Phantom Power?

[Oneiric]

I hear it a lot, especially around here. What is it and what does it do for the musician?
Thanks!

[Rainer.]

It powers things connected to XLR thru the third pin usually with up to 48V.

Things like DI boxes, condenser mics, etc. Usually this is talking about mixers.

EDIT: not ribbon mics, see post #6

[What5647]

yep, that's pretty much it, i don't have much to add. many mics that use phantom power can also run off a battery, but if you have phantom power it's best to go with it instead of a battery.

also, be aware mics running on phantom power are a potential shock hazard. i vaguely remember hearing of a baptist pastor who was electrocuted by a mic running on phantom power when the mic made contact with some water during a baptism. maybe one of our baptist members remembers the story better than i.

[guitarjockey111]

And when you look at a mic cable the bottom hole is were the phantom power comes from. its basically activating that when you turn it on on the board.

[RipVanWinkle]

Oh,

That was University Baptist Church in Waco, TX. Thats the church that David Crowder helped start. It was very sad.

[Maestro_dmc]

Things like DI boxes, condenser mics, ribbon mics, etc. Usually this is talking about mixers.

Except for the Royer SF-24 and R-122 I don't know of any ribbon mics that use phantom power. In fact, there is a risk of destroying the element in a ribbon mic with phantom, but only if the cable is wired wrong, or if you have the mic patched into a TRS patchbay, and you re-patch while phantom is hot, or if you hook up the mic directly with a regular mic cable while the phantom is hot, there is some risk as well.

Obviously it's best to just leave phantom off when using ribbon mics, it's just a good idea!

I only wanted to point this out in case someone gleaned potentially costly mis-information from your post!

[Rainer.]

Ooh... did not know that. I only wish I had much experience with ribbon mics. ;)

Bad grounding in the house is also a huge concern for mic shock hazards. It's always good to check the grounding in the house.