Operation Guide
Mounting the microphone
Attach the microphone to a stable, sturdy stand. Use an elastic suspension, if necessary, for the mechanical suppression of structure-borne noise. For this purpose set the microphone into the inner cage from above, and secure it to the inner cage with the threaded nut. If required, use a windscreen or popscreen to suppress wind or pop noise.
Connecting the microphone
Attach the microphone only to a power supply unit, a microphone preamplifier, a mixing console or other equipment which has phantom power with 48V (P48). Any P48 power supply equipment can be used which supplies at least 0.8 mA per channel.
Minimise the volume of connected playback and recording equipment before connecting the microphone.
Using a suitable cable, connect the microphone to the microphone input of the audio equipment to be used for subsequent processing, or to the designated P48 power supply equipment.
Cable lengths of up to approximately 300m between the microphone and the subsequent amplifier input have no effect on the frequency response of the microphone.
When connecting the cables, ensure that the connectors are locked correctly. Run the cables in such a way that there is no risk of tripping over them.
The microphone is to be addressed primarily from the side on which the Neumann logo is located.
Gradually increase the volume of the connected equipment.
Set the gain of the connected equipment so that no distortion occurs at the highest sound pressure level.
Selecting the directional characteristic
There are three selectable directional characteristics, which allow the microphone to be adapted to individual recording situations: omnidirectional, cardioid and figure-8. The rotary switch for the directional characteristics is located on the front of the microphone, below the headgrille. When the directional characteristic is changed, an increased noise level may occur for a period of approximately 30 seconds. This does not indicate a malfunction, but arises due to the electrical recharging of the microphone capsule to the appropriate bias. As a precaution, reduce the signal level of connected equipment when changing the
directional characteristic.
Setting the pre-attenuation
The switchable pre-attenuation increases the maximum signal level by 10dB, in order to avoid overloading when transmitting signals at extremely high sound pressure levels.
Pre-attenuation is activated by means of a switch on the back of the microphone.
Setting the high-pass filter
The switchable high-pass filter can be used to suppress low-frequency interference (e.g. caused by impact sound or wind noise) or to compensate for the proximity effect.
When the high-pass filter is switched on and the microphone is set to 'cardioid', the microphone should be addressed from a distance of 30cm to 40cm; for 'figure-8', the distance is 15cm to 20cm.
The high-pass filter is activated by means of a switch on the back of the microphone.
Suppressing noise interference
The frequency response of the microphone extends below 20Hz. The microphone is of course correspondingly sensitive to low-frequency interference such as structure-borne noise and wind or pop noise. Depending upon the situation, the use of an elastic suspension, a windscreen and/or a popscreen is therefore recommended.
Sound test
Simply speak into the microphone. Do not blow into the microphone or subject it to pop noise, since this can easily result in hazardous sound pressure levels.
Shutdown and Storage
Before switching off the microphone or disconnecting the cables, reduce the volume of connected equipment.
Only then should the phantom power be switched off.
Disconnect the cables.
When disconnecting a cable, always pull only on the connector and not on the cable itself.
Microphones which are not in use should not be allowed to remain on the stand gathering dust. A microphone which is unused for a prolonged period should be stored under normal atmospheric conditions, and should be protected from dust. For this purpose, use a lint-free, air-permeable dust cover or the original packaging of the microphone.