Sound Design Asked by Rockybilly on February 23, 2021
I was using my Steinberg UR22-MKII, MXL 990 setup for 4-5 months without any problems. But today, suddenly when the mic was connected (and working), the mic suddenly stopped giving output. I couldn’t find the problem. Here are my findings.
I don’t have another condenser mic or another audio interface to figure out which one is faulty. Dynamic mic working fine, suggests that the mxl 990 can be broken, but the problem can also be in the phantom power mode of the audio interface, which the dynamic mic doesn’t make use of.
I want to find out which one is faulty, so I know which one to replace. I don’t want to order a new expensive microphone (yes mxl 990’s are also expensive in my country), only to find out that the audio interface was the faulty one.
I am open for any suggestions, thank you for your time.
Edit1: I did the tests, the answer suggested. When the interface is connected to the computer, the 1-2 and 1-3 ports give 47.8V as suggested. But when the cable is connected and the tests are done at the end of the cable, I read 0.02V or 0 V, this means that the cable is faulty. But then how can the dynamic mic work with the same cable ?
Answer: Turns out faulty wire. Somehow one of the cables was disconnected from its base inside the cable adapter. Fixed after soldering.
You need a multimeter to measure the voltage and current.
I assume this XLR pin usage:
If XLR pin usage is different in your setup you will need to switch pins with the pins I describe below accordingly.
Measure Interface and Cable
Do the first measurments directly at the interface XLR port and optionally a second measument with the cable plugged in and measure at the end of the cable, obviously you can skip that if you know the cable is not faulty.
Set the voltage range of your multimeter so it can measure 48 Volts DC or more.
Now set your multimeter to a current range of up to 20mA or more and measure the current:
(Measuring on the end of a long cable may reduces the current or voltage.)
Measure Microphone
In order to check a microhpone you need to measure the resistance with the multimeter.
Conclusion
If you get different or odd results when measuring the XLR port you most likely have a faulty interface. If the cable measurements differ from the interface measures, then the cable is broken. Otherwise the mic is faulty, especially if the resistance measurement doesn't match the expectations.
Correct answer by Matt on February 23, 2021
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