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How to Hook Up a Condenser Mic

Hooking up a condenser microphone is much like hooking up any other microphone. However, it is important to note that a condenser microphone requires phantom power, a dedicated power source, in order to operate. Without the presence of phantom power, a condenser microphone will not turn on.

Things You'll Need

  • Condenser microphone
  • XLR cable
  • Recording or mixing console
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Instructions

    • 1

      Take the female end of an XLR cable and plug it into your condenser microphone.

    • 2

      Take the male end of the XLR cable and plug it into your recording or mixing console.

    • 3

      Engage the "Phantom Power" button on your recording or mixing console. Your condenser microphone will turn on. First plug the microphone into an external phantom power source, such as the Samson S Phantom, Art Phantom I or Whirlwind MicPower 2 if your recording or mixing console does not have phantom power,

    • 4

      Place the condenser microphone near the sound source you want to capture and adjust the input gain on your recording or mixing console to achieve the desired microphone level.

Recording Music

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