se2200a questions and concerns

[Thomas Engelhardt]

I was just given a SE2200a microphone and have a couple of questions and concerns.
First, when I plug it into my Mackie mixer, I can’t get the clip light to light up like it does with my other microphones.
Also, I seem to have to really crank the input volume to get the signal to come through.
I have phantom power and it works for my other mics.
I feel like such a dunce; is the above normal for such mic’s?

[kozikowski]

It's normal for a microphone with the pad (attenuator) switched on by accident.

Koz

[kozikowski]

So far I've been unable to get the actual instructions for your microphone. Is it discontinued? There is a very thorough book on the seUSB2200a. If you locate a book, forward the link.

Koz

[steve]

The clip light on the mixer should not be lighting up when using the mic as that indicates that the input signal is too high.

Check the pad switch as suggested by Koz.
Are you using the microphone the right way round? These mics have a front and a back - you record from the front side of it (look at the logo while you talk).

[Thomas Engelhardt]

The clip light on the mixer should not be lighting up when using the mic as that indicates that the input signal is too high.

Check the pad switch as suggested by Koz.
Are you using the microphone the right way round? These mics have a front and a back - you record from the front side of it (look at the logo while you talk).

Steve, I'm talking about normally setting the clip to just before it lights up continuosly as per my Mackie instructions. No matter how high I set the input level volume, I do not get "clipping". I suspect this is related to the volume control issue.

I did discover that there is a back and front to the mic during my experimentation. THe pad switch is set to 0dB.

To be honest, I'm not sure there is an issue, I strongly suspect there is because of the level I need to set the volume control to hear a signal being processed. I would love to hear from another sE2200a owner and compare notes with them.

Thank you for your efforts.

[Thomas Engelhardt]

So far I've been unable to get the actual instructions for your microphone. Is it discontinued? There is a very thorough book on the seUSB2200a. If you locate a book, forward the link.

Koz

Koz.

First, thanks for your efforts. I tried to post a reply to you first but it seems to have failed miserably.
The “pad switch” is set to 0dB, I played with it and didn’t notice any difference. I suspect that is because my vocal volume wasn’t enough to kick in the 10dB reduction.
The “low cut switch” is currently set to the right position as suggested in that sEUSB2200a manual. Neither position made much difference in my experimentation.
I just emailed sE and shall post any response they send, if any. They advertize the mic as “Mic of the year” in 2004 and 2006 and I can find it for sale everywhere so I don’t think it’s discontinued.
Oh well.
Thanks again.

[kozikowski]

my vocal volume wasn’t enough to kick in the 10dB reduction.

It doesn't "kick in." The attenuator switch and attenuator switches in general are used when you expect loud sounds. They reduce the sensitivity of the microphone permanently until to you change it back.

I question the choice of 10dB as an attenuator value. In a live performance, 10dB isn't very useful or significant. Live performers can blow through that with no effort. Shure Brothers microphone attenuator products start at 20dB and work up.

Is this a USB microphone? Is my instruction book for the seUSB2200a the right one? We can only go by what you tell us.

And yes, I would be concerned if I could not get the microphone channel to intentionally overload. The USB version of this microphone also has gain settings in software, I understand in addition to the attenuator.

I was given this microphone

To finish the sentence: ...because the original owner couldn't get it to work right..?

Koz

[steve]

The "Pad" switch should make a noticeable reduction of the signal level.
Have you tried monitoring the mic signal by plugging headphones into the mixer?

[Thomas Engelhardt]

Koz:
This is not their USB version. I have a sE2200a, not a USB2200a. It is a new one, I unwrapped it myself. There is not specific manual that I can find for the sE2200a, just a general manual for all microphones. Oh well.
Steve:
I have been experimenting with it using my headphones plugged into my UCA202 U-control. I hook the mic up to the Mackie, the Mackie to the UCA202 and the UCA202 to my PC which is running Vista.
The Pad Switch DID NOT make a noticeable difference, perhaps that is a clue to the problem.
Thanks again for your efforts and suggestions. I truly appreciate your assistance. Using another phantom powered mic works just find so I’m thinking I got a lemon but I’m just not sure. Oh well.
Thanks again…..
The next thing on my list that I’m checking is if my Mackie puts out 48V phantom power. I’m hoping that this is a standard and that this is not an issue but I figure I should check that since it would explain my problems.

[Thomas Engelhardt]

Oh well, I may have figured it out. My Mackie manual has the following….
“The PPM Series provide +15V DC phantom powering on pins….”
And, the lame sE Electronics Microphone Manual has the following….
“…require a phantom power supply (48V nominal)….”
Does this seem like the issue to you guys? If so, how would you suggest I deal with it? Can a preamp address this?
Thanks again.