What does it mean that "a mike is shorting out?"?

Question

A sound angineer is trying to fix a microphone before a concert and that's what he says. What does it mean exactly?

Answer 1

Anymore, the term "shorting out" is used as a catch-all. Basically, it means that there is a malfunction with something. Without knowing anything about wiring, electronics, etc, many people will say that something is "shorting out". The actual problem could be a short, but it could also be a break in a wire causing an intermittant open. Or a faulty switch with dirty contacts, or any number of other things. Don't assume the term is an accurate or in-depth diagnosis of a problem.

Answer 2

Technically, a short is when a power wire is connected directly to ground and the current flows directly to ground - bypassing (or shorting) the circuit. If you are talking about a low power signal from a mic, this might actually be the problem if a wire got pinched or crushed. There is a ground shield around the mic signal wire to prevent interference. If it was a high power circuit in a home or a car, you would see smoke and there would be a possibility of a fire.

This a common term used by people to mean that there is a wiring problem. In reality, very few failures are shorts - most wiring problems are a bad connection somewhere in the circuit which would actually be an "open".

Good Luck.

Answer 3

There could be two problems here.

First, the mike signal is being connected to the ground terminal through a fault in the cable or the mike itself, so that any electrical signal generated by the mike is sent straight to ground and isn't getting to the amp to be heard. The tech can measure the connections and determine if the fault is in the mike or the cable.

The other problem is with microphone power. A mike needs power which is then modulates depending on the sound coming in - it's this signal that gets amplified. The power for a professional mike, called phantom power, is about 50 volts, and if THAT is being shorted to ground, it will blow fuses and other nasty things; also, the phantom power is usually being supplied to several other mikes through the mixing board, and if one mike shorts out the phantom power, ALL of the mikes go out. Bad news.

Answer 4

Sounds like an independent technician who doesn't really know his field very well, and is making excuses for what he doesn't know.

I've worked in the audio visual support field for 25 years on everything ranging from the Academy Awards to Fortune 100 boardrooms, and I've never heard that excuse used.

I've heard some similar doozies, though, from third rate techs in podunk little towns who knew just enough to be a danger to themselves.

Answer 5

It probably means that the microphone has developed a fault that is shorting (or connecting) the two signal wires together.