VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Roar-duh

Gear-itis recently reared its ugly head, and forced me at gunpoint to open my wallet for a bargain on an old 416T. Thought it would be worth a chance since I wouldn't be able to afford a 416 otherwise, and the seller has a 7-day return policy.

It came with a PSC MP-12T power supply, which I think is the cause of my problems. When I first connect the power supply and power it on, I'm able to get good audio that gradually fades down to nothing over the course of ~20 seconds. I can power off everything, wait a few minutes and power it back on, and then I can get audio out of it again for the same ~20 seconds.

I've tried on both my Behringer mixer and iTrack Solo, with 2 different XLR cables and multiple sets of batteries in the power supply. Switching from slightly weak to perfectly fresh batteries is what got my first jump from zero audio to some audio.

Am I right in thinking that this is a power supply issue? Or are there caps or something inside the 416 that could cause this behavior? I'm debating whether I should take the seller up on his 7-day return policy, or take the chance and order a new T power adapter that surely won't come in 7 days.
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John Roorda
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Lee Gordon · Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 3:03 pm Post subject:

Can you find someone else with a working power supply (maybe take it to Guitar Center or some similar place) to see if the mic works OK with that? If it does, the mic is probably OK. If the problem persists, it's time to take advantage of that return policy.
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Roar-duh · Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 7:30 pm Post subject:

Hmm... the plot thickens...

Lee, good suggestion - I called my local Guitar Center, and they didn't have a T power supply or adapter on hand. All of the other music shops nearby are far less impressive.

Good news: My "fresh" batteries weren't as fresh as I thought. Replaced with some dollar-store 9v batteries that were pushing closer to 10v, and it "works".

Bad news: White noise. Lots of it. Like "cheap hotel across the street from O'Hare." To get my peaks at -3, I'm looking at a noise floor of -36. Gasp

And it's all over the spectrum, showing up as high as 20k when I do a plot spectrum in Audacity.

There's something up with that power supply, but I'm not sure if it's the entire problem. With the mic unplugged, only the power supply connected to my iTrack Solo, and gain maxed out, my noise floor is -55ish. I can actually hear in my cans some EMI from the laptop outside my booth, and that goes away when I unplug the power supply.

I'll see if it's possible to get a live person on the phone at Sennheiser tomorrow and see what their thoughts are. Or if they even have any thoughts on a mic that may well be older than most of their workforce.

This is definitely worth pursing though. Once I get past that noise, I hear everything that's been said on this board about the 416 reaching down your throat and grabbing the best parts of your voice!
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John Roorda
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Mike Harrison · Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 7:54 pm Post subject:

John, this might interest you: a mic conversion (to Phantom power) or a T-to-Phantom power adapter.

http://www.txsound.com/blog/sennheiser-416t-upgrades-offered-septemberish-2015/
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

Roar-duh · Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 8:10 pm Post subject:

Roar-duh · Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2015 12:24 pm Post subject:

Bah humbug... sent a sample file to Sennheiser's service department, and they think it's a bad capsule that they no longer have available for the 416T. Time to take advantage of the return policy. Thanks everybody for your input!

Lessons learned:

Only buy used gear with a clear return policy!

Sennheiser's service department is top notch - response to my voicemail within 3 hours, and response to my sample file within 30 minutes.

Noise issue aside, a 416 makes me sound goooooooooood. I will be on the lookout for one in better shape.
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John Roorda
http://johnroorda.com

sounddguy · Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 7:35 pm Post subject:

For others with questions, check with a local film sound person or equipment rental store. Some of the older gear that can still be in use like a Sound Devices 442 will power the mic direct into some of the best pre amps made.

Roar-duh · Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 7:55 pm Post subject:

Excellent suggestion... I tried a few local rental houses and came up blank, and came up to a point where I had to decide how much more of the 7 day return policy I wanted to burn through.

The story has a happy ending though - the seller was prompt with his refund, and I found another 416T on eBay in much better condition for nearly the same price, that actually sounds like a 416 should. Sarcastic

Kinda feels like I've been handed the keys to a Ferrari though... now I just have to learn how to use it to its potential.
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John Roorda
http://johnroorda.com

Roar-duh · Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2015 2:09 pm Post subject:

Just to follow up... I've finally had a chance to sit down, experiment a little with mic placement in my booth, and add some foam to the walls of my booth to try to tame what seemed like a little boxiness.

Since this is the first 416 that I've ever used, can you guys take a listen and tell me what you think? Any pointers on EQ? Does this mic make my butt look fat? Gasp

This is about 9 inches away, up at an angle with no foam.

http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=15696842528054457796
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John Roorda
http://johnroorda.com

paulstefano · Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 7:08 pm Post subject:

Okay, I'll bite.

Purely anecdotally comparing to your website demos, the 416 sounds cleaner and with much more resonance to your voice. Not sure if that's what you are going for. Also, I noticed a fair amount of popping the mic on your demos. That is significantly cut down here with the 416. There is still a little though, which surprised me given it's a shotgun. Are you coming at it either from a slight side angle, or with it above your head pointed at your mouth?

All in all, a marked improvement over what your sound was on your demos
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Roar-duh · Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 7:35 pm Post subject:

Thanks Paul. I think that resonance is good and that's definitely something I'd like to highlight... just a matter of learning when it's the appropriate tool for the job.

The mic was positioned up and to the left, about 9 inches away from my mouth, at forehead level pointing down towards my mouth. That's as far away, and as high, as I can get it given the constraints of my tiny booth. I can maybe find another 3 inches if I move the T power adapter from the back of the 416 to my interface, but I doubt that'll make a difference. And I was using a pop filter on this recording as well, so I need to work on my plosives.
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John Roorda
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paulstefano · Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 7:39 pm Post subject:

Mike Harrison · Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 8:03 pm Post subject:

The mic and its placement sound really fine. Are you using any EQ at all? There is considerable rumble, but I would've asked about EQ anyway. Apart from the rumble, tho, it sounds great.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

Roar-duh · Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 8:29 pm Post subject:

Thanks! There's no EQ or filters on that, and I can't recall if my furnace was running on the other side of my basement at the time... that may be the source of the rumble, it does penetrate my booth slightly. Normally I'd run an expander in post, but I didn't on this sample.
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John Roorda
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