How fragile are condensor mics?

[Scottgman]

This is actually a two-part question-- I'm not sure if this is the right thread for the second question, but I'll give it a go.

I recently received my new MXL-v67B and have been enjoying this new toy. This is my first condensor mic and WOW what a difference!

Anyway, last weekend, during my first test run with the mic, it took a dive. I had it on a stand in the other room while my buddy was laying down some vocals. When we were listening to the playback, my dog decided to come hang out with us and got tangled in the mic cable which produced-- to my horror-- two loud thuds from the other room. Apparently, the mic hit the wall before it hit the (carpeted) ground. I seems to still be working OK but I was wondering how much (or little) abuse these mics can handle?

My second question refers to singing into these mics. During the previously mentioned test-run, the vocals got too hot when my buddy started more or less screaming. He said he was trying to keep his head in the same position relative to the mic. Is this good? It sounded great on the quieter parts-- but when he started screaming it would clip. Should the singer back-off the mic on the louder parts or should I turn down the gain?

At first I was worried that the distortion on playback was because my brand-new mic just took a dive but now I think it was a stupid newbie mistake on the tracking (too much gain). Thanks in advance for you help!


Cheers!

[kid klash]

You want to avoid dropping any mic, but chances are that you lucked out, since it still continued to work after it hit the floor. Did it get dented or is there any other cosmetic damage that you can see?

The thing that will take out a condenser faster than anything else is dampness and high humidity. I'd highly recommend buying a splatter shield for the mic to keep the diaphragm dry when using it for vocals. It'll also help with plosives.

Also, if your vocalist is fairly new and doesn't know how to "work the mic" when using wide dynamics, remind him that a condenser is much more sensitive than a dynamic, and chances are, he doesn't need to stand so close to the mic (especially if he/she's new).

You might want to run a compressor (if you're not already doing so) along with the splatter shield with your dynamic vocalist friend...

[Scottgman]

Good advice. Luckily no damage on the mic, just some white texture that scraped off the wall and stuck in the grill/mesh/whatever it's called.

I don't know how to describe the singer (he's actually a drummer). He's not _new_ to singing, but he certainly isn't a GREAT vocalist (better than me though-- that's why he's doing the singing). Anyway, we weren't trying to make a perfect recording, we were just goofing around trying to figure out how to work everything (I just built a new computer and added an Audiophile 2496). Did I mention I'm a total newbie to home recording?

So anyway, I was using a compressor while recording (ART Levelar) and the mic was about even with the singer's nose (I think I read that in one of Harvey's posts). The singer's head was maybe one foot away from the mic.

This is probably a dumb question (because I imagine it's a combination of both), but to deal with the clipping when the vocals get loud, should I turn down the gain on the mixer or should the singer back-off the mic?

Cheers!

[kid klash]

Is your audio chain like this? :

mic > preamp > compressor > recorder

If so, and you're using a compressor and he's still distorting the signal, I'd probably crank down the input level on the preamp to see if that cures the problem. Also check the output level of the Levelar to make certain it isn't set too high (distorting the front end of the recorder).

By "working a mic", I meant moving closer on quiet parts, and farther back on loud parts.

[Scottgman]

>By "working a mic", I meant moving closer on quiet parts, and farther back on loud parts.

Doh! I knew that!

Thanks for the replies... that helps alot! Man, I wish I'd found this BBS a couple years ago!

[Richard Monroe]

First, you need to set input levels so no part of the signal chain is clipped *when he's screaming*. Set input for the loudest section in the song and *listen to it on monitors* before you commit the whole song to those input levels. Then see what kind of levels you get on the quieter stuff. It may not be nearly as hot, say -6 or -8dB, and if your noise floor is low, that's probably OK. If not, you will need compression, applied sparingly, to run hotter and tame excesses. You may be able to impact this by "riding" the faders. If you are clipping the pre, you cant fix that at the board, and you may need to ride the pre a little, making (hopefully subtle) changes in input trim during the performance. I haven't found that you want to back off from the mic for screaming, in fact, just the reverse. Proximity is often good with screaming vocals. I think your singer is used to dynamic mics, and hasn't figured this mic out yet. It takes time to learn not just to "work" a mic, but to work a particular one.-Richie

[DJL]

Originally posted by Scottgman
Good advice. Luckily no damage on the mic, just some white texture that scraped off the wall and stuck in the grill/mesh/whatever it's called.

<snip>

Just the thought of it dropping it and having texture dirt inside of it would make me replace the mic. All my mic's are in mint condition. Just my two cents.

[pundit]

How fragile are condensor mics?

You mean I shouldn't have used my C12 to hammer the dent out of my Toyota?!!

[Cave Dweller]

sometimes i like to make a composite vocal track for very dynamic singers. i have them record the quieter parts first, then adjust my pre and compressor for the louder parts. then its just a matter of cutting and pasting, or muting the right track at the right time.
i just got tired of trying to get perfect takes all the way through, especially with a singer that doesnt know how to work the mic properly.