Whether you are a vocalist, studio artist, professional entertainer, musician, or just someone who wants to practice recording in your free time, you need the microphone for this purpose. Just like others, I was also pretty enthusiastic when I started recording things. You’ll find the answer to the question, How to power a condenser mic in the article itself.
I wanted to record some simple vocals and do a practice a little, but couldn’t figure out how I should do it in the first place. I was unable to power my microphone and it looked pretty to me. So, just like others, I started searching on Google for things such as how to power a condenser mic.
Types Of Microphones [Dynamic Vs Condenser]
The first thing we all need to figure out what is what kind of mic we are using. There are two main types of microphones available in the market, dynamic and condenser. Although there are different models and designs of mic out there in the market for the same, the technique to power them is pretty the same. Both condenser and dynamic microphone have their pros and cons. It is quite easy to find out the difference between them.
Powering The Microphone
Let me put this in simple words, although both are used for recording and live vocals purpose, dynamic microphones are preferred for strong and loud sounds which specially used in the live setting, on the other hand, condenser microphones are preferred when we want to capture high-frequency delicate sound. One major difference between dynamic and condenser microphones is that dynamic microphones require an external power source but a condenser microphone needs a phantom power supply for its operation. The reason dynamic microphone microphones don’t require any external power source is that it is constructed with a coil and a magnet. They function as electric generators. Hence, there is no need for any external power supply or battery for operating a dynamic mic.
Dynamic microphones are built in such a way that they have a coil and a magnet present inside. So they act like little electric generators. We know that phantom power is required for the operation of some microphones, but many people get confused about whether a dynamic microphone requires phantom power? , the answer is simply no. Well, you can apply the phantom power to a dynamic microphone but that won’t do any good and you may end up damaging your equipment. On the other hand, condenser microphones are designed to capture sounds with high precision. The sound quality is far better if compared to the dynamic microphone. But they require phantom power for its operation.
What Is Phantom Power?
If you don’t know what phantom power is, let me explain it to you in a simple way. It is an audio interface preamp that is used to supply electrical power to the mic. This helps the condenser microphone to get enough boost and helps to improve the sound quality further.
Why do Condenser Microphones Require Phantom Power?
The microphone needs power to operate smoothly. Although we can power a condenser mic can be powered by using batteries, it is always preferred to use phantom power. One needs to know that not all audio interfaces have built-in phantom power. So we need to take a closer look and be careful while using it.
Structure Of A Condenser Microphone
Let’s first understand the design of the condenser microphone, it is different from the dynamic microphone in many aspects.
The three main parts of the condenser microphone are:
- A black metal plate
- A condenser microphone diaphragm
- A capacitor present inside the capsule of the mic
The internal capacitor converts basic acoustics into electric energy like a transducer. Let’s understand how they function when we record our vocals, as soon as we start to record, the diaphragm senses the change in the air pressure. A microphone acts as a transducer.
Then it sends the sound waves back to the black metal plate and again returns to the diaphragm and the process continues. But here comes the tricky part, the electric signal is not powerful enough to drive the sound and as a result, the recording volume may become very low. Hence, if you want to be heard easily on speakers then the external power supply is essential. This is where phantom power plays a vital role.
Ways To Power A Condenser Microphone
People often get confused while connecting a condenser microphone to a laptop or pc. It’s quite simple, you just need the right equipment and then it is just like child’s play.
You will require three things :
- A Condenser mic
- A Sound cord
- A Mixing console
All three are equally important. Once you have all three, simply connect the microphone mixing console to the sound card.I have listed the methods to power a condenser mic:
- Using 48v phantom power. The best way to power a condenser mic is by using a 48V phantom power interface. For this purpose, you will require just an XLR cable and connect it to your condenser microphone.
- Another way to power a condenser microphone is through a vacuum tube. This is an old-school method used to boost the electric signal which is emitted by the mic.
- The Final method is powering a condenser microphone through an electret. It is a dielectric unit that runs on batteries. It is located on the backplate or attached to the diaphragm and provides a constant low power supply.
Final Thoughts:
Among all these methods, using phantom power is best suited for almost every application. It provides a fair output for many audio interfaces.
Make sure that you don’t plug in the microphone if the phantom power is already turned on. I hope you have understood how to power a condenser mic.
Just give it a shot and see the results accordingly!
