Behringer C-1U failed to draw Phantom Power through USB from my MacBook Pro

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leonard23

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Hi Guys,

I'm a newbie over here. Hope i can get help from you guys! Thanks in advance for helping. ;)

First of all, i got myself a Behringer C-1U USB Condenser Microphone for home song recording purpose. I'm using it with my latest generation 13inch MacBook Pro and with the build in GarageBand software from Mac. I found out that the recording volume is kind of low. I've gone through some research and found out that i'm not the only one having such issue. Peoples who are getting the light green light on the mic are all having such issue. Even the Behringer website are saying that only Blue color light turns up means that the mic is supplying with Phantom Power through the USB port. I even went back to the place i got the mic and the guy told me that it was due to no Phantom Power are supplying from the USB port of my MacBook Pro. The advice he given to me is to get an usb interface and plug my mic through the interface. Frankly, i'm a lil out of budget so i never do so. Thus i hope i can seek some help over here.

I found out that some peoples are having no issue by using a powered usb hub which provide more power to the mic. I've tried one of my gaming accessories which come with the USB hub feature and its powered through wall plug but still the mic are showing green light. I hope that some one could really enlighten me on this and i really hope that there's a way to get it done.

Hope to hear from you guys very soon! Appreciate the help! Thanks! :)
 
Ok first of all, you don't need phantom power in a USB mic. That's for condenser mics connected using XLR cables. As for getting a soundcard, I'm not sure how you would even plug this into an interface. There could be a problem with the USB bus. Have you tried it on other PCs ?
 
The advice was rubbish. You cannot plug a USB mic into a conventional interface. Your mic outputs data on a USB cable, not audio on an XLR.

Also, a USB port cannot provide "phantom power". The standard for phantom power is 48 volts. USB provides 5 volts (actually the spec is 4.75-5.25 volts). Your mic should be designed to work with that available voltage. However, it might be possible that your computer is slightly low on voltage and the mic fussy. Similarly, there's a complicated spec for amperage--based on a standard 100mA load but with multiple loads possible in certain conditions up to 500mA (this varies with USB 2 and 3). IF this is the problem, possibly a powered USB hub might help...but I'd try to borrow one before spending the money.

In the longer term, a conventional mic with XLR cable and a proper interface would be better...but, as per my first statement, don't plan on plugging a USB mic into an interface. It ain't gonna work.
 
Bobbsy said:
The advice was rubbish. You cannot plug a USB mic into a conventional interface.
Click to expand...

It's shocking how dumb some of the sales people at music stores can be. Not surprising there are so many musician-IQ jokes around :D
 
saads said:
It's shocking how dumb some of the sales people at music stores can be. Not surprising there are so many musician-IQ jokes around :D
Click to expand...



:laughings: HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ~ ~ WHAT?
 
I know Saads it's as funny as using an USB microphone in the first place.

I would storm right back into that store and demand some 'splaining!!
 
Maybe would should start adapting some classic musician jokes to "music store salesman jokes".

How can you tell when the floor at the music store is level?

The salesman drools evenly out of both sides of his mouth.
 
How can you tell if a music store salesman is lying?

His mouth is open and words are coming out as he is thinking about his commission.
 
Do a search, there are known problems with certain Macbooks that cannot supply enough current for USB mics to operate properly. I do not know if your model MacBook is one of them.
 
moresound said:
How can you tell if a music store salesman is lying?

His mouth is open and words are coming out as he is thinking about his commission.
Click to expand...

Guy walks into the store and says to the salesman: "I was looking to buy a guitar."
Salesman: "You're a drummer aren't you?"
Guy: "Yeah, how do you know?"
Salesman: "This is a fish shop."
 
Drummer jokes huh?

Guy walks into apartment, sees a couple having sex.
Says to the guy "You're a drummer aren't you?"
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"You're fucking my girlfriend"
:D
 
Chili said:
Do a search, there are known problems with certain Macbooks that cannot supply enough current for USB mics to operate properly. I do not know if your model MacBook is one of them.
Click to expand...

In which case, a powered hub might solve the problem. USB 2 is supposed to be able to source 500ma at 5VDC.
 
Hi Guys!

Thanks for all your advice. I know the sales man are frankly dumb. But to make things clear he was asking me to get an usb interface and trade in the current USB mic I'm having to a conventional mic (Which he could earn more!:). However, i've borrowed a normal powered usb hub from my cousin to test out and still the mic is showing green light which means no phantom power are supplying from my MacBook. But anyway, i found some other owner in my country saying that they have no issue with the Belkin powered USB Hub, I will get more information from them then. Really appreciate all the helps you guys given to me! Thank you very much.

By the way @Chilli, Is it true that certain MacBooks are having those issue? hmm. Shall i change back to PC? hmm
 
Hi moresound,

I'm from Malaysia. :) I'm really sick of the mic now. Hopefully i could get a solution asap.
 
If you're even moderately serious about recording music, ditch the mic and get an interface with a real mic.
 
Yeah, I'm planning to get an interface and a conventional mic. Funding money as i'm traveling to China next month. Need to spend a lot by then. Hopefully i can get it when i get back to Malaysia late September. :)
 
saads said:
Drummer jokes huh?

Guy walks into apartment, sees a couple having sex.
Says to the guy "You're a drummer aren't you?"
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"You're fucking my girlfriend"
:D
Click to expand...

Hahahahahaha :D
 
Chili said:
Do a search, there are known problems with certain Macbooks that cannot supply enough current for USB mics to operate properly. I do not know if your model MacBook is one of them.
Click to expand...

Mac laptops (well, all laptops, really) have a tight power budget, and thus are more strict than most desktops when it comes to requiring devices to follow the spec. You're only allowed to draw 100mA (10μF maximum capacitance) when the device first plugs in, and it is not allowed to draw more than that until after it gets approval from the operating system.

Some poorly designed devices violate that rule and start drawing full power immediately. Those devices cause the operating system to shut down the port. IIRC, this usually results in a warning in the GUI, but only if you plugged it in after the computer was booted. Another thing that can happen is that the device is turning around and requesting more than the maximum power budget that your laptop allows them to draw, the OS is saying "no", and they aren't transitioning to full power.

Neither of these makes sense for the C-1U, however, as its specifications claim that it draws only 50 mA of maximum power, which puts it well under the 100 mA allowed without even asking for more power.

The most likely cause, then, is that they are drawing too much power when you first plug it in, and that the 50 mA figure doesn't include the inrush current draw. This usually occurs because someone put too large a filter capacitor on the power wires. The maximum allowed by the USB spec is 10μF. Reducing the filter cap size could fix the problem, but may cause other compliance problems if they added that large capacitor to work around an excessively noisy device.

The short form is that you should ditch it and move up to a real interface by a reputable interface manufacturer (not Behringer) and a normal microphone (probably also not Behringer).
 
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