Why microphones sound better with the capsule facing downwards - now scientifically explained!

[rock soderstrom]

​

You've probably wondered why microphones that are mounted with the capsule facing down sound better than upright microphones.



If you look at photographs of recordings of timeless classics in music history, you will immediately notice that the vast majority of all the stars' main microphones were suspended with the head basket facing downwards, regardless of whether the microphones were operated with tubes or semiconductors. Recording engineers intuitively realised very early on that this type of mounting had sonic advantages. Elvis, The Beatles, Miles Davis, Nirvana and even Tayler Swift all use their microphones upside down, only beginners use the ordinary upright position.

But why is that, why does a microphone simply sound better in this position? This knowledge has been used in practice for a long time, it has proven itself, but until now the scientific basis was unclear.

This has now changed: an international group of experts from the Frauenhöfer Institute in Freiburg, led by physicist Dr. Bernd Trickser, has been able to scientifically investigate and explain this phenomenon.

In a well-received publication in the physics journal "Das physikalische Flachblatt", Trickser and his team were able to show what was really responsible for this difference in sound.

Like light, sound waves have a dual character; they can be waves or mass particles, depending on their state and speed. This basis is also responsible for the well-known difference in sound. When the sound waves hit the microphone capsule, they are slowed down and diffracted at the edges depending on the frequency. This results in low frequencies bounce off the capsule towards the floor due to their increasing weight, which is not a problem if the microphone is hanging upside down. After prolonged use, the deep black bass in particular collects on the floor and leaves visible bass puddles in the long term. This is good for the sound, as there is no low-pass rumble to spoil the recording and the residue can be easily wiped away.

With the simple upright microphone position, however, problems arise: after quantum diffusion with the microphone capsule, the deep bass frequencies are initially deflected towards the ground by gravity, but in doing so they hit the microphone body, which is now in the way. The Trickser effect, named after the discoverer, occurs; the deep bass components are thrown back towards the microphone capsule, which can lead to problems with the recording.

But not only can the sound be negatively affected, the deep bass components can also color the microphone capsule black, which is an unwanted second side aspect of the Trickser effect!

Thanks to the important work of Dr. Bernd Trickser and his team, we now know why we have always done it right. A microphone is hung upside down for the best sound quality and it also looks better!

 

[Purplenoise]

View attachment 121733​

You've probably wondered why microphones that are mounted with the capsule facing down sound better than upright microphones.

View attachment 121729

If you look at photographs of recordings of timeless classics in music history, you will immediately notice that the vast majority of all the stars' main microphones were suspended with the head basket facing downwards, regardless of whether the microphones were operated with tubes or semiconductors. Recording engineers intuitively realised very early on that this type of mounting had sonic advantages. Elvis, The Beatles, Miles Davis, Nirvana and even Tayler Swift all use their microphones upside down, only beginners use the ordinary upright position.

But why is that, why does a microphone simply sound better in this position? This knowledge has been used in practice for a long time, it has proven itself, but until now the scientific basis was unclear.

This has now changed: an international group of experts from the Frauenhöfer Institute in Freiburg, led by physicist Dr. Bernd Trickser, has been able to scientifically investigate and explain this phenomenon.

In a well-received publication in the physics journal "Das physikalische Flachblatt", Trickser and his team were able to show what was really responsible for this difference in sound.

Like light, sound waves have a dual character; they can be waves or mass particles, depending on their state and speed. This basis is also responsible for the well-known difference in sound. When the sound waves hit the microphone capsule, they are slowed down and diffracted at the edges depending on the frequency. This results in low frequencies bounce off the capsule towards the floor due to their increasing weight, which is not a problem if the microphone is hanging upside down. After prolonged use, the deep black bass in particular collects on the floor and leaves visible bass puddles in the long term. This is good for the sound, as there is no low-pass rumble to spoil the recording and the residue can be easily wiped away.

With the simple upright microphone position, however, problems arise: after quantum diffusion with the microphone capsule, the deep bass frequencies are initially deflected towards the ground by gravity, but in doing so they hit the microphone body, which is now in the way. The Trickser effect, named after the discoverer, occurs; the deep bass components are thrown back towards the microphone capsule, which can lead to problems with the recording.

But not only can the sound be negatively affected, the deep bass components can also color the microphone capsule black, which is an unwanted second side aspect of the Trickser effect!

Thanks to the important work of Dr. Bernd Trickser and his team, we now know why we have always done it right. A microphone is hung upside down for the best sound quality and it also looks better!

Aha…I knew it

 

[k brown]

In all seriousness, didn't this originally also have to do with preventing heat from the tube affecting the less heat-stable PVC diaphragms used before the adoption of Mylar?

Also, for most of the 'classic' years ('50s/'60s) of pop vocalist recording, the most often used mic position was well above the nose, often as high as the brow - with this placement, hanging from above keeps the mic and boom/stand from obstructing the vocalist's view of the sheet music, and in most cases negated the need for any kind of additional pop screen.

 

[Tubetec]

To be honest Im not sure I believe everything above ,
surely depending on material reflections from the ceiling could be just as bad ,

Second if the artist is singing upto a microphone ,it automatically opens the throat and air ways more ,
singing slightly off axis will also change the sound and make popping or sibelence less likely .

 

[Tubetec]

One potential downside of dropping in the mic from above is you really do need a good heavy counter balanced boom stand , otherwise one tip and your precious mic hits the deck .

Ive also found angling the vocal mic up a bit can help reduce spill from an acoustic guitar , likewise with the guitar mic ,you can avoid vocal spill to a greater extent with careful positioning and keeping the vocal off axis

Vertical or horizontal positioning of a mic is likely to be the worst in many respects due to the influence of the walls and ceilings ,which generally are at right angles , an LDC mic with the rear of the capsule pointed off into a far corner of the room just works better as you have less chance of standing waves and flutter echo messing things up .

 

[MicMaven]

In all seriousness, didn't this originally also have to do with preventing heat from ... hanging from above keeps the mic and boom/stand from obstructing the vocalist's view of the sheet music.

This mirrors my understanding. Placing the microphone above the nose and mouth not only makes it easier to see sheet music and charts, it minimizes problems from plosives and sibilants, and provides more room to play an instrument. Few gaffs spoil a recording than striking ones guitar strings on a mic stand.

[Fascinating piece which I suspect was leaked prematurely; approximately two months ahead of schedule ...] James

 

[OneRoomStudio]

View attachment 121733​

You've probably wondered why microphones that are mounted with the capsule facing down sound better than upright microphones.

View attachment 121729

If you look at photographs of recordings of timeless classics in music history, you will immediately notice that the vast majority of all the stars' main microphones were suspended with the head basket facing downwards, regardless of whether the microphones were operated with tubes or semiconductors. Recording engineers intuitively realised very early on that this type of mounting had sonic advantages. Elvis, The Beatles, Miles Davis, Nirvana and even Tayler Swift all use their microphones upside down, only beginners use the ordinary upright position.

But why is that, why does a microphone simply sound better in this position? This knowledge has been used in practice for a long time, it has proven itself, but until now the scientific basis was unclear.

This has now changed: an international group of experts from the Frauenhöfer Institute in Freiburg, led by physicist Dr. Bernd Trickser, has been able to scientifically investigate and explain this phenomenon.

In a well-received publication in the physics journal "Das physikalische Flachblatt", Trickser and his team were able to show what was really responsible for this difference in sound.

Like light, sound waves have a dual character; they can be waves or mass particles, depending on their state and speed. This basis is also responsible for the well-known difference in sound. When the sound waves hit the microphone capsule, they are slowed down and diffracted at the edges depending on the frequency. This results in low frequencies bounce off the capsule towards the floor due to their increasing weight, which is not a problem if the microphone is hanging upside down. After prolonged use, the deep black bass in particular collects on the floor and leaves visible bass puddles in the long term. This is good for the sound, as there is no low-pass rumble to spoil the recording and the residue can be easily wiped away.

With the simple upright microphone position, however, problems arise: after quantum diffusion with the microphone capsule, the deep bass frequencies are initially deflected towards the ground by gravity, but in doing so they hit the microphone body, which is now in the way. The Trickser effect, named after the discoverer, occurs; the deep bass components are thrown back towards the microphone capsule, which can lead to problems with the recording.

But not only can the sound be negatively affected, the deep bass components can also color the microphone capsule black, which is an unwanted second side aspect of the Trickser effect!

Thanks to the important work of Dr. Bernd Trickser and his team, we now know why we have always done it right. A microphone is hung upside down for the best sound quality and it also looks better!

Those bass puddles are exactly why I’ll be releasing a line of extra-absorbent Swiffer Sound Absorbing Pads™ - to soak up the bass you leave behind!

 

[k brown]

Memoir: "The Bass I Left Behind".

 

[Khron]

[Fascinating piece which I suspect was leaked prematurely; approximately two months ahead of schedule ...]

My thought exactly

 

[Tubetec]

Bass puddles , must have been something lost in translation there ,

Its my contention any mic sounds better without its capsule axis in parrallel with walls and ceilings ,but at an angle to reflecting surfaces . Movable acoustic screens are a very effective way to break up reflections off concrete walls and stop them reaching the off axis pick up of the mic

 

[Rusan]

But why is that, why does a microphone simply sound better in this position? This knowledge has been used in practice for a long time, it has proven itself, but until now the scientific basis was unclear.

This has now changed: an international group of experts from the Frauenhöfer Institute in Freiburg, led by physicist Dr. Bernd Trickser, has been able to scientifically investigate and explain this phenomenon.

In a well-received publication in the physics journal "Das physikalische Flachblatt", Trickser and his team were able to show what was really responsible for this difference in sound.

I'd always assumed it was simply because it provides a more natural quasi-gravitational alignment of the specially treated 99.999999% pure gigadineptoputronium mic cable conductors' directional molecular structure with the Earth's magnetic flux lines at the quantum level. Gigadineptoputronium is an extremely rare alloy of elements that do not naturally exist on Earth. It is meticulously extracted from meteorites that have been hand-gathered by a reclusive, little-known sect of Tibetan monks, who then bless and refine it using a secret, ancient process that has been handed down exclusively by word of mouth across the eons of time.

It can then be extruded into wires solely during a supermoon event, which occurs only about 3 times per year. This must be done quickly at the precise stroke of midnight, with the extrusion equipment aligned perfectly north-south-east-west in the exact center of a golden ratio-shaped retangular section of the Great Pyramid's shadow. Otherwise, the gigadineptoputronium's interdimensional molecular alignment will not be properly preserved. The result can be up to 23% loss of the razor-sharp focus and clarity that gigadineptoputronium is famous for, along with upsetting its perfectly balanced presentation of euphonic warmth coupled with unmatched resolution, microdetail and musicality.

Additionally, in tube mics the upside-down positioning of the microphone body allows for superior transfer function linearity because the tube and therefore the electron stream are now situated correctly upright instead of upside down, and are thus much more free from quantum resonance impingement effects. However, the full measure of these performance gains cannot be realized unless a Quantum Science Audio mains fuse has been installed in the mic's power supply.

 

[Tubetec]

ahahah,

Even the AI couldnt come up with bullshit of that magnitude ,

 

[Khron]

I'd always assumed it was simply because it provides a more natural quasi-gravitational alignment of the specially treated 99.999999% pure gigadineptoputronium mic cable conductors' directional molecular structure with the Earth's magnetic flux lines at the quantum level. Gigadineptoputronium is an extremely rare alloy of elements that do not naturally exist on Earth. It is meticulously extracted from meteorites that have been hand-gathered by a reclusive, little-known sect of Tibetan monks, who then bless and refine it using a secret, ancient process that has been handed down exclusively by word of mouth across the eons of time.

It can then be extruded into wires solely during a supermoon event, which occurs only about 3 times per year. This must be done quickly at the precise stroke of midnight, with the extrusion equipment aligned perfectly north-south-east-west in the exact center of a golden ratio-shaped retangular section of the Great Pyramid's shadow. Otherwise, the gigadineptoputronium's interdimensional molecular alignment will not be properly preserved. The result can be up to 23% loss of the razor-sharp focus and clarity that gigadineptoputronium is famous for, along with upsetting its perfectly balanced presentation of euphonic warmth coupled with unmatched resolution, microdetail and musicality.

Additionally, in tube mics the upside-down positioning of the microphone body allows for superior transfer function linearity because the tube and therefore the electron stream are now situated correctly upright instead of upside down, and are thus much more free from quantum resonance impingement effects. However, the full measure of these performance gains cannot be realized unless a Quantum Science Audio mains fuse has been installed in the mic's power supply.

But-but-but... What about the greybearded nude virgins in the Amazon rainforest?..

 

[MicMaven]

But-but-but... What about the greybearded nude virgins in the Amazon rainforest?..

All of this reminds me of the infamous Turboencabulator video:



James

 

[k brown]

Where's Professor Irwin Corey when we need him?

He could've cleared this all up.

 

[kags]

[Fascinating piece which I suspect was leaked prematurely; approximately two months ahead of schedule ...] James

His name was “Trickser” after all!

 

[cfanzalone]

I believe there is another factor why tube mics are mounted capsule down. Heat rises and the heat from the tube rises into the capsule and prolonged (year after year, decade after decade) can degrade the capsule...So I've been told and agree with.

 

[cfanzalone]

Whoops, I forgot to add...Almost never do I record a singer straight into the mic. There's most often a better sound slightly off-axis...mic placement is so important and often neglected.

 

[JeffKall]

But not only can the sound be negatively affected, the deep bass components can also color the microphone capsule black, which is an unwanted second side aspect of the Trickser effect!

This article is a brilliantly written piece … but it is obviously a hoax !

Every human has intimate knowledge that “deep bass (bottom) components” color the the material they come in contact with an unpleasant rust color (brown) !

Example given … baby diapers !

The same “brown matter” that this article is obviously comprised of …

 

[Peter Simonsen]