Position the microphone stand in your recording space. Place a small piece of carpet or a rug underneath the stand's feet to help to insulate it from vibrations. Seal off any air drafts within the room. Block windows and door frames, if necessary. Condensers are extremely sensitive and will pick up sounds not immediately audible to you.
Attach the pop screen to the microphone stand. A pop-screen comprises a metal or plastic ring with a sheer fabric stretched across it. Place it halfway between the microphone and the vocalist's lips to prevent accidental overloading of the condenser by the unintentional "popping" sound caused by forming explosive "P" and "B" sounds. Your vocalist should be about eight to 12 inches from the mic.
Tighten all the fasteners on the mic stand. Mount the microphone in its cradle. Run a cable from your equipment to the mic stand. Tape it to the floor, if possible. Wind excess cable around the stand before connecting the microphone. This prevents trip hazards caused by loose or trailing cable.
Set the gain and input levels on your equipment to "0." Turn on the +48v phantom power supply, which feeds an electrical power supply to the microphone. The gain must be set to zero to prevent a sudden voltage spike from damaging the internal circuitry.
Watch the VU input level meter as the vocalist performs at a normal, comfortable volume. Keep watching the monitor as you gradually increase the input gain. The input gain level momentarily should reach the red zone on the meter when the vocals are at their loudest. The level primarily should stay in the green area. Try a couple of test runs, and play them back to check the levels.