As with all equipment, be careful when powering the unit on. When you use any condenser mic that doesn’t have a power supply, simply connect the mic with an xlr cable to your pre-amp, turn on the +48V button, then start increasing the gain to desired taste. They serve the sole purpose of allowing you to “power” condenser mic’s that do not have their own power supply.ĭAKING Mic-Pre One - notice the Phantom +48 button on the lower right corner I can’t think of any mic pre-amp, or console, that doesn’t have a +48V button. There are two ways you can get “power” to a Condenser mic, either it has a dedicated power supply that comes with the mic, or you can use your microphone pre-amp to power it via the +48V (Phantom Power) button.

Condenser Mic w/ Power Supply (Neumann M147).

Condenser mic’s require +48V (Phantom Power). Dynamic mic’s don’t need any type of power connection, just plug them into a mic pre-amp, crank up the gain, and you’re ready to go. Even though there are many differences in “how” these two types of microphones work, it can be as simple as whether or not the microphone needs “power”. When it comes to day-to-day recording, Condenser and Dynamic microphones keep the world going round, and are a staple in studio’s as well as live tours. For now just know that their fragile nature has kept a lot of engineers away from using them. I’ll get into some theories regarding Ribbon mic’s and their lack of usage in the studio at a later date. Of these, Ribbon mic’s are the least used. There are three main types of microphones utilized in modern recording: Dynamic, Condenser, and Ribbon. Today, we have an endless variety of microphones to choose from, however, they all still work according to the fundamental principles developed by our techno-ancestors. Once radio broadcast and recording technology started to emerge in the mid-20th century, music lovers looked at developing better, more specific microphones for use in the studio and recording world. The mic’s we use today are direct descendants of early telephone technology. This tutorial will be of assistance to shed some light on these topics, and particularly useful for engineers working in home studios. Not only does the type of mic affect the quality, but so does the placement, the surrounding acoustics, the room, the polar pattern on the mic, etc.

Recording Vocals in the studio can be one of the most challenging aspects of tracking and music production. (Proximity Effect, Mic Types, Pick-up Patterns and More)

Pro tools microphone setup