phantom power question

[blinkrocker3]

Will it damage a dynamic microphone if you give it phantom power?

[fmw]

No. (that answer was too short, hence the extra text here.)

[GnzlO]

well i think you won't screw it up but phanton is for condenser mics, why exactly you want apply phanton power to a dynamic mic?

[blinkrocker3]

A mixer im looking at has the option of either turning the phantom power on on all 10 channels or none of them, and im going to be using dynamics and condensers

[GnzlO]

well i'll recomend you use your phamton only for the condenser ones as it is how they are correctly used...just my opinion

[brandondrury]

well i'll recomend you use your phamton only for the condenser ones as it is how they are correctly used...just my opinion

You won't hurt any mics with phantom power other than vintage ribbon mics.

If phantom power hurt dynamic mics, than mixers would be forced to put a phantom power button on every channel. They can get away with putting it on all channels at once simply because phantom power doesn't hurt anything 99.99999% of the time.

Brandon

[blinkrocker3]

ok cool thanks a lot

[TheMusicMan]

Phantom Power is a low voltage (48v) electrical current sent down the cable from the mixer to the mic. There are also boxes you can buy that supply phantom power from a battery in case you don't have the option of sending it from the mixer or interface.

The phantom power is important only to condenser microphones. The element that vibrates in response to pressure waves (sound) is made of a thin metal suspended between an electromagnetic field. As it vibrates, a current is created that is carried through the cable, the electronics, and is then re-converted to sound waves or to digital signals through an A/D converter.
In order to create the sensitivity that condenser microphones are famous for, the electromagnetic field must be created with a much stronger current that that present in dynamic microphones, which use a permanent magnet to suspend the vibrating element. Thus, using special circuitry, a condenser microphone is able to utilize the higher current (phantom power) to create and sustain a highly sensitive, stable transducing element with superior sonic qualities.

A dynamic microphone, lacking such circuitry and quite simply not built to utilize the phantom power, is hardly even affected by the additional voltage on the line. It is my experience that phantom power has little to no effect on a dynamic microphone, and is simple enough to just leave on, except for one IMPORTANT point:

DON"T UNPLUG MICS WITH THE SYSTEM POWERED UP, ESPECIALLY WITH PHANTOM POWER ENGAGED. The extra voltage in the line creates an even stronger "loop" (I apologize for non-technical terms) that, when broken, sends a small power surge through the system, heard often as the "pop" when you unplug a mic. While relatively tiny, when amplified by all of the circuitry in your signal chain, the chance is there that you could damage equipment and end up facing a pricy repair/replacement bill.

TURN EVERYTHING OFF BEFORE UNPLUGGING EQUIPMENT.


-----Sorry for thread hijacking. It seemed like a good place for a Public Safety Warning.

[Vulconizer]

Yep, you only have to worry about older ribbon mics getting zapped with phantom power.

Not going to hurt dynamics with it.

If you set it up correctly, you can make Klingons look more foolish than usual when they try to sing ( I know. Calling it singing is like calling an elephant taking a crap "dancing" ) and get a nice healthy zap on the face. That's a story for another time, though...

[blinkrocker3]

alright guys thanks for clearing that up