# How to make a headset into a microphone?



## MillburyAuditorium (Sep 17, 2009)

Hi everyone,

Well, years ago when a senior was helping me out with sound because my SM couldn't be there, (He was like the top engineering student, don't know if it contributes.) and so we where sitting around one day and some how he made our board headset into a microphone he was like, talking into the headset and it would play out of the speakers. I don't know if he plugged it into a different channel or if it was still plugged into the headphone jack on the board.
I have never been able to figure out how he did it.

Anyone know what I am talking about? Or do you all think im crazy


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## cprted (Sep 17, 2009)

Most clear-com main stations have a talk-back/God mic feature.


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## MillburyAuditorium (Sep 17, 2009)

Hey guys, well, I found it while looking on Google. Turns out all you need to do is plug any two channel headset into a line in or microphone in and talk into the headset -.- I was trying complicated stuff xD


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## philhaney (Sep 17, 2009)

I don't think MillburyAuditorium has a headset system installed yet.

However, to answer the question: Microphones and speakers are both transducers - devices that convert energy from one form to another. In this case waves of pressure in the air (that your ears percieve as sound) and electrical current.

By taking the 1/4-inch plug of a headset and pluging it into the line-in of an input channel on your board (instead of the XLR mic-in input) one speaker of your headset can be used as a microphone. Because of the nature of a stereo 1/4" plug (also known as TRS or Tip, Ring, Sleeve) the other speaker will be shorted out. It becomes a simple matter of adjusting the gain control on that channel as well as the fader.....


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## photoatdv (Sep 17, 2009)

You can do the same with a set of earphones and a computer audio input ... you just have to turn the volume WAY up.


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## derekleffew (Sep 17, 2009)

MillburyAuditorium, I think you've confused the terms headset and headphone. They are not interchangeable. Who wants to make some glossary entries?http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/members/millburyauditorium.html


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## museav (Sep 17, 2009)

This concept is also used in areas such as large parking decks where PA speakers sometimes double as microphones. They are not real sensitive but can pick up crashes, screams, etc. that might require a response. I also remember one gymnasium with a large distributed speaker system where they were measuring a fluctuating voltage on the speaker lines with no audio signal present. Took them a while to realize the signal level matched someone bouncing a basketball in the gym, the SPL was enough to cause a measurable back EMF from the speakers.


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## MillburyAuditorium (Sep 19, 2009)

Yeah, sorry, when I said headset, I meant headphone. What we use to solo a channel or eq, etc.

Thanks for reply's as well : ) Well, to bad there's no way to use this usefully in our setup :/


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## AlexD (Sep 20, 2009)

I don't think I'm understanding this right, are you saying that you can change an output transducer (speaker, headphones ect.) into a mic that you plug into an input of a channel and that will allow you to use it as a fully functional mic? Like I said I'm very confused right now :neutral:


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## photoatdv (Sep 20, 2009)

oh yeah... you can definately do that... no mods required. Take a pair of earbuds plug it into the mic input on your computer and open an audio recording program... recored at the max input level and play back ... wouldn't just it if you need a HQ recording though....


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## AlexD (Sep 20, 2009)

Hmm. Yes come to think of it the cone is kind of like a diaphragm of a mic, though I fail to see any useful application for this. Why would you want to do this? Apart form being quite cool. Hehe


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## photoatdv (Sep 20, 2009)

something to do when bored pretty much sums it up


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## AlexD (Sep 20, 2009)

LOL! Thought so.


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## philhaney (Sep 20, 2009)

AlexD said:


> Hmm. Yes come to think of it the cone is kind of like a diaphragm of a mic.



Exactly. When you talk into a speaker the cone will vibrate, and the relative motion between the speaker coil and the lines of flux from the permanent magnet will induce a varying viltage in the wires.


AlexD said:


> I fail to see any useful application for this.



Back in the mid 1980s, before the Walkman was invented, I had a full size set of Koss headphones that I plugged into a Panasonic portable tape recorder. I put all this in a backpack, and had music wherever I went (I walked around a lot back then. Got a lot of stares, too, until the Walkman came out).

I went to Disneyland a lot as well, and wanted soundtracks for several of their rides (excuse me, attractions) that they didn't sell. So, I would plug my headphones into the mic input, insert a blank tape, press record, zip up the backpack (except a little bit for the headphone cord), and go on the ride wearing my backpack with my headphones around my neck.

Worked pretty well, too.


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## MillburyAuditorium (Sep 20, 2009)

lol.

Well, I thought of this after replying to a post about a mic at the board. And was thinking of how I would do this because there are no open channels on our board, although I could wire the floor mics to one channel instead of two I suppose.

I was just thinking that maybe, by some astronomical stretch of the imagination I would be able to use our headphones as a mic while still plugged into the headphone jack xD


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## photoatdv (Sep 20, 2009)

Not gonna happen through the headset jack... sorry.


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## philhaney (Sep 21, 2009)

MillburyAuditorium said:


> ...thinking of how I would do this because there are no open channels on our board...



All channels on our board have mic (XLR) and line (1/4") inputs. It's a simple matter to switch between them. That's how I connect my laptop to our board at church.

On the other hand, I do realize that not all boards have this feature...


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## DavidDaMonkey (Sep 21, 2009)

I've seen this technique used in the studio before. I knew a guy a few years ago who had rigged up a 12 inch (or so) speaker to place in front of kick drums to capture some extra boom.


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## AlexD (Sep 22, 2009)

DavidDaMonkey said:


> I've seen this technique used in the studio before. I knew a guy a few years ago who had rigged up a 12 inch (or so) speaker to place in front of kick drums to capture some extra boom.


 
Wow. Yes that would work rather well, have to try that out at some point.


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## Chris15 (Sep 22, 2009)

The use of a speaker as a mic is very common on cheap intercom systems like they used to run through houses 10 or so years ago...


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## MillburyAuditorium (Sep 23, 2009)

philhaney said:


> All channels on our board have mic (XLR) and line (1/4") inputs. It's a simple matter to switch between them. That's how I connect my laptop to our board at church.
> 
> On the other hand, I do realize that not all boards have this feature...



Well our board is pretty straight forward. There a main volume, 16 channels, each with a volume slider, mute button, solo button, and other various buttons, then going up to the top the EQ knobs for the channel and FX knob and gain, then directly behind each channel are, I think there is one two XLR inputs and two or three, havnt seen it all summer  for each channel, although we only use one. Then obviusly outputs. I think most boards are setup like this?

Anyways, and the only way to switch between the headphone/controlroom output to a microphone input would be to connect it to a channel, I could do it, but would need to have that channels volume up, meening some mic will be turned on. If we had channel one working, it would be fine. Well, I would just use a real mic : P

But then a lose my headphones : P Ah well, was never meant to be true xD


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## philhaney (Sep 23, 2009)

philhaney said:


> All channels on our board have mic (XLR) and line (1/4") inputs. It's a simple matter to switch between them. That's how I connect my laptop to our board at church.
> 
> On the other hand, I do realize that not all boards have this feature...




MillburyAuditorium said:


> ... the only way to switch between the headphone/controlroom output to a microphone input would be to connect it to a channel ... but would need to have that channels volume up, meening some mic will be turned on...







All of the channels on our board have an XLR input (Mic) and a 1/4" input (Line - the red arrow). I plug an audio cable from the headphone jack on my computer to the line input on two channels of our board. Then I use the Mic/Line switch (blue arrow) to switch back and forth between the mics plugged into those two channels and my computer.

This is what I meant in my quote above. I think you missunderstood me (if I'm wrong, please forgive me).

And as previously stated, not all boards have this feature.

(and yes, you have to plug your headphones into a channel for this to work)


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## MillburyAuditorium (Sep 23, 2009)

-Is dumbfounded-

Why have I never thought of looking for this button. X_X There are three buttons under our Solo button, and I really, have never even inquired on their function.

Haza! My dream may come true.


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## DuckJordan (Oct 8, 2009)

philhaney said:


> All of the channels on our board have an XLR input (Mic) and a 1/4" input (Line - the red arrow). I plug an audio cable from the headphone jack on my computer to the line input on two channels of our board. Then I use the Mic/Line switch (blue arrow) to switch back and forth between the mics plugged into those two channels and my computer.
> 
> 
> And as previously stated, not all boards have this feature.



What board do you have because on all of the boards i have seen i have never seen a switch function. The one i use most often just has a 1/4" input as well as an XLR but they will work at the same time if i have two inputs plugged in as an XLR and 1/4". (Currently Using a Soundcraft Spirit LX7)


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## philhaney (Oct 15, 2009)

DuckJordan said:


> What board do you have because on all of the boards i have seen i have never seen a switch function. The one i use most often just has a 1/4" input as well as an XLR but they will work at the same time if i have two inputs plugged in as an XLR and 1/4". (Currently Using a Soundcraft Spirit LX7)



That's interesting. All the boards I've seen with 1/4" and XLR inputs on each channel that didn't have a switch (or button in our case) automatically switched the XLR input off when something was plugged into the 1/4" input.

We have an Allen & Heath GL3300.


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## Anonymous067 (Oct 19, 2009)

MillburyAuditorium said:


> -Is dumbfounded-
> 
> Why have I never thought of looking for this button. X_X There are three buttons under our Solo button, and I really, have never even inquired on their function.
> 
> Haza! My dream may come true.



Most likely group assignment switches, as mic/line switches are normally found on the top of the board near the gain.


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