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poctop

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Hi All, I had a Chat lately With Dave Geren at Cinemag , and he kindly Offered to put some reviews of the vintagemicrophone Project along with  vintage Microphones pcb kit Cinemag Microphone equipped, i would like to gather some feedback from you at your will if you wish to help out with this opportunity to Promote my projects even if you Microphone is not equipped with cinemag transformer and specially if you have AMI transformer too, cause i  am  trying to help promote those as well to give a hand to a Future AMI.
i would really like to know about it here too  :)

Thanks in advance for your Post ,
I really do appreciate a lot ,
PS: a little Picture with your microphone Guts open with cinemag transformer or Various transformer and your happy Face would be really welcomed,

Best,
And thanks Again for your all of your support during these years.
Dany,
http://www.vintagemicrophonepcbkit.com


 
Ok, here goes the first pic:

I have just finished my stereo pair of the D-12, and they are burning in at the moment.
They have:

  • Cinemag 13114 transformers that I bought from Chunger.
  • RK-12 matched pair capsules from Microphone-parts.
  • Electro Harmonix 6072A tubes from eBay.
  • Body from Chunger

I would say that this is a fairly easy build. Straight forward layout of the components and not much to do wrong.

These microphones just sound lovely!
I am making test recordings as the tubes burn in, and they sound even better after 48 hours. Will give them 72.
I love them already.

My workhorse mic until now has been the Manley Reference C, and I have test recordings in the same project for comparison (also with different tubes).
I already find the Ref C a little harder sounding, a bit more sharp on the "S":es, and maybe not as detailed. Though it does have lots of more output.
It will be great to have another qualitative (stereo!) choice in the studio as they are both really good mics and complement each other depending on the situation.

Best,
Michael
 

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Here is a picture of my D-ELA M251 E.

It has:

  • Cinemag 13114 transformer from Chunger
  • C-12 capsule from Chunger
  • Electro Harmonix 6072A from eBay
  • Body from Chunger

It has the standard white Sprague output cap from the BOM, as opposed to my D-12s where I used green Russian PIOs that I bought in a lot on eBay.
I don't know if it is the output cap, the actual mic design or the capsule, but it does not have the same smoothness as the D-12.
They do have the same tube and Cinemag transformer. It sounds more modern, or "in your face" (in a good way).

I was first afraid that this would be a tricky build due to the ptp part, but it turned out to be quite manageable and vey rewarding! :)
This mic has presence! I am currently burning it in, and have found that some tubes are better taming it than others..
My plan is to put in a TC-capsule in it as I want it to be as good as can be.

Sadly I do not have any internal pics of the completed build, but I am very happy with the work of the powder coater so I gladly share this pic instead.
He did not recommend me to powder coat the back of the mesh black, as the powder adds to the thickness of the mesh.
His point was that it may influence the sound negatively, changing the characteristic of the backside relative the front side of the mic.
I don't know if it would be audible, so maybe I just leave it this way, or use ordinary (thinner) spray, or buy another head basket from Chunger and then compare.

My guess is that this mic will be a favorite on vocals.
When it is burnt in I will compare it to my friend's un-tampered original vintage Telefunken ELA M251 (don't know which tube he has), which will be interesting!
EDIT: His 251 has the AC701k tube, so comparison will still be interesting though not 100% valid.

Best,
Michael

 

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Here is my D-U47 Fet build.

It has:

  • Cinemag 13101 transformer from Chunger.
  • RK-47 matched pair capsule(s) from microphone-parts.
  • GT-2B Body from Chunger

This is a build that I can really recommend. It is fun, straight forward, and very rewarding.
I used the bias bridge so there is really nothing that can go wrong. 

I really like this mic. Actually, I am surprised how good it is! That's why I am building another one (hence the matched pair capsules).
It has authority and presence, and I like its smooth yet detailed top end.
The RK-47 works well in this mic. It is not dark, but it handles sibilance really well. Vintage and modern at the same time. Simply perfect!

Judging from out tests, this will be our new favorite for guitars. Probably it will be at service in a lot of vocal sessions too.
I want to use this mic, and that is generally a good sign..  ;)

Best,
Michael

 

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Hi,

I have really enjoyed building all these mic's and have to say they are all fantastic at everything and sound so good!.
I am recording them through various different mic pre's SSL 9000, API-312, Neve 1290, Gyraf G9, 1512 and using 1176 compressor, SSL 4000 bus compressor and CLX VU compressor (DBX 160). From there the signal path goes into the line in of a Allen & Heath GS3000 32 channel desk and into a Digidesign 96 i/o and then into Protools 9.0.4.
I am taking some of these microphones round to other studios to compare with the originals so i will update as and when i get more info.

This is my build of the D-U87T

It features :

* Peluso P-T87 Transformer / Sowter 9610
* Microphone parts RK-87
* Aurycle A460 Body


Fantastic as overheads and on vocals. great on acoustic guitar or room mic.
Really hard not to use these on everything!
I have built 7 of these and used different transformers for some. Makes a lot of difference which transformers you use, personally I like the T87 from Peluso as these give the highest output and clearest sound, but the Sowter 9610 are great as well.

regards

Spence.
 

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This ia my build of the D-U67

This mic features:

* SE electronics body Z3300a
* HK-67 Capsule from Eric on Group DIY
* Sowter 1304 transformer
* Telefunken EF86 tube

I used this to record a version of Snuff by Slipknot on everything and sounded so good.
Great on electric guitar along with a ribbon mic i have (golden age R2 modified with sower transformer)
Smooth and silky top end along with bottom end, nice pushed mids.

regards

Spence.
 

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HI,

This is my build of the D-M269c

it features:

* Own design prototype body (Temporary)
* Sowter 9610 transformer
* AC701 Tube

Sounds lovely and precise on vocals have also used on acoustic guitar. very versatile mic.

regards

Spence.
 

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  • m269c.jpeg
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Hi,

This is my build of the D-M49

This Mic features:

* Mohawk Studios bodies M49 style
* Generic 5:1 transformer from cathedral pipes / other unbranded high quality TXF
* RK-47 Capsule from Microphone parts
* AC701 Tube

Have used this on acoustic guitar and vocals and used as room mic.
Very impressive in every area but really good when driven hard for distorted vocals i've found. sounds great on acoustic guitar and has a lot of character.

regards

Spence.
 

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  • M49.jpeg
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Hi,

This is my build of the D-U47

This mic features:

* Mohawk Studios Copper pipe Body
* RK-7 Capsule Microphone Parts
* Generic 5:1 transformer from cathedral pipes
* EF80 / EF800 Tube

Great all rounder for anything, love them as room mic great goto for vocals, no eq'ing needed apart from LC sometimes.
I will be upgrading these mics eventually.

regards

Spence.
 

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Hi,

This is my build of the D-U47FET

This mic features:

* Prototype body (Frankenstein Style!)
* Microphone parts RK-47
* Sowter 1303 Transformer

Great for kick drum, sounds good as overheads for drums, also great on floor tom, loads of bottom end.
I will update the mic bodies eventually but like the Frankenmic style!.

regards

Spence.
 

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Hi,

Here are 3 of my 4 D87 builds. One was sold.

- One is in a Microphone-Parts limited edition body with a RK-87 capsule and AMI T-13 transformer
- Another is in a MXL 2010 body with a RK-87 capsule and a Cinemag 2480 transformer
- The one i sold was in n Aurycle 460 body with a RK-87 capsule and  Cinemag 2480 transformer
- The last but not the least is my favorite. It's  in a Chunger SYT-5 v2 body with a RK-87 capsule ,Cinemag 2480 transformer, and polystyrene caps. All are smooth sounding with tight bass extension .But possibly because of the polystyrenes, the Chunger one is the smoothest sounding.
A really fun and rewarding kit to build which i would recommend to anyone with decent soldering skills and a taste for vintage mics.
 

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