RM-5 and RM-6 Troubleshooting

Last modified: 2026-08-27

Table of Contents
  1. General resources
  2. 1. Very quiet signal
  3. 2. Hum or ground noise
  4. 3. Ribbon broke during assembly or use
  5. 4. End cap won't seat, or seems misaligned
  6. Request Troubleshooting Support

General resources

Very quiet signal

Ribbon mics are inherently low-output, and the RM-5/RM-6 may need 60dB or more of clean gain from your preamp to sound right. If your signal is quiet but clean, this is often just normal operation rather than a fault.

Hum or ground noise

  1. Check continuity between the XLR pin 1 and the mic body with a multimeter.
  2. Check for a loose XLR-mount screw or a missed pin 3/4 jumper. A bad or incomplete ground connection here, rather than the mic itself, is the most common cause.
  3. Re-solder the ground jumper if it looks incomplete.

Ribbon broke during assembly or use

The ribbon is extremely fragile. Common causes during assembly include breathing on it while soldering nearby, pliers slipping into the magnet gap, or a stray washer getting pulled into the motor magnet. If your ribbon is broken, please request a new one via the Parts Request form.

End cap won't seat, or seems misaligned

  1. The end cap fits snugly by design and often need gentle prying with a screwdriver to seat.
  2. If it still won't seat, check that the motor is attached to the cap in the correct orientation. A motor attached backward to the cap will prevent it from seating no matter how much force you use.

Request Troubleshooting Support

If you weren't able to solve your issue from this guide, you can request email support from one of our troubleshooting experts here: Request Troubleshooting Support.