AKG PERCEPTION 150 User Manual

PERCEPTION

User Instructions ..............p.2

Please read the manual before using the equipment!

Mode d’emploi . . . ............p.12

Veuillez lire cette notice avant d’utiliser le système!

150

Table of Contents

Page

1 Precaution/Unpacking ........................................................3

1.1 Precaution...................................................................3

1.2 Unpacking...................................................................3

2 Description..........................................................................3

2.1 Introduction.................................................................3

2.2 Features ......................................................................3

2.3 Optional Accessories ..................................................4

3 Interfacing...........................................................................5

3.1 General........................................................................5

3.2 Pinout..........................................................................5

3.3 Connecting the Microphone .......................................5

2

Page

4 Using Your Microphone ......................................................6

5 Cleaning..............................................................................6

6 Troubleshooting ..................................................................7

7 Specifications .....................................................................9

The International Page...........................................................21

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1

Precaution/Unpacking

1.1 Precaution

piece of equipment your microphone
will be connected to fulfills the safety
regulations in force in your country
and is fitted with a ground lead.

1.2 Unpacking

Check that the packaging contains all of
the items listed below:

• Microphone

• Stand adapter

• Carrying case

• Mini poster

Should any item be missing, please con­tact your AKG dealer.

Please make sure that the

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2 Description

2.1 Introduction

AKG product. This Manual contains
important instructions for setting up and
operating your equipment. Please take a
few minutes to read the instructions

below carefully before operating the
equipment and keep the Manual for

future reference. Have fun and impress
your audience!
The
rugged true condenser microphone built
to the same strict quality standards as all
other AKG products.
Designed on the basis of AKG’s decades
of know-how and feedback from sound
engineers around the world using AKG
studio microphones every day, this gen­eral-purpose small-diaphragm micro­phone brings AKG studio quality to the
worlds of recording, live sound, and
broadcasting.

Thank you for purchasing an

PERCEPTION

150 is a heavy-duty,

2.2 Features

• Cardioid polar pattern: The micro­phone is most sensitive to sounds
arriving from in front of it while pick­ing up much less of sounds arriving
from the sides or rear (from monitor
speakers or neighboring instru­ments). This makes the microphone
equally suited for recording and
onstage use.

• Gold-sputtered diaphragm: The
diaphragm is made of a plastic foil
that is gold-sputtered on one side
only to prevent shorting to the back
electrode even at extremely high
sound pressure levels.

• All-metal body: The all-metal body
adds to the rejection of RF interfer­ence so you can use the microphone
near transmitter stations and along
with wireless microphones or other
communications equipment. The
extremely rugged, heavy body and

3

1

Fig. 1: Preattenuation switch (1) on

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4

150 rear.

sturdy front grill protect the micro­phone from damage from tough han­dling on stage.

• High headroom, minimum distor-
tion: Capable of handling sound
pressure levels up to 135 dB without
introducing perceptible distortion and
built to resist high temperatures and
humidity, the microphone will give
excellent results in a wide range of
applications.

• Switchable preattenuation pad:
The preattenuation switch (1) on the
microphone rear (refer to fig. 1) lets
you increase the headroom by 10 dB
for distortion-free close-in recording.
The preattenuation pad prevents the
microphone's output level, particular­ly at low frequencies, from overload­ing the miniature transformers used
in many mixer input stages, etc.

2.3 Optional Accessories

• PF 80 studio pop screen

• ST 305 floor stand

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3 Interfacing

3.1 General

condenser transducer designed for 48­volt phantom powering to DIN 45 596/
IEC 268-15. Neither the diaphragm nor
the backplate are permanently polarized,
so the microphone needs an external
power supply.

3.2 Pinout

The microphone provides a balanced
output on a 3-pin male XLR connector:

Pin 1: ground
Pin 2: hot
Pin 3: return

The microphone uses a true

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3.3 Connecting the Microphone

Refer to fig. 2 below.

1. Use an XLR cable to connect the
microphone to a balanced XLR input
with phantom power.

Fig. 2: Connecting to a balanced input with phantom power.

2. Switch the phantom power on. (Refer
to the user manual of the unit to which
you connected your microphone.)

5

4 Using Your
Microphone

The

PERCEPTION

pose cardioid microphone for recording,
broadcast, and onstage use.
Every instrument radiates its sound in a
specific way. Therefore, to get the best
sound it is crucial to experiment with
microphone placement.

• When recording wind instruments or
vocals, make sure not to blow or
sing directly into the microphone.

• To avoid unwanted wind and pop
noise or moisture problems, place an
optional PF 80 pop screen from AKG
between the microphone and vocal­ist/instrument.

• Keep the microphone dry. Moisture
from blowing or singing directly at the

150 is a general-pur-

capsule from a short distance, or
extremely high humidity may cause
the microphone to start crackling or
go very quiet due to partial shorting
of the polarization voltage.

• High volume instruments: You can
use this microphone for close-in
recording of very loud instruments
(brass instruments, kick drum, etc.).
Use a pen or similar pointed object to
set the preattenuation switch to the
“-10 dB” position. This switches the
preattenuation pad in, enabling the
microphone to handle sound pressure
levels up to 145 dB.

• Low-frequency noise: To suppress
low-frequency noise such as air con­ditioning rumble, footfall noise, or traf­fic sounds, check whether your mixer
provides highpass filters on the micro­phone channels. If it does, switch the
appropriate highpass filter in.

5 Cleaning

To clean the surface of the
microphone body, use a soft

cloth moistened with water.

6

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6 Troubleshooting

Problem Possible Cause Remedy

No sound.

Distortion.

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1. Power to mixer and/or amplifier is off.

2. Channel or master fader on mixer, or
volume control on amplifier is at zero.

3. Microphone is not connected to mixer
or amplifier.

4. Cable connectors are seated loosely.

5. Cable is defective.

6. No supply voltage.

1. Channel gain control on mixer set too
high.

2. Microphone too close to sound
source.

3. Microphone sensitivity set too high.

1. Switch power to mixer or amplifier on.

2. Set channel or master fader on mixer
or volume control on amplifier to de­sired level.

3. Connect microphone to mixer or am­plifier.

4. Check cable connectors for secure
seat.

5.

Check cable and replace if damaged.

6. Switch phantom power on.
Check cable and replace if necessary.

1. Turn gain control down CCW.

2. Move microphone further away from
sound source.

3. Switch preattenuation pad in.

7

6 Troubleshooting

Problem Possible Cause Remedy

Crackling noises or low output. • Partial short-circuits due to excessive

humidity.

8

• Place microphone in warm, dry room
and allow to dry.

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