sm57 goes weird on phantom power!?

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ron82

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ok you guys, everyone here told me, that phantom power wont harm a dynamic mic (unless its miswired etc..)

well here i have a proper cable, proper shure sm57, and a behringer ub802. and ok, its not harming the mic (hopefully!! :eek: ), but the sound for sure!

please listen to this sample, to hear how it reacts on +48V (file is < 100kb..)
micing an amp.. the proper sound first, followed by "phantom powered" sound..

the sound turned into a monster, i call it Treblor!

wtf :confused: :)
 
I think the point of what everyone was saying is that it won't damage the mic. Whether it changes the sound, your mic isn't 'damaged'.

Just run it with the phantom power off :-)
 
Shit you can use that. Doesn't sound bad. I bet that would cut through the mix sometime if you need. Just keep it in mind.
 
randyfromde
I think the point of what everyone was saying is that it won't damage the mic. Whether it changes the sound, your mic isn't 'damaged'.

Just run it with the phantom power off :-)
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well lol.. the point is, i have a condenser plugged next to it.. therefore i need it.. !

so is this a common phemomenon?? then i cant use condensers and dynamics together..!? that pretty much sucks!! :eek:

outlaws??? im a GUITAR PLAYER! :)
i want the sound that i want! :)
 
i've never had this happen before. sounds like some sort of balancing problem in either the Shure, your mixer, or the mic cable. if everything's working properly and both ends are balancing the signal right, it should completely cancel out phantom power and any effects it might have.
 
I use my SM57 all the time with phantom power but it still sounds like a SM57. You say that everything is normal - have you actually taken things apart and tested them to know this? Or do they just look "normal" from the outside?
 
interestingly, the effect it seemed to have on the guitar (a high-pass at around 150-200Hz) is exactly what you'd need to do to that guitar sound to have it fit into a full rock mix anyway.
 
Havent listened to the clip, but if all your low end is disappearing it's a miswired cable or snake, basically two wires that shouldn't be touching are.
 
hey actually i liked better the second one lol

but why are you using phantom power on a dynamic?
 
Probably because there's only one phantom power switch to the whole bank of channels and he's got some condenser mics in the chain.

First thing I'd do is swap channels and run the SM57 to a different input. If the problem is the same, swap out the XLR cables to rule them out. If still the same, I'd focus on the mic.

I do sound sometimes for a musician who has a delicate transducer setup on her violin; phantom power will damage it. I'll run the condensers through outboard preamps (each with its own phantom power) and run her line direct to the board with phantom turned off.

Here's the $ 64 question: Can I run that one signal through an outboard preamp with phantom power turned off, and keep the board hot for everything else? Will phantom power pass through an outboard preamp? I think the answer is no (it will not pass through), but I don't want to test the theory on her violin...
 
lol.. thanks for your comments.. this is interesting.

Scinx: no, i havent taken things apart (because i dont know enough about the inner life of my gear, and how to test it anyway :confused: )

well, this is not my main mixer, but i've just upgraded to a bigger one, and it hasnt arrived yet - but i've already got rid of the old main board lol..

but it will be a behringer, too.. so i'm curious if it will be the same effect (hoping not)

i'll post it here when i tried it with the ub1832.. :)
 
you can either use another preamp for the 57 or get a phantom power suply for the condenser mic(s) i guess

or maybe you can eq the 57 to make it sound like you want

i dont now, be creative
 
It shouldn't do that... try using mic cables that you know are wired correctly.
 
Yo Ron! I'm not a technogeek either, but everyone seems to agree on one thing. What's happening to you is unusual, and there's no stock answer, because it's not a stock problem. First, I would try other inputs on the board to see if they all do it. Then I would try that new board to see if it does it too. Next, if possible, try a different dynamic mic, then a different cable. In a worst case scenario, get a phantom power supply for the condenser and turn the phantom power on the board off.
In the end, I'll go with the percentages. What's more likely?
1. An SM57 cares about 48v of phantom power. 2. A mic cable is miswired. 3. A Behringer board is screwed up. Any of those could be true, but I'll go with #3 every time. First, switch the cables on the 2 mics, and see what happens.-Richie
 
mystery revealed..

ok guys.. firs of all i'm sorry. because i didnt try other cables (didnt have the time anymore) and yet posted (since i thought it was maybe a common problem..)

well, it IS the cable!
today i tried all my other cables, that problem only occurs on this one.. i also have two other cables of the same brand, they worked fine tho (gladly)

its an "sssnake" cable (by the guys at http://www.thomann.de/index.html?partner_id=97926 )

so, now that we know its not the mic (sorry again :rolleyes: ) - what could the reason for this be?? i mean i never took this cable to pieces or whatever, i just used it for its purposes.. does it happen that manufacturers seel miswired cables :confused:

however, i would want to spare myself sending back that cable to get a new one.. so is there anything i can do to check it, or fix it - u can unscrew the connectors? (i have never seen a cable from the inside before.. lol)

thanks a bunch! :)
 
There's a lot you can do, beginning with an inspection underneath the hood. Look for stray wires shorting, loose connectors, broken solder, simple stuff like that. Have a field day with the cable, because its already shot and the worst you can do is not improve it. So what if it breaks. You might fix it, as well.

There's a wealth of information here; give the search engine a workout on terms like "balanced" and "XLR." Sooner or later you'll encounter a post or a link that gets right into the hows and whys of mic cables.

Look at it as an opportunity. You'll find that the pros here tend to build their own cables to avoid the kind of problem you've described. (The rest of us are just lazy). There's no reason why you can't do it just as well, given a little practice.
 
Treeline
Look at it as an opportunity. You'll find that the pros here tend to build their own cables to avoid the kind of problem you've described. (The rest of us are just lazy). There's no reason why you can't do it just as well, given a little practice.
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yea i know ppl build their own cables.. and i DO want to learn what cables are all about etc (theres just so much for me to learn, anyways! lol) - it just dissappoints me that i get sold a broke cable :rolleyes:
 
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