What is Phantom Power?
Contrary to some peoples' ideas, phantom power is not an extra 100 watts that you can switch on at large venues!
There are certain pieces of equipment used in professional audio that need electrical power in order to function - Condenser microphones and active Direct Inject (D.I.) boxes are typical examples. Although some of these devices can be run with a battery, a desk with built-in phantom power is able to send the required voltage along the mic cable. This means that you can save money on batteries and more importantly you don't have to worry about the battery going 'flat' during the show.
Professional mixing consoles will have a phantom power switch on every channel so that you can use the facility only where needed but most budget desks will have a 'global' switch which means that the facility is either 'on' or 'off' for all channels. The trick is, if you don't need it, switch it off. Phantom power does no harm to devices that don't use it, but be warned - if your faders are up when you connect or disconnect a mic lead, you will hear a loud bang from your speakers. If you are using phantom power it is good practice to only switch it on when you've finished connecting all your cables.
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Contrary to some peoples' ideas, phantom power is not an extra 100 watts that you can switch on at large venues!
There are certain pieces of equipment used in professional audio that need electrical power in order to function - Condenser microphones and active Direct Inject (D.I.) boxes are typical examples. Although some of these devices can be run with a battery, a desk with built-in phantom power is able to send the required voltage along the mic cable. This means that you can save money on batteries and more importantly you don't have to worry about the battery going 'flat' during the show.
Professional mixing consoles will have a phantom power switch on every channel so that you can use the facility only where needed but most budget desks will have a 'global' switch which means that the facility is either 'on' or 'off' for all channels. The trick is, if you don't need it, switch it off. Phantom power does no harm to devices that don't use it, but be warned - if your faders are up when you connect or disconnect a mic lead, you will hear a loud bang from your speakers. If you are using phantom power it is good practice to only switch it on when you've finished connecting all your cables.
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