AudioTechnica AT4050/CM5 mic No Workee

[gongchime]

My brand spankin' new, never been used before AudioTechnica AT4050/CM5 mic, that cost me $750 in Korea, DOESN'T EVEN WORK!!! It probably got bounced around too much in my luggage. Does anyone know what the issue is likely to be? I already tried cables and inputs which I know work. Can I repair it myself do you think?I don't know if I can take it to a repair person in Indonesia because I'm not sure if the high standard of materials required to repair it would even be available to them. Dogam Futher Muckin' Bun of a Sich!!! I get to wait and spend more money and maybe it can't even be repaired. !@#$%^&*

[jh]

Did you turn on the phantom power?- JH

[mazz]

Yeah, JH is right. This mic needs phantom power which hopefully your preamp supplies, otherwise, you'll need to get an external phantom power supply.Good luck!!Mazz

[mojobone]

Yep, if it's a mixer you're connecting to, there may be a switch either for each channel, a group of channels or all channels. I have personally never heard of anyone getting a dud mic from A/T. Ever. Keep us posted, Gong!

[nickbatzdorf]

You want to get in touch with AT, not a repair place.For a mic to be totally dead it would need to be getting no power. And if it's not just that you haven't turned on phantom power, chances are that you're using a bad mic cable.

[gongchime]

So funny. Yeah, it was phantom power. Totally forgot about that. The mic works fine. JH, Mazz, Mojobone and Nick dispelling the darkness of ignorance once again. How careful do I need to be about sending phantom power accidentally to mics that don't use it, such as the SM57? How likely am I to be electrocuted by a mic getting phantom power if there's no ground anywhere in the country whether it should be getting phantom power or not?For future reference in case anyone does a search on Taxi for turning on the BR1180's phantom power function. On the BR 1180 you must first hold down the utility button. When the utility screen comes up then you have to scroll to the right until seeing the SYSTEM function. Then hit enter and scroll down to the Phantom Power then turn it on with the dial.

[gatorjj]

Rumor has it you're safe on dynamics and theoretically can blow up a ribbon, though I don't think it's likely. I'm seeing ribbons now that are active now with sort of a "pre" preamp to boost levels that requires phantom power...just to add confusion...

[mazz]

Aug 16, 2008, 7:01pm, gongchime wrote:So funny. Yeah, it was phantom power. Totally forgot about that. The mic works fine. JH, Mazz, Mojobone and Nick dispelling the darkness of ignorance once again. How careful do I need to be about sending phantom power accidentally to mics that don't use it, such as the SM57? How likely am I to be electrocuted by a mic getting phantom power if there's no ground anywhere in the country whether it should be getting phantom power or not?For future reference in case anyone does a search on Taxi for turning on the BR1180's phantom power function. On the BR 1180 you must first hold down the utility button. When the utility screen comes up then you have to scroll to the right until seeing the SYSTEM function. Then hit enter and scroll down to the Phantom Power then turn it on with the dial. Dynamic mics are pretty immune to phantom power generally. I'm never seen an SM57 or 58 get killed by it.Grounding is a tricky issue and not to be taken lightly. You're probably OK with phantom power as long as everything is plugged in to the same circuits, it's pretty low voltage, around 48VDC or less (usually less with lower end gear). Not to be construed as electrical advice.Have fun, enjoy your new mic!!Mazz

[mojobone]

Only vintage ribbon mics that I can't afford anyway are in any danger of being damaged by phantom power. Although there's a reissue RCA clone that will definitely pop....

[ernstinen]

Glad you got it working, Gongchime!A little OT, but be careful whom you buy electronic gear from.I just paid $665 for a night vison camera to try and capture Mr. You-Know-Who throwing rocks at our bedroom window at night.The retailer assured me it was a great camera and a great deal. NOT!I hooked it up, and it didn't look any better than a $100 Swann camera I already own.I looked up the new camera on the Internet, and other retailers sell it for $200! So I called the retailer and asked for a refund. He said "We have a no-refund policy." I said "Listen, I know you need to make a profit, and I could understand a $100 profit, but a $465 profit! That's OUTRAGEOUS!" He said "Excuse me a second, I've got to get the other line." I hung up, swearing up a storm, and immediately contacted the Better Business Bureau.Ern