feedback problem with AKG P220 MIC.

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Erikalon1

New member
Hello all, apologies if i have posted in the wrong section but i was hoping for some help with something.
I recently bought an akg p220 studio condenser microphone along with a Behringer Q502 usb audiogram.

Im having two problems currently. 1. There is an annoying feedback noise behind every recording i do (sort of like white noise) so obviously once i record more layers it becomes more an more prominent and when it comes to having my tracks mastered the recording does not suffice. I dont believe its my sound card though, as i borrowed my friends ode NT1A Studio Microphone and did not have this problem what so ever! (although problem 2 still occurred, which i will get to now.) My second issue is whenever i record the only way i can reach a desired or even 'normal' vocal recording volume is if the GAIN knob is turned to maximum. Otherwise the recording is extremely quiet.

i'm very new to all this so please be kind!!
thanks :thumbs up:
 
There are a few things to check

1 Make sure phantom power is on.
2 Make sure mike channel level and main mix level are turned to 0
3 Make sure the 'USB to main mix' button is not pressed (only press it when you want to hear what you've done)
4 Make sure the compression knob is in the off position
 
I did all of the above mentioned and now it doesnt record any sound whatsoever :( im using cubase. Could it have something to do with the program??
 
hmm i see! Thankyou all very much for your help. i originally purchased the yamaha audiogram 3, but the dealer called me and said they were no longer in stock and that the q502 would substitute perfectly... i guess he lied. I will get onto a different audio interface and let you know how i go!!

thanks so much!
 
mjbphotos said:
Solution: get a USB audio interface. Mixers are for mixing, AIs are for recording.
Click to expand...

The Q502 is an audio interface shaped like a mixer. If your audio interface allows you to listen to live inputs and playback at the same time, as they all do, it is a mixer. The problem isn't "mixer", the problem is "cheap".
 
If it is a white noise, it is not feedback. Feedback is that squeeling noise you get when the mic picks up the sound from the speakers. Unless you have the monitors up, it can't be feedback.
 
arcaxis said:
There was another thread about a 302 Behringer mixer with a mic not operating correctly. The 502 is similar in that it only has 15v for phantom voltage. From the specs the P220 mic requires 48v +/- 4v. The NT1a can use phantom as low as 24v (specs show P48, P24). The 15v is not adequate for the P220 and likely marginal for the NT1a. Perhaps your friend has a mixer or interface that has a the full 48v that you could try your mic with to test and assure the mic does function correctly.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure this is it, low voltage phantom power. If the phantom power were off the mic would not put out any signal at all.
 
hello all, it's been a while but im back!
okay so, i downloaded a different version of cubase, i have now purchased an AI (yamaha audiogram 6) BUT still getting the white noise behind every recording with my akg p220 mic. could it just be that it's a low quality mic? it's really starting to get to me now. i have no idea what i could be doing wrong.
 
Erikalon1 said:
hello all, it's been a while but im back!
okay so, i downloaded a different version of cubase, i have now purchased an AI (yamaha audiogram 6) BUT still getting the white noise behind every recording with my akg p220 mic. could it just be that it's a low quality mic? it's really starting to get to me now. i have no idea what i could be doing wrong.
Click to expand...

That Yamaha looks like a decent enough interface (shame no MIDI from the "inventors" and the specification is very poorly written) but then Yammies have rarely made a bad ANYTHING! (pianos, bikes, audio....) So, I am inclined to agree that the problem is the microphone, it is faulty, AT makes generally very good kit.

One thing to check. Have you got the interface setup for ASIO drivers? If not then Windoze will fork about with levels and could cause noise.

I am a big fan of capacitor mics (aka "condenser" ) but it is useful to have a bog S dynamic in your armoury. There are some quite good ones about now for £30/$50, even cheaper but make sure it has an XLR balanced output, some very cheap mics are XLR but come with an XLR to TS jack lead and the daft buggers unbalance THE MIC! You might have to put up with a switch. Gaffer tape that ON, they always break!

A dynamic will not give you super low noise recordings but close speech, 25mm, should render very acceptable results.

Dave.
 
Have you tried a different mic cable with the AKG? Or a different mic with the new interface and that cable? You are using an XLR-XLR cable, have the phantom power turned on, and have th input switch on 'mic', right?

'White noise' usually indicates you have the gain turned up too high. Is it actually being recorded? What are the dB levels when you record?
 
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