A microphone is essential whether you are interested in becoming a professional entertainer or you just want to have some recording fun in your spare time. There are a number of different microphone types and models. Still, the two most common are dynamic and condenser mics.
Shop for mac microphone at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. Vocals are quite fond of this microphone. This microphone offers a brilliant audio quality and has high level of flexibility. It is quite small in size. The weight is just about half a pound. You can use this microphone very conveniently while travelling and sitting nicely on a desk. Pros: It is compatible with all – Ios, windows and Mac.
While the dynamic is more popular as it is something widely accessible to most of us, the condenser mic is a better option if you are looking to engage in professional recording because it has a flat frequency response and a wide frequency range. Through using an internal capacitor it converts basic acoustics into electric energy.
One of the most common questions about a condenser microphone is how to connect it to a laptop. While the process is not as simple as with a basic mic, it is nothing complicated and with the right equipment, you will do it in a matter of a few minutes.
There are three things you need: a condenser mic, a sound card, and a mixing console. The mixing console is critical as without it you will not be able to achieve the best sound quality.
Once you buy all three, all you need to do is to connect the microphone to the mixing console and connect the mixer to the appropriate sound card (that supports a 1/4 inch jack). But wait – how do you power a condenser mic? There are a few methods. Let’s take a look.
The Reason a Condenser Microphone Needs a Phantom Power Source
If you are not already familiar with the design of the condenser microphone, we can tell you that it differs from a basic dynamic mic. It has three essential parts – a back metal plate, a diaphragm, as well as the capacitor which is situated inside of the microphone capsule.
As you record, the diaphragm detects the change in air pressure and sends the waves to the back plate which then returns it back to the diaphragm. The whole issue with this electric signal is that it is not strong enough, and if you want it to be heard on speakers it needs an external amp. Unlike dynamic microphones, a condenser mic without a phantom power supply will do you no good. But is it complicated and how can you power it?
The Three Basic Options to Power a Condenser Microphone
The most popular method is 48V phantom power. For those of you that don’t know, phantom power is an audio interface preamp that supplies a condenser microphone with enough electrical power to give it volume and to improve sound quality.
It is the best way if you are interested in doing any studio recording, as it is affordable and effective.
If recording to a computer primarily, phantom power (the power needed for a condenser mic) can be supplied from an audio interface.
Once you buy one, the only thing you will need to do is to connect it with an XLR cable to your condenser microphone.
For live performances or recording directly to a recording disk or console, most of these units have a few if not all XLR inputs dedicated to delivering phantom power to microphones.
For example, inputs five and six of my hard disk recorder has the ability to send phantom power to microphones.
There are a number of different 48V phantom power options, and it is your decision if you will get an AC or a battery-powered one.
An old-school way would be to invest in a vacuum tube that is able to boost the electric signal emitted by the microphone capsule. While it is not as popular as the phantom power option, it may be a more efficient method if you want to create warm and pure sound. It does have its own power supply and is certainly a cheaper alternative to the abovementioned option.
Last is powering your condenser microphone through an electret. An electret is a dielectric unit that is either attached to the back plate or the diaphragm and provides a constant power supply that runs on batteries. The electret method is used with microphones that are installed in phones, laptops, and other tech gadgets.
If we talk about bigger, professional condenser microphones, the phantom power method is the most effective one.
A Few Things to be Cautious of
There are two main things you need to consider. First, you should never plug in your mic if the phantom power supply is already on. There is a chance for short circuits and losing your microphone or preamp is not something you want. Along with that, be sure to invest in a phantom power interface that is adequate for your condenser mic – if the voltage is lower, these two can’t work together.
Final Thoughts
Investing in a condenser microphone is a smart decision if you are interested in sound recording. There are a number of different models and finding an affordable one shouldn’t be a problem. You should know that this type of mic needs an external power supply, and there are a few methods. We did our best to make this a simple guide on how to power your condenser mic and get the best sound quality out of it.
So many people have asked questions like “Does a condenser microphone need phantom power?” or “Can I use a condenser mic without Phantom Power?”
To cut to the chase, the answer is technically yes, you can record without Phantom Power, but it’s not advised to do so.
Recording with phantom power off can cause a lot of problems. Before we get into why, let’s learn a little bit about what a condenser microphone is and what it can do.
What is a Condenser Microphone?
A Condenser microphone is a type of microphone that captures sound with a larger frequency range and dynamic range. They generally have output that is much louder than a regular microphone.
Most condenser microphones are very sensitive to sound and have the capability to pick up many surrounding sounds.
These microphones are primarily used for recording vocals, sound effects, and instruments including guitar, piano, trumpet and percussion type instruments.
Condenser microphones tend to be more pricey than their regular mic counterparts for a good reason – they have amazing quality. But why are they amazing? Two words … phantom power.
The reason why condenser microphones sound so good is because most if not all of them require a power supply.
This power supply is called 48-volt “Phantom Power”.
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Your mixer or audio interface should have a switch that allows you to turn on phantom power. (If it does not then its time to get an audio interface that has one!)
Ok… Why Phantom Power and Does A Condenser Mic Need Phantom Power?
Like we learned above, Condenser microphones are special microphones that need an additional power supply because it is a mic that can capture a lot of sound efficiently. It is why they sound really good.
If you don’t turn on your 48v Phantom power switch, it will record all sound at very quiet levels. This is like driving a Lambo in a school zone all day vs driving it in a race track! (Yes… I love Lambos) 😉
Anyways… recording without phantom power can cause a lot of problems including…
- Having to crank the gain up to ridiculous amounts which will raise the noise floor
- More processing needed to the recorded vocal
- Uneven vocals if you are using a compressor
I turned on Phantom Power and its now too loud! What did I do wrong?
When you turn on Phantom Power, you will notice that the mic sounds loud so we need to make sure that we area always recording on optimal levels.
On your audio interface, look for the gain knob and just turn it down to a level that makes sense for you.
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Recap … so Does a Condenser Mic Need Phantom Power?
So to answer the question, just remember this… Yes you can use a condenser mic without phantom power, however, its not advised because too many problems will happen if you do this.
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Its best to always turn phantom power on when you are using the mic so that you can record at optimal levels. Do you and your favorite condenser mic the favor and hit that 48v switch. You’re welcome. 😉
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