If you are planning to record your vocals at home, using your own equipment then this article is for you!
"Why can't I get my microphone to work?"
Did you know that some microphones need electricity to pass through them to get them to work?
Some microphones, like the condenser microphones, need an extra +48V to work (also called PHANTOM POWER).
I know by know you must be thinking “How do I know I have a condenser microphone that needs extra +48 V?”
Well its simple really, all you have to think about is “Can I use this microphone live or only in the studio/home studio?”
Microphones that are meant to be used only in the studio are very delicate in their nature and are not meant to be used on live shows as they tend to be very precise and they pick up everything, even the most minute detail!
Yes they can pick up even the sound of your neighbour eating chips!
In figure 1 you can see an example of how a dynamic microphone most often looks like.
In figure 2 you can see an example of how a condenser microphone most often looks like.
"How Do I Activate Phantom Power? or How Do I Provide My Microphone With the Extra +48V To Get It To Work?"
Most of the sound cards available in the market make the button for enabling the PHANTOM POWER clearly visible.
It should be marked with a “48V” or “+48V” (Figure 3).
It should be located close to the gain section.
You can switch it on by pressing the +48V button.
When PHANTOM POWER is switched on, the +48V button should be lit red to indicated that (Figure 4 & 5)
** IMPORTANT NOTE: **
Different sound card or different mixers function in different ways!
Make sure to find out how the PHANTOM POWER on your sound card or mixer works exactly.
In some mixers or sound cards, when activating the PHANTOM POWER it is enabled across all available inputs.
Other mixers or sound cards give you the option of enabling the PHANTOM POWER on each channel separately.
MAKE SURE YOU KNOW HOW THE PHANTOM POWER WORKS ON YOUR SOUND CARD TO AVOID ANY DAMAGE!
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