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How to Hook a Mic With Phantom Power to the Computer

Most professional-level condenser microphones draw power from a mixer using an XLR audio cable. While high-end sound cards and mixers are capable of providing this "phantom power" to a mic, most consumer-level computer sound cards are not. If you want to hook a mic that uses phantom power to your computer, you'll need to connect the mic to a preamp. A microphone preamp is a hardware device that acts as an intermediary between the mic and your sound card, providing phantom power for condenser mics. You can find microphone preamps at a music store or online.

Things You'll Need

  • Microphone preamp
  • XLR cable
  • USB, FireWire, RCA-1/8-inch or 1/4-inch-to-1/8-inch audio cable
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Instructions

    • 1

      Plug the mic preamp's power cable into an electrical socket, and turn it on.

    • 2

      Connect the preamp to your computer. If your preamp uses USB or FireWire, connect the cable to a free USB or FireWire port on your computer. If the preamp only has audio output jacks, connect the RCA or 1/4-inch end of the cable to the preamp, then plug the 1/8-inch end of the cable into the "Line In" -- not the "Mic" -- jack on your computer's sound card.

    • 3

      Plug one end of the XLR cable into the XLR input jack on the preamp. Plug the other end into the microphone. Press the "Phantom Power" button, if your preamp has one.

    • 4

      Launch your audio recording program, and select "USB Audio Device," "FireWire Audio Device" or "Line In" as the recording source, depending on which type of connection you used. You can now record into your computer using the mic.

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Recording Music

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