Radio signal in mic!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Cult_Status02
  • Start date Start date
C

Cult_Status02

New member
Well, today I was about to begin recording and I realized my Nady Cm-88s were getting a radio signal (Radio Disney) which I've been told is a Sirius Radio channel. I tried moving them around, using differnt cables, trying different channels, nothing worked. This is the first time it has happened (or that I have noticed, though I don't believe there is anyway I could have missed it before).

Can anyone think of anyway this could happen? Like what parts would allow this to occur? Thanks for your time.
 
Probably a broken wire somewhere in you signal chain. In a balanced system if one of the leads gets broken then the CMRR (common mode rejection ratio) goes to pot. Any incoming noise will not be cancelled out and will be passed into the system. Small lengths of wire then become perfect antennas for picking up signals whose wavelengths are multiples of the antenna length.

Very likely (knowing the quality of Nady) that the broken lead is in the mic.

Also if a connection at the xlr (or other) interface is bad, one of the lines can be open, causing the same phenomena.
 
Oh ok, thanks much. I troubleshot it and it is the mics. I just have a hard time believing that both mics have the same probem at the same time. They both just got this problem this evening. I've sent an e-mail to Nady looking for a repair. Thanks for the help.
 
Cult_Status02 said:
Oh ok, thanks much. I troubleshot it and it is the mics. I just have a hard time believing that both mics have the same probem at the same time. They both just got this problem this evening. I've sent an e-mail to Nady looking for a repair. Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

Have you tried using a different phantom power source? Those mics may not have very good power filtering.

Beyond that, IMHO, this doesn't sound at all like a problem that should reasonably occur inside a mic. It sounds like what would happen if you have corroded contacts creating a very primitive radio receiver where two pieces of metal of different types touch each other. Look for dirty contacts on the mic, etc. Buy some contact cleaner if you don't have any. :)
 
I concur with above recommendations. Also, this is more proof that Disney is evil. They're out to get us! ;)
 
It's not that bad. I turned on my radio the other day...there were mic signals coming in all over the place.
 
After calling Nady, the guy...named Smitty (which pissed me off alone, I hate that name!), said that it just means radio disney has a strong signal. I told him there's no excuse for a mic to be picking up a radio signal and he just kind of ignored the comment and said that if I send them in, they are serviced, and sent back, he almost guarentees that the problem will still occur. I'm getting angry now. In other news, what do you guys think of AKG C430s as new overheads. And if you don't like those, what in that price range, like MXL 993?

Thanks for all the help and input, guys.
 
Cult_Status02 said:
After calling Nady, the guy...named Smitty (which pissed me off alone, I hate that name!), said that it just means radio disney has a strong signal. I told him there's no excuse for a mic to be picking up a radio signal and he just kind of ignored the comment and said that if I send them in, they are serviced, and sent back, he almost guarentees that the problem will still occur. I'm getting angry now. In other news, what do you guys think of AKG C430s as new overheads. And if you don't like those, what in that price range, like MXL 993?

Thanks for all the help and input, guys.
Click to expand...

I've got AKG C430's. They work pretty good as drum overheads, but that's really about it. I tried them on acoustic guitar, and I didn't particularly like them. They did work pretty well as just a stereo pair for location recording of my band's live gigs. They also worked pretty good for micing drums only at our shows as well. I've got some samples if you'd like to hear them. Just PM me or something.

If I were to do it again, I would go for something more versatile, like MXL 603's (or are they 604's now?) or Oktava MK012's.
 
Cult_Status02 said:
After calling Nady, the guy...named Smitty (which pissed me off alone, I hate that name!), said that it just means radio disney has a strong signal. I told him there's no excuse for a mic to be picking up a radio signal and he just kind of ignored the comment and said that if I send them in, they are serviced, and sent back, he almost guarentees that the problem will still occur. I'm getting angry now.
Thanks for all the help and input, guys.
Click to expand...

This guy is obviously a retard....I am sure he makes $5hr to read off of an answer sheet.......Radio disney will never be picked up on a correctly designed balanced system. If this is not a reason to avoid their crap assed company I have never seen one. What is your price range?


I was always partial to sm-81's for overheads.....No Disney channel
either :rolleyes:

Edit: if stereo is not absolutely neccessary, 1 sm-81 would probably not be out of your price range...you could always add one more later.


Good Luck Brotha!
 
Cult_Status02 said:
After calling Nady, the guy...named Smitty (which pissed me off alone, I hate that name!), said that it just means radio disney has a strong signal. I told him there's no excuse for a mic to be picking up a radio signal and he just kind of ignored the comment and said that if I send them in, they are serviced, and sent back, he almost guarentees that the problem will still occur.
Click to expand...

Do you have any satellite radio receivers turned on nearby when you pick up this interference? It's possible that this is IF leakage from a nearby (lousy) tuner, in which case your best bet is to get cables with metal-backed connectors and make sure the outer shells of the connectors are grounded on both ends.
 
DonGraham said:
This guy is obviously a retard....I am sure he makes $5hr to read off of an answer sheet.......Radio disney will never be picked up on a correctly designed balanced system. If this is not a reason to avoid their crap assed company I have never seen one. What is your price range?


I was always partial to sm-81's for overheads.....No Disney channel
either :rolleyes:

Edit: if stereo is not absolutely neccessary, 1 sm-81 would probably not be out of your price range...you could always add one more later.


Good Luck Brotha!
Click to expand...

You know, I thought the same thing! He basically told me I had to move my location...hrm after I spent 3 months (and STILL building the bathroom!) gutting and building a studio, I'm not moving just to use my crappy Nady mics...or any mics for that matter. The thing is though, as I tried to say to the guy..THERE'S NO EXCUSE FOR IT! But I guess he doesn't want to address it.

My price range was about $250, but I went ahead and got the AKG c430s, because I needed a stereo pair as soon as possible. I was really thinking about oktava MK012s, but I couldn't find an online dealer I have ordered from that dealed them, any suggestions for future reference?

dgatwood said:
Do you have any satellite radio receivers turned on nearby when you pick up this interference? It's possible that this is IF leakage from a nearby (lousy) tuner, in which case your best bet is to get cables with metal-backed connectors and make sure the outer shells of the connectors are grounded on both ends.
Click to expand...

Nope, my friend has sirius, so I had him drive down the street, and after further research I found out they have an AM channel as well...damn Disney. And I unplugged my tv and stereo in a nearby room, the only thing I didn't change was the power source.

-Edit-
And get this, I don't have my receipt anymore (the only receipt for audio equipment I can't find, after about 2 years), and their warrenty repair guidlines say I have to send in a copy of the sales receipt, so I'm probably SOL with it.
 
Last edited:
Cult_Status02 said:
And get this, I don't have my receipt anymore (the only receipt for audio equipment I can't find, after about 2 years), and their warrenty repair guidlines say I have to send in a copy of the sales receipt, so I'm probably SOL with it.
Click to expand...

Two years? They are $40 mics. You are lucky they work at all. :p The time and effort to find the receipt and shipping costs can't be worth it.

Try what dgatwood said about conncting the XLR shell and pin1, but I'd connect it only at the female (mic) end.
 
Cult_Status02 said:
Nope, my friend has sirius, so I had him drive down the street, and after further research I found out they have an AM channel as well...damn Disney. And I unplugged my tv and stereo in a nearby room, the only thing I didn't change was the power source.
Click to expand...

That makes a lot more sense. It's probably IF leakage from being in close proximity to an AM radio transmitter. You are probably within about half a mile of the antenna, line-of-sight.

You are probably eventually going to have problems with other hardware as well. The problem is environmental, and the only sure-fire fix is to make sure that you don't have any cables with plastic or ungrounded metal backs.

I had this problem with a nearby radio station during a remote video shoot once. We wrapped the plastic plugs in aluminum foil and jumpered them to a case-grounded metal hand strap holder with alligator clips and the problem went away.
 
boingoman said:
Two years? They are $40 mics. You are lucky they work at all. :p The time and effort to find the receipt and shipping costs can't be worth it.

Try what dgatwood said about conncting the XLR shell and pin1, but I'd connect it only at the female (mic) end.
Click to expand...

That's true. The other end is probably already grounded to the case ground, and grounding it on the mic end avoids any potential issues caused by equipment with floating signal grounds (dumb design, but I digress).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top