Why Is My Condenser Mic Not Working?

Are you having trouble with your condenser microphone? You may be asking yourself, why is my condenser mic not working? Today, let’s look at 7 reasons why your condenser mic may not be working.

Why Is My Condenser Mic Not Working?

The most common problems why your condenser mic is not working are: 1. The phantom power is not turned on. 2. Phantom power needs to be +48v. 3. Bad cable. 4. USB condenser microphones can be problematic. 5. Broken microphone. 6. Purposely trying to use a condenser microphone without phantom power. 7. Improper setup. These are the most common issues that are causing your condenser microphone troubles. Let’s take a look at each of the problems.

Is The Phantom Power Turned On?

This is a simple fix. Make sure your phantom power is turned on.

If you are using a condenser microphone, it will require phantom power to make the microphone work properly.

What do you have your condenser microphone plugged into? Look to see if your interface or mixer has a phantom power button. If it does, make sure it is turned on. It will be a small push button or switch that says +48v or phantom power.

If you do not see a button or switch for phantom power, you may need to get yourself an audio interface or mixer with a phantom power source. You could also get a +48v phantom power supply.

Most Condenser Microphones Operate With +48V Phantom Power

Some of you stated that your mixer has phantom power but it is only +15v. Every condenser microphone I’ve worked with takes +48v phantom power. If you are trying to power your condenser microphone with +15v phantom power, your condenser microphone most likely needs +48v phantom power so it can operate properly.

If you are unsure what the proper phantom power voltage is for your condenser microphone be sure and check in the owners manual or contact the manufacture to make sure.

Again, If your condenser microphone needs +48v phantom power and you are trying to power it with +15v phantom power this is probably why your condenser microphone is not working.

If your phantom power source is +15v and you need +48v you can pick up a +48v phantom power supply or just pick up an audio interface with built in +48v phantom power. Both solutions are good and not very expensive.

USB Condenser Microphones Can Be Problematic

I know there are some manufactures out there advertising USB condenser microphones. This means that the condenser microphone is suppose to be able to be plugged into a USB port on your computer and the USB port powers the condenser microphone.

This is all well and good unless it’s not working. Make sure the USB port you are trying to use is a powered USB port. USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports generally have a small voltage output that will power the condenser microphone made to run on these lower voltages.

The voltage output on a USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 is somewhere around 5volts. This means you can not properly power a regular condenser microphone that needs +48v phantom power.

There are manufactures who advertise condenser microphones that are suppose to work from a powered USB port. If you are using a condenser microphone that was made to run on the lower voltage you should be ok.

This will not be enough power for a condenser microphone that requires +48v phantom power.

Bad Cable

If you are sure the phantom power is turned on and your condenser microphone is still not working, you could have a bad cable.

Look at your XLR cable and make sure there is no damage to the cable ends or the cable itself. If you see any damage or know the cable has been repaired before, try using a different XLR cable.

Cable Adapters

Phantom power is designed to work with XLR cables. If you are trying to use a 1/4″ or TRS connector with phantom power, this will not work.

You need XLR to XLR connections for phantom power to properly work.

Are You Trying To Use A Condenser Microphone Without Phantom Power?

I know there are some of you out there who are trying to use a condenser microphone without using phantom power.

I’ve seen the comments: My condenser microphone works just fine without phantom power. But does it really?

You may be getting a signal in from your condenser microphone but the noise floor is probably pretty high. This means you may have a lot of hiss or white noise because you have your gain turned up so you can hear the microphone. You may have a muffled sound coming from your condenser microphone because it’s not getting the proper voltage it needs to function properly.

You may be amazed at how much better your condenser microphone sounds once you use it the way it was designed to be used.

Broken Microphone

If you have checked all the above mentioned problems and your condenser microphone is still not working, it could be your condenser microphone is broken.

Condenser microphones can be fragile. Check to see if there are signs that the microphone has been dropped. If your condenser microphone was working fine and you dropped the condenser mic it may need to be repaired. Check with the manufacture for repair or warranty options.

Some other things that can cause damage to your condenser microphone are humidity, dust, and smoke.

You should always use a pop filter with your condenser microphone. A pop filter helps prevent excessive plosive sounds that occur when you sing into the condenser microphone. In other words it smooths out the air compression coming out of your mouth that can effect the recording quality.

Another good reason to use a pop filter with your condenser microphone is because it can help catch water droplets coming from your mouth so they do not get into the condenser microphone.

A good way to test if your condenser microphone is broken is to try and use a different condenser microphone. If you try another condenser microphone and it works, then you may need to have the condenser microphone that is not working looked at.

It’s Time To Get Yourself A Proper Setup

We all try to use what we already have on hand and make things work. The truth is, it may be time to get yourself a proper setup.

If you are constantly struggling to get your equipment to work or your recordings do not sound right, you may need to get your self the proper gear for the job.

A good audio interface will not cost you much. A good mixer will not cost you much. End the struggle and get yourself the gear you need to do the job right.

Nothing is worse than when you are trying to create great music and you keep having technical difficulties. This is a sign you need to upgrade your gear.

What Others Are Saying

Direct Quote	Source
“I’ve seen some 48v mics work with 18v and others don’t. I think you might have been getting lucky on the 18v. If you have access to another mixer with P48 try it on that to see if the mic still works. If it does, you’ll need a new mixer with P48 or a P48 injector to hook up to your existing mixer.”	https://forums.tomsguide.com/threads/condenser-microphone-not-working-please-help.194839/
“If you are dead certain that your mic is able to use phantom power, now you must figure out if your microphone is broken or if the source that is supposed to be supplying the phantom power is in fact doing so. I would first try to get that mic running by finding another device with phantom power to test with.”	https://www.quora.com/Why-is-my-condenser-mic-not-working-with-phantom-power
“One way to tell if a condenser microphone is broken is to visually inspect the electronic components and capsule inside the mic for any signs of damage. Another excellent way is to check the mic’s frequency response and compare it to the microphone’s expected frequency response.”	https://geekmusician.com/condenser-microphone-is-broken/
“Make sure that the microphone that you are using is not disabled and is set as default in the computer. Follow these steps to check this: a)       Right click on the volume icon and select “Recording devices”. b)       Now, right click on an empty space and select, “Show disconnected devices” and “Show disabled devices”. c)       Select “Microphone” and click on “Properties” and make sure that the microphone is enabled. d)       You may also check if the microphone that you are using is set as default.”	https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/new-condenser-microphone-with-35-mm-cord-not/887c7ea8-c336-4633-9edb-62c5cf30c4f0
“There are many reasons why this can happen, most of which come with quick fixes. Some of the more common reasons for microphone muffling include: Using the wrong power equipment. Singing too far away. Singing too close. Background noise interference. Poor microphone positioning. Wrong microphone choice. Broken equipment.”	https://musicianshq.com/7-reasons-why-your-condenser-mic-sounds-muffled/
“As a general rule: Always connect your mic(s) first, before you turn on phantom power. Hot plugging while P48 is already activated can harm your mics. Also, never put anything between your mic and your microphone input. Any device in-between will likely block phantom power and/or degrade the sound quality.”	https://www.neumann.com/homestudio/en/how-to-connect-your-microphone-to-an-audio-interface
“Got yer phantom power on?”	https://homerecording.com/bbs/threads/condenser-mic-wont-work.291664/
“Personally, i would go with a full audio interface (with phantom power) It will give you much more control over the power of the mic (volume) and most probably a better sound.”	https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/condenser-mic-not-working.3070364/

Final Thoughts

Today we talked about the most common issues that can cause your condenser microphone to not work. Take a little time to look at how your condenser microphone is set up and check the problems we talked about.

If you are still have trouble with your condenser microphone be sure and contact the manufacture for a fix.

If you are interested in writing, recording, and producing music then you may want to take a look around my website while you are here. I have a lot of good information about gear, instruments, and software that will be helpful to you. I have a great article about good audio interfaces for a home studio. Be sure and check it out.

If you have questions or comments please leave them below or you can contact me at my email address. I’m always happy to help out when I can.

Mitch@homerecordingstudiosetup.com