Finding the best Capsule and the Video: "Where Does The Tone Come From In A Microphone?"

[Sebass]

hi,

I'm new in this Forum and this Video has led down a rabbit hole to this wonderful place:


I never thought that it could be possible to build a mic by myself...
Of course the most important part (the capsule) can't be built by yourself unless you are Tim Campbell (Tim, I would love to buy 2 capsules from you, but I think its quite hopeless because you are so busy).

I really want to build 2 mics that sound nice for Strings.. I'm thinking about something that sounds a bit like the one in the U89i or even Schoeps Collette..
But my first build should be a large diaphragm condenser mic.. not a small one..

I read quite a lot in this forum over the last days and originally wanted to buy from micparts.com .. my goal is really to build the best mic I possibly can and the capsules from this side don't get the best credits.. (I listened to some audio samples and I do not like the RK47 or RK87...)

So I decided to buy individual parts and not a kit...

Now I only need to decide what capsule I'm going to pick.

Here is a list I made from the best Capsules out there... do you agree with this one?

- BeesNeez CK12 or K87
- Arienneaudio K87 (out of stock)
- OP 12
- Maiku (out of stock)
- Tim Campbell (out of stock)

I think the only one available are the BeesNeez and the OP 12 at the moment..

I know that there are big differences between a C12 and a K87 stile capsule but I think that the quality of the capsule is more important that the model...

The ultimate capsule would have a small dip in the 2-4k area I think...

What do you think? How important is the capsule? What capsule would you pick?

I'm eager to embark on this DIY mic-building journey with the support and knowledge of this fantastic community.

 

[Khron]

What capsule would you pick?

"How long is a piece of string?" The answer, as always, is "it depends"...

And regarding the video...
https://groupdiy.com/threads/where-does-the-tone-come-from-in-a-microphone.85257/

 

[Sebass]

"How long is a piece of string?" The answer, as always, is "it depends"...

And regarding the video...
https://groupdiy.com/threads/where-does-the-tone-come-from-in-a-microphone.85257/

do you referring to a string instrument?

and thanks for the link! very interesting!

 

[mrgrooves666]

My 2 cents, for a first build, and for mics that could work for many uses, I would consider Ari's flat 47 in a shoeps based circuit instead first. I'm actually waiting to build a pair of mics with Roger's Opic multipattern version with a pair of these capsules. Even more for string use, I think they could work better, since they are considerably flatter than the others mentioned, thus probably doing a more natural register of strings, wich sometimes can get fizzy with other HF extended capsules.

 

[Sebass]

My 2 cents, for a first build, and for mics that could work for many uses, I would consider Ari's flat 47 in a shoeps based circuit instead first. I'm actually waiting to build a pair of mics with Roger's Opic multipattern version with a pair of these capsules. Even more for string use, I think they could work better, since they are considerably flatter than the others mentioned, thus probably doing a more natural register of strings, wich sometimes can get fizzy with other HF extended capsules.

thanks a lot for your suggestion! I'll definitely take a look on them!
since Ari's capsules are only for preorder.. do you have experience how long one must wait to get them?

 

[mrgrooves666]

I think she's the one to answer that, I wish I knew too, Im still patiently waiting for the replacements of the pair I bought a couple of months ago that had the issue of the screw rings that didnt had enough torque..

 

[Sebass]

oh okay, so we are talking month and not weeks..
so it seems that DIY is also about patience

 

[Sebass]

Roger's Opic multipattern

Im looking for this Build to take a look at it.. but unfortunately I can't find it.. maybe you could point me to it?

 

[rogs]

Im looking for this Build to take a look at it.. but unfortunately I can't find it.. maybe you could point me to it?

You can find the project page here: OPIC Multi Pattern
I've built one using one of Ari's 'Flat K.47' capsules. Sounds very nice! (I think the 'Flat K.47' capules should be available again quite soon ? )

 

[Sebass]

You can find the project page here: OPIC Multi Pattern
I've built one using one of Ari's 'Flat K.47' capsules. Sounds very nice! (I think the 'Flat K.47' capules should be available again quite soon ? )

thank you so much!

 

[soliloqueen]

The flat k47 is now back in full scale production at our new workshop and I actually have dates now. The current batch for retail will be done January 10th and will be 150 units so there shouldn't be stock issues. Another 100 units will be done Feb. It took a while to get everything right at a completely new location with new staff with no shared parts but it finally sounds the same as the first batch. It's a week later than I wanted but at least things are actually moving now.

 

[Sebass]

The flat k47 is now back in full scale production at our new workshop and I actually have dates now. The current batch for retail will be done January 10th and will be 150 units so there shouldn't be stock issues. Another 100 units will be done Feb. It took a while to get everything right at a completely new location with new staff with no shared parts but it finally sounds the same as the first batch. It's a week later than I wanted but at least things are actually moving now.

oh wow!
that's some great news!
I wish you all the best for you, your team and the new location!

 

[Nick6691]

The flat k47 is now back in full scale production at our new workshop and I actually have dates now. The current batch for retail will be done January 10th and will be 150 units so there shouldn't be stock issues. Another 100 units will be done Feb. It took a while to get everything right at a completely new location with new staff with no shared parts but it finally sounds the same as the first batch. It's a week later than I wanted but at least things are actually moving now.

Where to buy?

 

[Paul W]

Where to buy?

https://store.arienneaudio.com/

There's an epic thread here about her capsules where she frequently posts updates about production issues, availability, etc.
https://groupdiy.com/threads/soliloqueens-k87-k67-and-k47-capsules.81968/