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I have a new Rode PodMic (or Procaster) plugged into a Behringer U-Phoria UMC204HD and I experienced a very weird hum problem. If I place the mic on different locations / angles, a very weird hum appears. See the following (professional ;)) drawing to better see what I mean.

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I turned the gain all the way up for this example and boosted the output a little bit to make it more noticeable. But it's also hearable on lower settings. I have two recordings attached with the mic pointing to the top and pointing away from me (ignore the birds :)). I turned off the fuse for the complete house / room and just recorded this with a MacBook Pro (running on battery) and just the Interface to eliminate other EMIs.

So my question to you audio experts: What's the cause of this weird hum and how can it be handled?

Thank you very much and have a great day

EDIT: Tested with a Rode Procaster - same hum on different orientations, so I updated the thread – it's not a PodMic Issue, it's a general dynamic microphone issue.

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  • I'm trying to figure out if that hum is a harmonic of a mains/earth hum caused by all the gain or if we're hearing the fundamental and it's some sort of data leak from the interface/MacBook. I know you've said you've killed the electrics in the house but it could still be interference on the earth circuit which stays connected for safety. Have you tried recording in other rooms with the same set-up? have you tried pointing the mic in different (geographical) directions?
    – 7HzResearch
    Jan 31, 2022 at 16:09
  • Thank you. I walked through the whole house and the hum appears in every single room. I even tried to go outside the building or into the garage - same result. Pointing to the top results in the bad hum. I also plugged a condenser microphone into my interface/setup with no hum at all. Regarding the (geographical) directions it looks like pointing to the top is the worst. I also don't have any transformer nearby that I know of like this person who fixed the problem by buying a SM7B ;)
    – Misun
    Jan 31, 2022 at 17:01
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    I think the simplest answer has to be that there's something wrong with the mic. You appear to have eliminated everything else. It could be something obvious like something loose int he casing that's making a short or it could be something hard to spot like a weak solder joint. If it's still in warranty, I suggest going back to the retailer/manufacturer either for a replacement or a repair.
    – 7HzResearch
    Jan 31, 2022 at 21:13
  • Things to test: 1) turn off phantom power (48V) on Behringer. 2) different cable. It should be XLR to XLR. 3) remove mic from mic stand and set it on table (reasoning, it could be a ground loop).
    – ghellquist
    Feb 1, 2022 at 7:51
  • Thanks for your replies. Tomorrow I can plug another similar dynamic mic (Rode Procaster) in the same interface (and the same environment). If the hum is the same, something is wrong with my environment - maybe it's haunted :) 48V is off, tested two different cables, microphone is handheld in the recordings (but it also appears if i place it on the table). Do you think guys i should buy a more shielded cable or is it more like voodoo? The hum only appears if the mic is connected to the cable, so for my understanding it should not make a (big) difference.
    – Misun
    Feb 1, 2022 at 9:39

1 Answer 1

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I owned 2 of Rode PodMic and I had the same issue with 2 of them. I tested with Zoom F8, Zoom H6 recorders and Presonus Quantum Audio Interface. I suspicied from the cable and connectors first but trying with many different quality cable alternatives also couldn't solved the issue (I used a Klotz cable with Neutrik connector). I observed 1 additional issue; PodMic has a serious RF resistant problem that means microphone unfortunately catches electrical and magnetic noises from surrounding devices. Even from Zoom H6 handy recorder and even from 104 cm away distance. I tested to pointing the PodMic to my desktop pc, referance monitors and audio interface. When I getting closer to this devices I heard different types of magnetic voices from each of them. So I think this example unfortunately proves PodMic has a serious issue about RF resistance. Funny but pointing the microphones to the right direction solves the issue but according the devices around the microphones sometimes not.

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