Members Northstar Posted January 2, 2010 Members Share Posted January 2, 2010 that doesn't require phantom power. Like, say, a SM-57. Would that be dangerous for the SM-57? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Timmylikedthing Posted January 2, 2010 Members Share Posted January 2, 2010 Not an SM57. A ribbon mic would fry if you applied phantom power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TimOBrien Posted January 2, 2010 Members Share Posted January 2, 2010 Not an SM57. A ribbon mic would fry if you applied phantom power. AHEM... SOME older ribbon mics would fry. Some newer active ribbon mics have pre-amp circuitry built-in and NEED phantom power. ALWAYS read the instruction sheet from the manufacturer and do what it says.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Timmylikedthing Posted January 2, 2010 Members Share Posted January 2, 2010 AHEM... SOME older ribbon mics would fry. Some newer active ribbon mics have pre-amp circuitry built-in and NEED phantom power. ALWAYS read the instruction sheet from the manufacturer and do what it says.... If he's asking, it's better to work under that generalization. I mean, better safe than sorry, right? When he stumbles across an active ribbon, he'll wonder why he isn't hearing anything and read the manual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Yes, in general, I have a "better safe than sorry" policy in terms of phantom power and ribbon mikes. That's because re-ribboning a mic can be a hassle and relatively expensive. However, while it is possible for some ribbon mikes to be damaged by the application of phantom power, it's not an automatic ribbon fry if it's applied - it's more about how it's applied and when, and to which specific mic model. If the mic is already connected to the preamp or board with a properly wired cable, and phantom is applied, it may very well survive the incident undamaged. However, if phantom is on already and you go and plug a ribbon mic in, you could damage the mic - especially if the cable shorts pin one to pin two or three; either due to a bad or miswired cable, or in the process of plugging the XLR cable in, or if you're using a TRS patchbay for patching your microphone cables. Additionally, some old ribbon microphones use a transformer with a secondary with a center tap that is wired to ground, and if you apply phantom to one of those... Poof! So while in many cases you're not going to hurt anything, there are enough exceptions to that rule that IMO, it's always a good idea to just make it a practice to avoid phantom power with ribbon mikes as a general practice. The only exception to that would be modern ribbon mikes that have onboard preamps and require phantom power. But if you have one of those, you'll know it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CN Fletcher Posted January 4, 2010 Members Share Posted January 4, 2010 Additionally, some old ribbon microphones use a transformer with a secondary with a center tap that is wired to ground, and if you apply phantom to one of those... Poof! Yeah... golly... 1968 all over again is it? That was mostly a problem experienced with RCA mics when phantom was first introduced to the world [mainly the US]. Since then, after a few ribbons were taken out those mics have been rewired. While I'm fairly new at this stuff [i've only been at it a little over 30 years on a professional level] I've never seen phantom power take out a ribbon mic. Not EVER. I've popped a bunch of ribbons closing the lids on the boxes that house Coles microphones... and stretched a few RCA ribbons with unspeakably loud guitar sounds [like in the 125db SPL range!!!] but thats about it. As for things like 57's... as long as you aren't one of the douchebags that pulled the output transformer to "make them sound better" you'll have no problem. Transformers block DC. Phantom is DC. So long as the microphone has a transformer output DC won't be getting to the capsule element. There are some tube condenser microphones that have transformerless outputs [don't worry, they're mainly used in classical and go for around $12,000 each... you won't run into any] that can have a problem with phantom... but that's about it. Early SSL's had the phantom running all the time... Neve 80 Series consoles [that cost as much as some houses] have phantom running at all times on every channel... as do a lot of classic consoles and modules. This myth that phantom is bad is just that... a myth... an "old wives tale"... as in it has no relevance to most worlds. The only other way you'll run into a phantom power problem is if you have a piece of outboard gear with a transformerless output and plug that output into an input with phantom power. You will invariably pop the chip employed in the differential output of the unit. Used to see this all the time with the TL Audio crap when the company I used to own had a repair shop... other than that... its not to worry. /rant Peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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