luvmyshiner said:
Yeah, you'll have to crank it up Warren. From what I've been able to tell there is a problem with the Tascam when you mic into it directly. Some of the guys on the Tascam forum use mic pre-amps to solve the problem, but for now that's the best I can do.
Sorry for taking a while...I listened to you guys's tune, and sent e-mails and pms...meanwhile, here's the answer to your low-volume/level problem with the mic and the Tascam...
There's nothing wrong with the machine...it's just a typically poorly written (for hobbyists) manual (I downloaded it and checked things out) that assumes hobbyists would know about things like impedance-matching of line-level signals to get strong enough gain....
EDIT:
The XLR inputs of the Tascam should work fine for condenser mics, using the onboard 48V phantom power. But for low impedance (Lo-z) Dynamic mics like an SM58 or 57, they just won't cut the mustard. That's not what they're intended for. The 1/4" input jacks, on the other hand, are for guitars and hi-impedance line level signals...like a hi-impedance dynamic mic. So you have to 'convert' the SM58 to work with the 1/4" inputs.
I just copied this from a pm I just sent ya...
OK, now my feeble ol' head 'members....using my SM-58 with a Teac/Tascam cassette machine, and my old Yamaha Cassette 4-track, that only has 1/4" inputs, you NEED one of these to convert the Low Impedance ('Lo-Z') balanced signal of the SM58 (with it's XLR cable to a High Impedance (Hi-Z) unbalanced signal with a 1/4" plug.
They're $20 but you need one for each Lo-Z mic you'd use at once. You don't need any mixers or preamps if you get one (or 2) of these.
Line-Matching Transformer
I got mine 25 years ago at Radio Shack(Archer Part #274-016) and it was still almost 20 bucks then...If you're in a hurry and have a Shack in Waco, check it out. otherwise, order it from Sweetwater (no tax, no shipping, but it will take 4 days.)
This way, you'll plug the SM58 directly into the 1/4" input in the front of your DP01, and then turn up the Input Trim knob to get a good strong gain....with the machine in Record/Pause mode to set levels, your Input/track fader first set at the 'unity gain' mark (do you know what I mean there....heavy white lines about 75-80%% of the way to the top?)