How to fix a buzzing condenser mic?

S

Saintlyboy

New member
Hi guys,

First-time post, hope someone can help.

Around 10 years ago I bought an XIX Pure 1 solid-state condenser mic. I think I paid £130 for it. I was just getting into home recording and didn't have a clue what I was doing.

It was well over a year before I even realised there was a problem with the mic - so the opportunity to get it fixed on warranty is long gone. It may have been there from the very start, I'm not sure.

The problem is that there is a constant loud buzz (I think it's around -20/-25db, I'll need to go home and check). I've found that if I put my finger on the metal of the xlr input, it supresses it quite a lot (though not completely). But this isn't a suitable fix. Enough is enough.

I'm no technical wizard - I know how to use a screwdriver and a soldering iron, but that's about as far as it goes. Can anyone talk me through a way of identifying the problem and fixing it? If so, that'd be fantastic.

Here's an SOS review of the mic.

Cheers,

Tom.
 
Loose ground wire...the skin contact gives the current a path...but a wire connected right is better...Id try another cable before opening it up first.
 
That's one option / reason. But there's others, although probably not applicable in this instance. Interference from florescent lighting. Does it go away if you turn off the lights? Interference from other electrical sources, does it change in severity if you relocate the mics within a room / building. Does it go away if you turn off the A/C and/or washing machine / dryer / dish washer. But it's likely a grounding wire.
 
In my experience, the most common cause is a loose set screw that's supposed to be grounding the body of the mic, of a cable, etc. and/or XLR cables that stupidly leave the metal case floating when you hook two of them together....
 
Thanks everyone.

The buzzing sound is constant - doesn't relate to lights/any other electrical activity.

Should I open it up and have a look then? Am I going to have to do some soldering?

I'm a little bit wary of messing too much with stuff I don't understand, as last night I decided to clean the contacts on the pads of my old Boss DR-5, and in the process I broke the main selecter dial so now the thing's practically useless. I don't want to ruin my mic as well...
 
The case on that mic (if the photo I found is correct) looks like any of a dozen standard LDC mic shells. If so, it's easy to get apart. The bottom ring unscrews and the entire shell of the mic drops right off. You'd have a hard time screwing it up in any significant way just by cracking it open to have a look. :)
 
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