Microphone Test Sessions

I'm a manufacturer, and we happen to be doing some mic test clips in the studio today. I've always been dubious
about the value of sound clips, because we can make a mic sound drastically different depending on how we set it up.
But people want to hear something.

I leave it to others to do shootouts.

We're not in the large diaphragm condenser fray...I feel there are more than enough to go around already.
So we concentrate on areas where there is less (or nothing) available in the market... multi pattern ribbons,
single diaphragm native figure 8 condensers, and very small diaphragm condensers.

Our session today is a multi pattern ribbon as a vocal mic.

Les
L M Watts Technology

chunger said:

7) Regulated vs. passive B+  on C12 circuit. . . this would also test true regulated bias as the prototype PSU has a true fixed bias output instead of the self-bias scheme of the original schematic.

-Current Passive/regulated kit PSU
-prototype regulated/regulated/regulated psu (not released)

Click to expand...

Really looking forward to all your tests!

Could you explain #7 a bit more? By "current passive/regulated kit PSU" do you mean passive B+/regulated heater? Which portion of the PSU is self-bias?

Also, I'm going to make a pre-emptive guess for #1 (based on my own general headbasket tests), and wager that the headbasket layers/mesh has minimal effect, but we shall see!

I noticed in your proposed test you are going to post files of capsules with different chamber sizes.

6) C12 capsule shallow vs. deep dish depth.
-HK12 1st gen capsule
-HK12 2nd gen capsule

Click to expand...

I'm sure this will give a clear indication of the different sounds of Eric's capsules but perhaps be less clear about the true difference in sound this emparts.
After 10+ years of working with AKG's capsules I've heard and repaired many examples of both types. I probably get about 10 shallow dish capsules a year on my bench. Many examples of both these capsules can sound almost identical when set up properly. Variation between these two types can be just as small as variation between similar types. The shallow capsule will have slightly lower output and can be made to exhibit a richer midrange if one desires.
It's similar to picking 2 random examples of the same model tube, testing them and then believing they must be different because they don't sound exactly the same.

Test session cancelled for today because the singer has been nursing a cold for the last 3 days and felt she could not perform up to standard.  We will have to re-schedule.

I have been looking for vintage microphone samples in the area that are available or in possession of prominent people on forum, but it is logistically difficult to get them in hand for testing, so I am looking into booking time at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley for the session since they have:

ELA M251
U67
U47
AKG C24
James Gangwer C12 (which may or may not be comparable to original)

Hyde Street studios in San Francisco has C12 but no ELA M251 but is also a possibility.

Hello,
First I want to Thank  Chunger for his work and all the Others for there Comments. Is there any Progress in this Testing ?
If I may put some Thoughts about the Testing Process,
I made the Experience that it s very important to have a calibrated Point in the Room for the Mic and the Singer, Artist. I do this with a Rope  mounted  on  the Sealing with a Weight at the End to keep the Rope straight and a Marking.  Than it s easy to find the same Position of the Capsule  again after You worked on the Mic. A Second Rope marks  the Distance of the Artist from the Mic. Maybee it sounds  stupid but if You ask the Singer to put his Nose to the Weight of this Second Rope, You can be sure that the Angle  is always the Same. I made the Experience that  even small  Changes in Distance and Angle can make a big Difference , and Singers like to move there Head, and than it s not a fair Test anymore .  That doesn t mean that this is the best Distance for every Mic but You have a better Comparisment about Promixi etc. I think it s better to avoid too  emotional Musicmaterial because than the Performanceresults may differ too much from each Take. A complex  spoken Text can say also a lot of a Micsound, specially  for experienced Ears . Most of the Test who are made for Customers as a selling Argument are absolutly useless  . A neutral sounding, not loadsensitive  Preamp with a Transformer Input if You test Transformer based Mics  is important too , i think. For Transformerless Mics a Transformerless  Input is probably better.
About Testing Mics and Capsules in General,
Of Course it s not possible to have objective, general Results. It s  interesting only in Relation  to the other Mics or Capsules tested under the same Circumstances in the  same Test. A Testcomparisment  in different Locations with different Soundmaterial is only Confusion. Of course it s always better to test Something in Your own Place,  but did You ever heard a  serious  tested  dark sounding Capsule  that suddenly sounds bright in Your Place.? Or a Capsule  tested with a bad  off Axis behaviour sounds suddenly super trooper in Your Place ? I think if You tried to keep the Conditions  inside One Test as equal as possible, it says at least Something, specially if You know the Testingconditions ,If  Somebody who knows what he does  did the Test and if this Test is not  done for Customers or  as  selling Argument  . If You can  see it in  Relation of what it is. At least You can get a Idea in what Ballpark the Product is and this can be very helpfull and it s worth the Work.
Greatings
Lothar