This is not exactly mechanical music but there are several of you who
work with MIDI and of course sound cards.

I have an application for which it would be nice to use a 200 ohm
dynamic microphone as an input device for a Creative AWE 64 sound card.
Unfortunately, the gain at the microphone input is a little too low for
this to work properly.  Sometimes devices are designed to provide more
flexibility than that which is indicated for the normal mode of
operation.  Does any one know of a modification that will increase the
input gain?

Don Elbers

 [ Increasing the gain on the sound card inside the computer invites
 [ interference from the noisy computing devices.  That's why the pro
 [ studios use a completely separate case to house the sensitive audio
 [ circuits and the A-to-D (analog-to-digital) conversion circuit.
 [
 [ Get a shielded microphone transformer, such as the plug-in cans you
 [ used to see in public-address amplifiers and stage equipment.  The
 [ internal shielding includes a Mu-metal magnetic shield (that's why
 [ they're rather expensive).  Often the low-impedance primary is
 [ split, so connect the two halves in series for 200 ohms.  Place the
 [ transformer nearby, but not too close, to the computer and orient it
 [ for minimum hum.
 [
 [ Alternatively, although with added distortion, you can use a
 [ battery-powered microphone pre-amplifier for added gain.
 [
 [ -- Robbie