the two mic splitter for drums, the secret to getting the best sound is mic positioning.
Since both mics get the same EQ/Effect/Volume level, you must make the volumes and tones match by their distance from the drums.
I use two toms, rack and floor, and I generally clip mount the rack mic at it’s “highest” position and aim it “across” the drum head aimed at the snare. The floor tom is set up the same way, aimed at the snare. The more you aim the mic at the drum head, the more bass and presence (and less snare bleed) you’ll get, but I go for more of just a small amount of overall kit sound.
All this said…I rarely try to mic my drums anymore, I just don’t feel that it’s the best sound, or is even needed in the case of the bands I play with. I try to concentrate on tuning the drums, and finding the sweet spots.
I’ve asked audience members their opinions of my mic’d vs non-mic’ed sound, and it’s apparent that no one ever really notices the difference.
(I’ve heard the same audience response about my mic’ing the kick drum, so I have gone to only using 2-B1s now, since the mic’ed sound only really seems to matter to me. And it does matter to me, I play better when I feel the thump.)
I hope this helps.
Edited