How to make a headset into a microphone?

[MillburyAuditorium]

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 :P

[cprted]

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

[MillburyAuditorium]

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

[philhaney]

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.....

[photoatdv]

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

[derekleffew]

MillburyAuditorium, I think you've confused the terms headset and headphone. They are not interchangeable. Who wants to make some glossary entries?

[museav]

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.

[MillburyAuditorium]

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 :/

[AlexD]

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

[photoatdv]

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....