cad tube mic acting crazy

anomalybass · #1 03-26-2008, 02:53 PM

i was recording with my cad trion 8000 last night. i ran it through my yamaha 10/2 with about 3:1 compression into my cpu. halfway through a vocal take it jumped in volume to the point where everything was clipping. i tapped the head of the mic and it went back to normal. this happned 2 times in an hour. the second time i was just sitting there mixing being quiet and all of a sudden i could hear the clock ticking like it was in my ear. both times tapping the head fixed the problem. any ideas? its a tube mic with external power. my other mics work just fine. -joep

projectMalamute · #2 03-26-2008, 03:26 PM

First thing I'd do is swap the tube. From what I gather those things come with cheap Chinese stuff in them, so it would probably be worth doing anyway. I believe it is a 6ak5/5654/ef84.

anomalybass · #3 03-26-2008, 03:40 PM

yeah i checked out the tube when it came in, its a cheap china tube. ive had lots of tube gear and never had them swell in volume like that. also if i change the tube it will void the warranty. ruining any chances i have of getting it repaired or exchanged for free. the case it came in didnt fit the mic very snug. there were some deep grooves in the sides of the foam where the mic had been rattling around during shipping. i thought it might be the mixer, but the problem stopped when i tapped the mic. and my other mics dont do this. this sucks. -joep

anomalybass · #4 03-27-2008, 02:29 PM

it was the fuse!! woohoo! i went to plug in my power supply and it wouldnt turn on, i changed the fuse and it blew right away. i got a beefier fuse of the same volts, and it works like a charm. 4 hours straight recording vox last night, and no problems. it actually sounds better and is alot louder at a lower gain level like it should be. thanks for the help. -joep

projectMalamute · #5 03-27-2008, 03:27 PM

You might want to look in to why the fuses are blowing. That is usually a sign that something is wrong. If by beefier you mean a higher amperage I really don't think that's a good idea.

anomalybass · #6 03-27-2008, 04:54 PM

the fuse has the same numbers as the other one, its just thicker. the reason it blew , im told, is because i first used it in a room with no ground. there are frequent power surges and thats what most likely hurt the fuse to begin with. we jam in this room, and you can hear the amps getting louder and radio chat through them. the guy i spoke with said that the fuse was probably defective and not burning fast like it should have. instead it just got damaged and gave me a bad connection. after replacing the fuse and securing a solid power connection everything works fine. i too am skeptical but it works.i didnt really think the problem would be so minor considering what was going on, but it worked. if i have further issues, im going to send it back. -joep