is my mic blown or is there a prob with my interface

[nickeym1]

Hi i recently bought a focusrite pro 24 dsp and i got a free maudio dynamic mic with it i also got a behringer c1 condenser mic from a guy on these forums for free too. Ok so i have been playing around since i got them and both mics worked fine but just now i went to plug out the condenser mic and i got a shock off the xlr connection and now the condenser mic will not work there is no power light on now when i plug it in and no sound but when i tap the mic i can hear a low sort of distortion sound but the maudio dynamic mic is working fine can anyone shed some light for me here please i really dont know whats going on i will definetly buy another condenser mic but im afraid if i do that the same thing will happen PLEASE HELP

 

[gecko zzed]

There are three areas that you need to look at: the mike, the lead, and the interface. Any or all of these could have a problem. It seems to me that you have experienced phantom power shorting out somewhere. The most likely source is the lead (e.g. a solder connection coming apart). It could be the mike, but it is unlikely to be the interface.

This short may have done some damage to the interface (e.g. blown its phantom power supply). If the short was in the mike itself, there is a possibility that the mike would be okay once the short is fixed.

Do you use the same mike lead for dynamic and condensor?

Does the interface give an indication of the phantom power supply being on?

I expect you will need this to be looked at by a tecnician of some sort.

 

[nickeym1]

There are three areas that you need to look at: the mike, the lead, and the interface. Any or all of these could have a problem. It seems to me that you have experienced phantom power shorting out somewhere. The most likely source is the lead (e.g. a solder connection coming apart). It could be the mike, but it is unlikely to be the interface.

This short may have done some damage to the interface (e.g. blown its phantom power supply). If the short was in the mike itself, there is a possibility that the mike would be okay once the short is fixed.

Do you use the same mike lead for dynamic and condensor?

Does the interface give an indication of the phantom power supply being on?

I expect you will need this to be looked at by a tecnician of some sort.

Cheers for the quick reply i only have one xlr cable so ya its the same one and its working fine now on the other mic and the power light for the phantom power comes on and off with the switch same as it did before. One thing i will say is the condenser mic has a sort of damp musky smell i noticed but i thought maby this was how they smelled whatever material was in them maby

 

[gecko zzed]

It seems more likely that the fault lies in the condensor. The cable seems to work okay, and phantom light on the interface switches on ok. However, you would still need to get that checked out.

 

[nickeym1]

It seems more likely that the fault lies in the condensor. The cable seems to work okay, and phantom light on the interface switches on ok. However, you would still need to get that checked out.

so you wouldnt recommend going buying another condenser mic and plugging it in then. This really annoys me now i just forked out 300 for this and now i gotta get it checked out already well i suppose the old saying is true then nothing in life is free

Heres something you might help me with though im trying to figure how to record here and have done i think but how do i listen back to what i recorded do i listen to it through the headphone i have plugged into the interface im using to record or is it thriogh the pc speakers im confused and completely clueless sorry

 

[gecko zzed]

so you wouldnt recommend going buying another condenser mic and plugging it in then. This really annoys me now i just forked out 300 for this and now i gotta get it checked out already well i suppose the old saying is true then nothing in life is free

Heres something you might help me with though im trying to figure how to record here and have done i think but how do i listen back to what i recorded do i listen to it through the headphone i have plugged into the interface im using to record or is it thriogh the pc speakers im confused and completely clueless sorry

1 If you are willing to risk not taking the gear to get checked out yet, you can try and get the cheapest condensor you can find and give it a try. As a matter of course, you should get a new mike cable, just to eliminate that possibility.

2 When listening back to what you've done, listen back through the interface. The interface is now your 'soundcard', and you should forget your PC even has one.

 

[nickeym1]

1 If you are willing to risk not taking the gear to get checked out yet, you can try and get the cheapest condensor you can find and give it a try. As a matter of course, you should get a new mike cable, just to eliminate that possibility.

2 When listening back to what you've done, listen back through the interface. The interface is now your 'soundcard', and you should forget your PC even has one.

cheers mate i will try the cheap mic option i think cos theres noone around my area i could get to have a look at it.

Could you recommend any easy free software to use to get me started im trying to use ableton live 8 but im not getting far with it i just play acoustic and sing

 

[darrin_h2000]

Chances are 99% its just the mic...it is a behringer after all...but in case the mic did some dammage to the unit you want to take a voltmeter and hook up your cable and see if you are getting power out when you have the phantom on...the last thing you want is to sacrafice another mic to the gods of Phantom power...and it wont hurt your meter.

 

[nickeym1]

Chances are 99% its just the mic...it is a behringer after all...but in case the mic did some dammage to the unit you want to take a voltmeter and hook up your cable and see if you are getting power out when you have the phantom on...the last thing you want is to sacrafice another mic to the gods of Phantom power...and it wont hurt your meter.

Cheers mate that sounds like the way to go rather than buying a new mic and killikng that aswell but im guessing it was the mic cos as i said there is a damp musky smell from it. where could i get a volt metre is that just the screwdriver electricians use with a little light in the handle that goes on if theres power

 

[gecko zzed]

Cheers mate that sounds like the way to go rather than buying a new mic and killikng that aswell but im guessing it was the mic cos as i said there is a damp musky smell from it. where could i get a volt metre is that just the screwdriver electricians use with a little light in the handle that goes on if theres power

Here is an example of a multimeter which includes a voltmeter function:
http://www.uxcell.com/palm-size-digital-lcd-multimeter-voltmeter-ammeter-ohm-meter-modelut33d-p-1916.html

You set it to read volts using a suitable scale (200v in the example, it could vary from meter to meter), plug the red lead into pin 3 of the XLR socket of your interface, and the black into pin 1. You should get a reading (roughly 48 volts). Make sure your phantom power is switched on. Make sure you don't accidentally short out the voltmeter leads while doing this test.

If you get this reading okay, you can plug your XLR cable into the interface, and do the same test on the unplugged-in end of the lead. That will determine whether the phantom power is getting through the lead okay. However, before doing this, I would use the ohm-meter function on the multimeter to test all the lead pins against each other to make sure you get a null reading.

But as I type this . . . I am nervous for you. If you are not sure what a voltmeter is in the first place, then I think you are better off getting someone more qualified to look at it.