Care of condenser mikes

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Member Since: May 11, 2002

i have just purchased a pair of NT3 mics - never having owned/used condensers before, I was wondering if there were any major don'ts to avoid.
Can I use them on a loud vocal source? Amps? Can they be angle downwards or suspended upside down for drum overheads? What do i need to watch out for with phantom power (I don't want to overload a pre-amp or mixer or anything) Sorry this is a bit of an amateur question...
thanks for your time

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Chief Cook and Bottle Washer
Member
Since: May 10, 2002


Jun 07, 2002 06:15 am

The NT3 is pretty hardy. Keep it dry, wipe it off when you are done and keep it with a desicant pack. Avoid droping it. Have it plugged in when you apply or remove phantom power. It is not intentended to be hot plug. That's about all I can think of off the bat. Nice choice for the price by the way!

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Jun 09, 2002 12:00 am

Follow Walts tip's and they will serve you for a long while. the NT3's have some nice off axis sound's, meaning if you use them as you suggested you will get a differant tonal quality from them. I would recomend you set aside some time to monkey around with them, trying differant position's for vocal's. You will get a feel for what kind of sound you can expect from them when they are used in differant way's. Just experiment, and don't be afraid to try differant thing's with them.

Contributor
Since: Apr 14, 2002


Jun 09, 2002 06:26 am

Hi Wight. When plugging the mic in or out, make sure the fader and preamp volume (trim knob) are down, and the phantom power is off. After plugging in, turn the phantom on before bringing up the levels. This is a good habit for all mics, as it is a little kinder to your monitors as well. Any angle is fine, and sometimes upside down is the only way to get a mic in the right spot. As far as levels, it depends on the mic. Generally, close micing kick drums or toms might be a little too much for the mic to handle. listen for distortion, and You'll be fine. Good luck, George.

Cone Poker
Member
Since: Apr 07, 2002


Jun 09, 2002 06:21 pm

Don't Drop them, Get a pop filter, but not one that fits over the mic as moisture can be traped under it and you're sound will be altered plus you can damage the mic. If you are gonna use it on drums don't position it too close to the kick, might not be able to handle the SPL. Turn the fader down before turning it on, and don't turn on or off the phantom power before plugging it in. Once it's plugged in then turn on the phantom power and play with your faders. Some of the best sounds you can get out of mics come from different positions, hey I've got one hanging upside-down suspended from my ceiling by the XLR cable right now. Don't be afraid to try different positions, just watch for clipping and listen for distortion and run it through an outboard compressor and you should be good to go for a long while. :) Hope that helps

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