LemonTree
Suck 'em and see!
If my mixer has 48v Phantom power does that mean I don't need a preamp for my mics? Or are there other advantages to using a preamp and not the PP on the desk?
Jeyan
New member
Mixers do have inbuilt preamps, but we use seperate preamp for a better quality. What comes with the board is mostly not a high end preamp, so if you need better quality you can use a seperate one. What mixer board do you use?
LemonTree
Suck 'em and see!
T
The Green Hornet
New member
Yo Lemon of the Trees: [Best lemons grow in the yards of homes in Chula Vista, CA. I've been there.
Phantom power on a board is a boost for a microphone that requires phantom power.
I don't think Phantom power has much to do with mic pre amps.
If your mic needs phantom power it won't work without it.
Green Hornet
Phantom power on a board is a boost for a microphone that requires phantom power.
I don't think Phantom power has much to do with mic pre amps.
If your mic needs phantom power it won't work without it.
Green Hornet
LemonTree
Suck 'em and see!
cheers Hornet. I want to invest in a large diaphram condensor and I just wondered if I'd need a pre for it of the phantom power on the board would do the job.
I'm kinda confused actualy....I read somewhere that phantom power can damage some mics. In that case...the phantom power on my board ins't switchable for each channel, it's either on or off for the first 16 xlr inputs. So what if I wanted to plug ...say for arguments sake 5 mics into the board and 4 required phantom power and the 5th one didn't?
I wish there was somewhere I could get a clearer idea of this whole phantom power thing.
Anyone care to elaborate for me?
I'm kinda confused actualy....I read somewhere that phantom power can damage some mics. In that case...the phantom power on my board ins't switchable for each channel, it's either on or off for the first 16 xlr inputs. So what if I wanted to plug ...say for arguments sake 5 mics into the board and 4 required phantom power and the 5th one didn't?
I wish there was somewhere I could get a clearer idea of this whole phantom power thing.
Anyone care to elaborate for me?
T
The Green Hornet
New member
Yo Tree of Lemons that make great additions to Martinis:
[The peel that is]
Almost every mic that requires phantom power will state it on the advertising specs. If you're not sure, you can ask the vendor. Or, you can pipe up the company on line and ask them, like Shure or AKG, etc.
If you plug in a mic that doesn't require phantom power, as far as I know, it will work in your board just using the mic line input volume knob.
[Where are you Muttly? You can help me out. Blue Bear? Come to my rescue.}
Green Hornet
[The peel that is]
Almost every mic that requires phantom power will state it on the advertising specs. If you're not sure, you can ask the vendor. Or, you can pipe up the company on line and ask them, like Shure or AKG, etc.
If you plug in a mic that doesn't require phantom power, as far as I know, it will work in your board just using the mic line input volume knob.
[Where are you Muttly? You can help me out. Blue Bear? Come to my rescue.}
Green Hornet
AlChuck
Well-known member
Condenser mics work via an element that has charged plates -- an electrical device called a capacitor or a condenser (hence the name). The power to charge the plates needs to be supplied in some fashion. Phantom power is the most common means, a way that allows the power to be supplied via the XLR mic cable.
A preamp is an amplifying circuit that raises the very tiny signal produced by a microphone's transducer to line level so it can be recorded. All mics require a preamp. Only condenser mics require phantom power too. Most mic preamps also provide phantom power.
As far as damaging a mic, I believe it might not be a good idea to plug a condenser in with the phantom power already applied. I think some condenser mics might use different voltages than the most common 48 V and it might damage the element to use the wrong power source. Other than that, I'm not sure how else they might damage a mic. I'm pretty sure a dynamic mic would not be damaged by having phantom power on.
A preamp is an amplifying circuit that raises the very tiny signal produced by a microphone's transducer to line level so it can be recorded. All mics require a preamp. Only condenser mics require phantom power too. Most mic preamps also provide phantom power.
As far as damaging a mic, I believe it might not be a good idea to plug a condenser in with the phantom power already applied. I think some condenser mics might use different voltages than the most common 48 V and it might damage the element to use the wrong power source. Other than that, I'm not sure how else they might damage a mic. I'm pretty sure a dynamic mic would not be damaged by having phantom power on.