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Post subject: Microphone cutting out
Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 1:50 pm
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I am new to all this sound business and trying to learn so I can help out at my church. I have been running 20 foot xlr cables on my Passport 500 during the church service and needed a little extra length. I bought two 10 foot cables and tried to connect them to make 30 feet of cables on both the microphones I was using Sunday and in both cases, the microphone sound cut out periodically. Should I just buy a 30 or 35 foot cable for each microphone I am using? Is it something else making the sound cut out?


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Post subject: Re: Microphone cutting out
Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 2:24 pm
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Rock Star
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Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 5:14 pm
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Yes, buy longer cables or move your Passport head closer to the front. Your attempting to connect two cables together through an adptor is the culprit for bad sound.

Also if you're using old cheap mics or a hodge podge of hand-me-down cables that's a real cause for concern.

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Post subject: Re: Microphone cutting out
Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 2:47 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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There are different things that could be causing the microphones to cut out. As you and linin have suggested, the cables are top of the list as suspects, but it sounds like now you have four cables and you don't know which ones are bad (and maybe the problem isn't the cables).

Basically, you can't really diagnose a problem without troubleshooting. You didn't tell us what kind of microphone you have. Some condenser mics require batteries, and when the old batteries go dead, the mic cuts out. It goes in and out for a while before it dies altogether.

Dynamic mics don't need batteries, and more expensive condenser mics use phantom power and don't need batteries, but if these are inexpensive condenser mics, check the batteries.

Otherwise, you don't know if the problem is a bad cable or a bad connector. Bad cables are rare, unless the cable has been physically damaged, and that usually shows with cuts or crimps. If the cables are not fully plugged in until they click, you could have a bad connection with good gear.

Inside the connectors, there are solder joints. Many connectors allow you to unscrew the cover and look directly at the joints. This is the most common failure point. If someone is good at soldering and desoldering, they can probably fix your bad cables. Otherwise, it's worth it to replace the bad cables. The older the cables and the more they've been moved around, the more likely the connectors will fail.

You can get cable testers. These are boxes you plug both ends of a cable into, flip a switch and look at lights on the box to see if the right ones are lit. Wiggle the connectors while the cable is plugged in and the testers will reveal "intermittent connections".


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Post subject: Re: Microphone cutting out
Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2014 7:35 pm
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I tried a different thing Sunday. I put two of my 25 foot cables together. I have inexpensive Audio Technica microphones. I do not remember the model of type but they are basically all black with the wire heads on top and no on/off button. I noticed our speaker would cut out only slightly for a half a second. I did watch and the cable was tight and his movement would pull against the bottom of the microphone. He was stepping on the cord so I moved it where he could not do that and it seemed to stop cutting out. I checked later and the xlr connectors do seem to have a lot of play at the bottom where they connect to the microphone. I will say this, these are not old cables at all. When I bought the first Passport, a gentleman who sold it to me works in a music store here in Jacksonville and he threw in four microphones and what he said was brand new cables. I guess it would not hurt to get a cable tester and check all the cables. Could this be a problem with the Passport 500 heating up or something?


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Post subject: Re: Microphone cutting out
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2014 6:39 am
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2011 7:24 am
Posts: 434
While it is possible that the Passport is cutting out because it is overheating the problem you are describing sounds a lot more like your cable connectors are loose and when the performer yanks on them, it breaks the connection. You need to either stop yanking on the cables or buy better cables, or maybe better microphones.

Overheating happens when the amp is cranked full volume, loud sound is coming out, and maybe it's hot on the stage. It also tends to not pop in and out, but go out for long enough for the amp to cool down. That's not what you are describing.

Also, Audio-Technica makes a lot of different kinds of microphones. Some are dynamic mics, like the AE4100LE or the ATR1200, and these require no power. Others are condenser mics which either require batteries or phantom power like the ES973. The MB4K can use either batteries or phantom power. If you are using a condenser mic with a battery and don't have the phantom power turned on for the Passport, then the battery could be running low and it will cut out on you now and then until you either remove the battery and turn on phantom power or replace the battery.


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