I heard that many people don’t know about condenser microphones. Some people think that condenser microphones can be directly plugged into the computer motherboard. Some people think that condenser microphones can be plugged into the two-core microphone port of karaoke. Some people think that condenser microphones must be independent of 48V. Power box can be used and so on. The answers to the above questions are all: No.
What is the most afraid of condenser microphones?
Damp
The problem that many people don't understand is that condenser microphones need to be protected from moisture. Condenser microphones, in addition to the common large diaphragm and small diaphragm, there are also some back-body microphones that require batteries, and some ribbon microphones. These microphones have metal on the diaphragm, which is very sensitive to humidity, because moisture can cause metal corrosion, easy to get dust and other problems. The diaphragm of a dynamic microphone is a non-metallic material and is not sensitive to water vapor, so the requirements for the environment are much lower.
Moisture failure performance
Common damp faults include: the microphone suddenly becomes extremely low; there is wind in the microphone; pops from the microphone; the sound of instantaneous overload of the signal appears; the low noise suddenly increases; the most serious is completely silent or there is no obvious fault , After disassembling, it was found that the diaphragm was obviously damp, and the sound was basically normal, but the tone was a little dull, similar to the high frequency attenuation. This is also a problem that many people often encounter. Sometimes the microphone dries out after being damp, and the noise does not appear. If you don’t compare it with the new one, you can’t find the difference in timbre, so you keep using it until you buy a second one. Of the microphone, thinking that the sound of the second microphone was redesigned by the manufacturer. This is what the previous article said, a microphone that has been used on the shelf for a year but has not failed. It is necessary to completely judge that the damp of the microphone is to be disassembled, and it is not recommended that you do this. A simple moisture-proof cabinet, you do not need to worry about 90% of the cases.
How to prevent moisture
If you are in an area where the seasonal humidity may be high, try to find a closed box for the opened condenser microphone, such as a custom-made small shockproof box. Put some moisture-proof beads in it. If the desiccant is wet, it indicates the humidity If it is too large, open the microphone hood and check whether the metal inner wall is wet. If the metal inner wall of the microphone is wet, dry it with a hair dryer, and then connect it to the device and test it after a short period of time.
Rainwater and dustproof, rainwater is the natural enemy of condenser microphones. The diaphragm of condenser microphones will accelerate the corrosion of metal materials due to water, and will short-circuit the internal circuit wires. Don't rush to put it in the box at the end, apply a hair dryer to blow-dry it before putting it in.
There is also a small detail. When you use the microphone, it is recommended to mainly use a table stand to avoid holding the microphone for a long time, which may cause sweat, which will affect the microphone.
Anti-drop, pay special attention not to overturn the microphone stand when the wire is pulled. Impact may reduce the sensitivity of the condenser microphone or even damage it.
If you find that there is a problem with the connection fastener that locks the microphone, you must not hard lock it. Instead, use electrical tape to tie the condenser microphone directly to the microphone holder instead of risking it because of its beauty.
Try to avoid hot-plugging operations, that is, do not remove and plug frequently when the condenser microphone or the microphone cable is powered on, because large voltage fluctuations will not only affect the system, but also reduce the life of the condenser microphone.
At present, most condenser microphones on the market are powered by phantom power, that is, most of them are connected to the mixer through a microphone cable to achieve power supply. Therefore, you should try to avoid hot-plugging the microphone. Frequent large voltage fluctuations will greatly reduce the service life of the microphone. So try to connect the microphone to the mixer before starting a channel, and then turn on the power. If your vacuum tube microphone can be connected directly to a power source, it is equally important to avoid hot plugging. Do not turn on the power switch of the microphone before you connect the microphone to the mixer.
For many vacuum tube microphones, it takes a period of time to warm up before reaching a better working state. Microphone manufacturers often recommend that you use two to three minutes to 15 minutes to warm up the microphone. So once you turn on the microphone, keep it working until the end of the recording.
Properly use the XLR plug, sometimes temporarily add or replace the microphone, pick up the XLR head and then pull and plug it violently, it is easy to twist or break the three male feet.
The ideal humidity for storing the microphone is 40-60%. To achieve this goal, the easiest and cheapest way is to use a moisture-proof cabinet. Even the cheapest and worst-quality moisture-proof cabinets are much better than boxes with desiccant. And even for the most expensive microphones, the warranty does not include moisture.
USB Microphone:https://www.soft-voice.com/
