Question about Phantom Power at DVinfo.net

John Meeks · June 24th, 2010, 02:35 PM

Ok, I'm splitting one microphone to two cameras. Should I enable the phantom power on both cameras or only on one? I'm just splitting with an XLR Y-cable.

Jay Massengill · June 24th, 2010, 02:45 PM

Personally I wouldn't do this.
However at the very least you should test the Y-cable to verify that it is wired correctly and only enable ONE phantom power source.
What mic are you using?
What cameras?

John Meeks · June 24th, 2010, 02:56 PM

Both cameras are Sony HXR-NX5U's, and the microphone is the Audio Technica AT899.

Is there a better solution to run one mic into two cameras?

John Meeks · June 24th, 2010, 03:06 PM

You know what I could do, I just noticed that the microphone holder has 2 slots, so I could just use 2 of them...

Jay Massengill · June 24th, 2010, 03:16 PM

Well you can use the wired AT899 with an internal AA battery.
There is certainly some advantage to using phantom power generally, but when trying to use a simple Y-cable with phantom I think there's more connectors and conductors that put you at greater risk of giant phantom-power noise spikes if a problem happens. In addition, the non-phantom-camera-input may not like having phantom passed into it.
Personally I'd use an mixer for feeding a single mic to two cameras, but of course I already have a mixer in hand.
You could use an actual mic splitter that's specifically built for the job and that works with phantom power.
These devices also have other controls that may be handy such as a ground lift and attenuators if you're passing the second signal to a different type of recorder than your primary.

John Meeks · June 24th, 2010, 04:04 PM

Ok, thanks for the idea, I'll look up the mic splitter.

I already have 2 of the microphones, so that might be the easiest way to go.

Rick Reineke · June 25th, 2010, 01:58 PM

Even If you use a splitter, turn on just one source or Phantom power, connected though the splitter's 'direct', the other mixer or destination would be fed via the splitter's transformer out. Most 'stomp box size splitters do not have attenuators, but DO have the ground lift, which can save the day.

June 24th, 2010, 02:35 PM	#1
John Meeks Regular Crew Join Date: May 2010 Location: Middletown, NY, USA Posts: 106	Question about Phantom Power Ok, I'm splitting one microphone to two cameras. Should I enable the phantom power on both cameras or only on one? I'm just splitting with an XLR Y-cable.

June 24th, 2010, 02:45 PM	#2
Jay Massengill Trustee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Burlington Posts: 1,976	Personally I wouldn't do this. However at the very least you should test the Y-cable to verify that it is wired correctly and only enable ONE phantom power source. What mic are you using? What cameras?

June 24th, 2010, 02:56 PM	#3
John Meeks Regular Crew Join Date: May 2010 Location: Middletown, NY, USA Posts: 106	Both cameras are Sony HXR-NX5U's, and the microphone is the Audio Technica AT899. Is there a better solution to run one mic into two cameras?

June 24th, 2010, 03:06 PM	#4
John Meeks Regular Crew Join Date: May 2010 Location: Middletown, NY, USA Posts: 106	You know what I could do, I just noticed that the microphone holder has 2 slots, so I could just use 2 of them...

June 24th, 2010, 03:16 PM	#5
Jay Massengill Trustee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Burlington Posts: 1,976	Well you can use the wired AT899 with an internal AA battery. There is certainly some advantage to using phantom power generally, but when trying to use a simple Y-cable with phantom I think there's more connectors and conductors that put you at greater risk of giant phantom-power noise spikes if a problem happens. In addition, the non-phantom-camera-input may not like having phantom passed into it. Personally I'd use an mixer for feeding a single mic to two cameras, but of course I already have a mixer in hand. You could use an actual mic splitter that's specifically built for the job and that works with phantom power. These devices also have other controls that may be handy such as a ground lift and attenuators if you're passing the second signal to a different type of recorder than your primary.

June 24th, 2010, 04:04 PM	#6
John Meeks Regular Crew Join Date: May 2010 Location: Middletown, NY, USA Posts: 106	Ok, thanks for the idea, I'll look up the mic splitter. I already have 2 of the microphones, so that might be the easiest way to go.

June 25th, 2010, 01:58 PM	#7
Rick Reineke Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: New York Posts: 2,039	Even If you use a splitter, turn on just one source or Phantom power, connected though the splitter's 'direct', the other mixer or destination would be fed via the splitter's transformer out. Most 'stomp box size splitters do not have attenuators, but DO have the ground lift, which can save the day.