Where are the modern nickel SDC tube mics?

Is the market for them really that small? I had a semi-spiritual experince recording acoustic guitar with a nickel diaphragm tube SDC. I've used many other mics (414, KM84, CS-1, AT4033, U47, etc) but they just don't have the same HF shimmer without harshness. I can't afford KM54's and mics with unobtainum tubes such as AC701k and VF14 scare me too much.

Just wondering if I'm the only person that gets that excited by nickel diaphragms and tubes and transformers?

Thiersch makes nickel capsules.
Or in any case he re-skinnes the old ones.

http://www.thiersch-mic.de/en/estm_service_cap_wl.html

Keep your eyes out for a Gefell M582 body and PSU on Ebay, then find an M70, M62 or M94 capsule for it.

Yup, plus Gefell  still make new mics with a nickel  membrane.

M294
M295
M296
M297

No tube in them, though.

Anyone care to mod one? 

So there isn't really a modern nickel diaphragm tube/transformer SDC that I can find. A real alternative to KM54. Hmm...

AusTex64 said:

Is the market for them really that small?

Click to expand...

It probably wouldn't be if more people had the chance to hear a mic like a KM54/56.  Personally, I don't see them in mic lockers as commonly as I see KM-84s, probably due to price and rarity of parts.  I think they are colored in an exciting way with more top end sheen and in a way feel slightly sort of old-timey because of how they slightly saturate the sound. But not all people like that quality and would rather go for something more neutral and less expensive.

AusTex64 said:

I had a semi-spiritual experince recording acoustic guitar with a nickel diaphragm tube SDC. I've used many other mics (414, KM84, CS-1, AT4033, U47, etc) but they just don't have the same HF shimmer without harshness. I can't afford KM54's and mics with unobtainum tubes such as AC701k and VF14 scare me too much.

Click to expand...

It was a transcendent experience when I pulled up a KM56 on an acoustic guitar for the first time so I know exactly how that experience must have felt.  Jangly, clear, and present enough to cut through a dense mix without much processing, if any at all. 

I think it was even more of a religious experience hearing them on drum overheads.  Good lord, for certain things you might only have to add a kick mic and just call it a day.  Forget your close mics!

AusTex64 said:

Just wondering if I'm the only person that gets that excited by nickel diaphragms and tubes and transformers?

Click to expand...

Definitely not.  Every time I pull out a KM56 for something I think it would work well on it usually ends up replacing whatever mic I had up in the stand before.

AusTex64 said:

So there isn't really a modern nickel diaphragm tube/transformer SDC that I can find. A real alternative to KM54. Hmm...

Click to expand...

Hey Poctop, are you reading this thread? 

Hey Poctop, are you reading this thread? 

Click to expand...

Yup, no SDCs there.

Come on, Dan, make us happy.

For tube and tranny, of course. 
Trannyless FET SDCs are on every street corner.
Bucket loads of  'em.

Actually I am working on this

Tim Campbell said:

Actually I am working on this

Click to expand...

Do you mean a nickel capsule or a  tube SDC?

Or both? 

Nickel!

Yeah!

Nickel rocks.

I hope it would be worth a nickel

Tim Campbell said:

Nickel!

Click to expand...

Rolled or galvanic?

Oliver Archut and I discussed nickel capsules at length. He liked aluminum the best though. I've never heard an aluminum diaphragm first hand. Nickel sounds great to me.

That thing Gefell does with coating the back plate with Teflon to eliminate pinholes burned in the diaphragm by it bottoming out/shorting is a brilliant idea.

Would love to check out a capsule when you're ready.

Hey guys,  Any experience with the neumann U64  as compared to the KM56  etc? 

Tim Campbell said:

Nickel!

Click to expand...

oh that are great news. What kind of capsule mount ?

I was never really convinced by a gefell m582 and m70. the m94 /m58 is very nice. I guess if you build a new tube mic inside of a gefell body with a 6S6B you might get excellent results. i mistrust the gefell  tranny

A bit off topic, but SE introduced microphones with a titanium membrane some time ago.
I have heard one, but I was not impressed. (To put it mildly...)

I’ve really been wanting to try one for a while, but with no real feedback out there, I figured it could either be nothing really or not enough people trying them... Your mild comment puts it to rest for me.

I’m having Chris build me a pair of mics and trying those ISK U99 36mm aluminum cardioid capsules in them... We’ll see how those sound.

I have three M70 capsules that need new diaphragms.
Does anyone have any 1st hand feedback on repair of the capsules?

I have had several M70 reskinned by Siegfried Tiersch and was very satisfied with the result.
A tad ceaper than Microtech Gefell as well and reasonably fast.