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Newbie question about battery on a Sennheiser ME66
Hi, I have a Sennheiser ME66 that goes into a Tascam. Am I right in thinking the best way to record is just on the Mic setting on the Tascam and use the battery on the Sennheiser, as opposed to using Mic+Phantom on the Tascam? If I do the later, the battery dies really quickly on the Tascam.
I’m guessing there’s no difference in the audio quality of using either?
Also, how do I know if the battery dies on the Sennheiser? There doesn’t seem to a way to check the life on it and there will be times when I might not have the headphones on when I film. I don’t want the battery to die without knowing and not record the audio.At times I’ve been using the Phantom on the Tascam as it’s easy for me to see if the battery life.
Any help on this would be great.
Thanks,
Dave -
1 Reply
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Hello David and welcome to the Cow Audio Forum.
I suggest you use either battery or external Phantom Power, but not both at the same time.
Sam Mallery covered this back in 2009.
1) After every 4 or 5 hours of recording I dispose of the AA battery. I have only just read it has 150 hours of phantom power. Does that actually refer to on and recording time?
—This is referring to “on” time. A single AA battery in an ME66 should last you a very long time. No need to change your battery this often. It doesn’t take much juice at all to power the capsule of the mic. 150 may well be a very conservative number. Many people put a AA in their shotgun and forget that it exists.
2) Will the LED flash or anything to indicate that the battery is low? At the moment, the LED flashes on when I turn it on and then goes off, leaving the mic on.
—The LED will not start flashing when the battery is low. Your mic is operating properly. It’s supposed to only flash once when you turn it on.
3) If I leave the mic connected and switched on, but turn the camera off, would the mic still be using as much battery as it would be if the camera was on and recording?
—Yes, I believe this will drain the battery. It’s a good habit to train yourself to turn the mic off when you’re finished, and to turn it back on before you begin.
Regards,
Ty Ford
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