"Mike Rivers" wrote in message
news:znr1088681345k@trad...
Modern ribbon mics such as those from Beyer and Royer are all "phantom
safe" (I have no idea about the modern Russian mics) but it's still a
good idea not to hot-plug them, but to connect all the mics and then
turn on the phantom power.


Which means to say that if you are in a fast and heavy live situation
requiring a mic replacement during a performance, DON'T pick a ribbon to
plug in.

--


Roger W. Norman
SirMusic Studio


In article
writes:

I have a ribbon mic I'd like to gig with, and the PA systems we use
normally plug into have an all-channels-on/off for the phantom power.
Our vocalist uses a condenser mic, so she needs it on. If the phantom
power hits my ribbon mic, it might permanently damage the ribbon
element.

The factoid that a ribbon mic will be permanently damaged by phantom
power is true if the microphone has an internal transformer with a
grounded center tap. Older RCA ribbon mics (the Model 44 for sure,
perhaps others of the era) had this arrangement because they found
that in some cases, it reduced hum pickup.

Unless you got an RCA 44 from a collector, chances are any 44 that
you'll find now will have that center tap lifted and the mic is not at
risk as long as you don't connect it with a cable that's shorted
between the shield and one of the conductors. This is the reason for
the suggestion that you check for conductivity between pin 1 and each
of the other two pins. If it's near a short circuit, there's probably
a center tapped transformer. If it's near an open circuit (a few
megohms, typically) then your mic is safe.


It's good to be concerned, but the solution may be simpler than you
think. Of the proposed solutions, I'd go for the isolation transformer
or capacitors rather than fussing with an outboard power supply for
the condenser mic. Some day you might have two condenser mics, or
five, and will have to solve the problem all over again.


--
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