Microphone rant

GroupDIY Audio Forum

Help Support GroupDIY Audio Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
There was some informative things happening on that forum, but I think Klaus has a little bit too high an opinion of himself. If you start to ask valid questions and try to de-mystify why mics sound the way they do, he tends to get rather short. It's a good forum if you want to talk about how mics look and feel to the touch, or pat the mic gods on the back, but I feel there is a definite curtain drawn towards much technical learning there.

If everything was maintained as top secret, where would anyone of us be today? What happens when the one guy holding specific info dies, or develops dementia? How many times does the wheel have to be re-invented because of lack of information sharing?

To be fair, there were some knowledgable people there having intelligent discussions, but I got the impression this was discouraged more often than not. Of course, these are just my opinions and observations.

Update: Jus for the hell of it I went there to see if things have changed much, and I still see some of the same subject items from a year ago. It seems I am no longer a member either.
 
Bill
I my building and testing circuits and microphones when I think I found something I will often stop and think someone did this before. I study all the microphone schematics I can find looking for clues because I can't find it written down. Now when I look at schematics of microphones I think I can have an idea of what it might sound like circuit wise.

Some of the old stuff is well thought out IMO even some of the russian stuff I have had a chance to work on. I would like to share but who might understand me if they did not build mod or hear a good microphone. I think only the people who have built stuff tested ideas and are open to maybe changing some rules that worked for other things but maybe not for microphones.

I don't mean to sound important but microphones are a pain to understand well. I find I need to build or change stuff in microphones and then try to make a link to the sound change(s). I guess to do this right you need to build a lot and do a lot of tests and try a lot of microphones. I am still learning but a lot of what I read on the web does not match what I have heard.
 
Gus, I have nothing but respect for what you are doing. Too many people blindly make mods without an understanding of what they are doing or trying to achieve. Lots of times these same people (who generally are a self professed expert) are only repeating information and experiments that other people have performed, or arrived at premature conclusions outside of a controlled test. I believe that there is an explanation for everything that creates a certain sound or end result; but many in the audio world tend to believe that there is some "magic" or "unknown forces" at work. I got into a bit of a discussion with Klaus about this. My belief is that there may be some little understood parameters that add to create a whole; but everything can be measured, quantified and qualified one way or another, just some people choose not to, and they are the followers - not the leaders. Keep at it and learn all you can.

It's a lot like music - You can study it, discuss it, form opinions about it, but the only way to play well on an instrument is to actually get one and practice and gain experience.
 
the main problem with the internet is you really dont have to pass any kind of test to post on it and reading people's posts you have no idea where the hell they come from or what kind of experience they have or what kind of standards they have at all.

Why not take me as an example. I went to AES this year and heard from an obnoxious number of manufacturers that "well, the floor of AES is a horrible place to demo gear, you can't tell anything here". Well, for many years I recorded production sound for feature films for a living and often my recording environment was FAR worse than the floor of a convention hall in respects to noise and background ambient level. There isnt much I COULDNT tell from the floor of AES, its the work environment I know better than the inside of a recording studio for sure. I also record rock and roll records. To read an average post I make about what I like or dont like, shit, the guy that records classical music would likely LOATHE most of the amps I rely on the same way that I find little use for the type of amplifiers most people would want to use on a classical session. Perspective is EVERYTHING when it comes to quantative discussions.

To the guy that has never heard a "good" condenser, a chinese condenser mic probably sounds totally amazing if all he's used is a sm57. Same guy has gotta think those of us with amazing mics are out of our minds for saying those mics are shit. The next step is the guy who has some decent mics, but doesnt have any good pre's to really hear what the mics are actually capable of. Id rather have cheap mics and expensive pre's than expensive mics and cheap pres. Until you get to the point where you have a %100 awesome signal path there isnt much point in regarding the opinions of people that do because frankly its not relevant to your situation, but unfortunately this perspective is hard to see even if you regularly see posts from someone and have half an idea on someone's background.

You've got dudes on that thread comparing a transformerless 147 to a mic with a transformer in it... I heard pearlman mics years ago when dave was starting out with them and they arent bad, they are probably worth the money if you are actually gonna use the thing but they wont do what some "better" mics will do. You've got a guy saying its better but not so many dollars better, does he have the signal chain that provides for even hearing that $800 better in the first place? If you cant measure it on your system, of course there is no difference. So now you've got folks saying the mics are the same and someone with a "better" studio does the same comparison and hears a huge difference, so whats the deal? Is there a minor difference or an $800 difference. For the guy with shitty monitoring, its a real minor diffference. For the guy with million dollar monitoring its a real $800 difference. How can you then judge what is then pertinent to your situation just by reading a post?

Short answer, I dont think you can.

If you've never even heard a real neve, does it matter if it sounds like neve or not, or does it matter if it just sounds good?

I think so much of the mic guru-ism falls into this kind of arrogance where some "expert" has handled the best shit on earth and is gonna piss down his arrogance on people to whom it will neever ever ever be relevant. If you are never gonna be able to use a $12k microphone, it doesnt matter much what one sounds like or why your cheap mic isnt as good as one. Chances are if you can only afford to purchase a $300 mic in the first place, if you borrowed a twelve thousand dollar mic to use on your system you arent gonna get 12 grand performance out of it the way the guy with all the best shit will because your mackie console or whatever is gonna be the lowest common denomonator.

Im kinda rambling on, but some of those other forums really get under my skin. I really think so much of what people stress about is really only relevant when you plug in the rest of the equation and it just doesnt happen to the degree that it should. Ive also never met anyone in my personal life who was a REAL guru who was nothing but generous sharing knowledge. I could post stories here about some respected personalities online that people would plain and simple not believe. Not believe as in read my tale and then think Im making it up to be vindictive because its so absolutely absurd.

So gus, I think the value of a plug in kit should be gauged based on the market you are dealing with. I've heard crazy things you've done with garbage capsules but I dont see the world where a recording engineer with a budget for a "real" mic is going to buy a $200 mic and then spend $1000 on a plug in kit for it even though I think you have it in you to offer such a thing that would be worth spending that kind of money on. Most people that have these mics have them not because they are cool but because thats what they can afford and thats what made the most sense on their system. Offering a $300 kit for a $300 mic would be smart thinking. Come up with somethign for a TLM103 and I think you could expect more money from it simply because you'll be dealing with an entirely different section of engineers who own those. The other thing to consider with a 103 kit is that most people are not going to rip apart their neumann to put a cheap $100 kit in there if they dont know you or how good your circuits sound. Is the economics of this completely fucked? Sure is, but I think it may be close to the reality that the market will currently bear. Im sure there's lotsa room for debate here, but thats my first reaction to it.

also gus, why would you contribute to klaus's forum, he obviously knows everything, he doesnt need your help. Also, you arent german, what the fuck could you possibly know about mics in the first place?

heh.

dave
 
I would like to say thanks to soundguyDave for once again cutting to the core of the subject at hand here. We all might not agree with Dave's conclusions but he always gets to the root quickly and succinctly.

Second, I personally don't understand the model set by the Mojave mic. A $200 mic turned into a $1000 mic? $500 seems more like the neighborhood to me but it all depends on how many mics you want to sell. And we all know exactly what's inside...which changes things a bit whether we realize that or not.

What this comes down to for me is this (and Kruz pointed to it earlier). I understand your frustration Gus...there is always a risk when you post info on the net...in many directions. I think what TFNA did with that mic mod is rather uncool...but I think what they are doing is a bit suspect anyway. When I post any info I might have, it is with the understanding that people are going to have "opinions" about that info and someone may choose to use that info for commercial gain. Maybe I have not really posted that much worth using. I gave some info to a manufacturer that they deemed useful enough to send me a piece of equipment as some form of compensation. I gave the info with no expectation of getting anything in return.

BUT! For me this whole DIY thang is nothing but a hobby and I don't take it all that seriously. I give a freely what little I have and I get a lot because there are so many others on this forum who give freely. YMMV

Peace!
Charlie
 
Very interesting thread...a lot of respect, pleading, reluctance, a little ego and some great philosophy thrown in. But I say we have ALL heard GREAT microphones...we all listen to records don't we. Even though by the time it gets to the consumer appreciation stage a lot of or maybe not a lot processing took place, it doesn't matter...the sourced was still captured with THE great mic. I think I have done some acceptable mods by spinning up the electronics to sweeten up the capsules.
icon_eek.gif
 
[quote author="Dale"]Yup. I'm finding that with my mic capsule project. Too much work for the amount I get out of it. I don't think I would do it again.[/quote]

Is this official or were you having a long day.

Analag
 
Some good posts with some good points. I have not done the phantom drop in a china microphone board yet for reasons I was not sure about(it did not seem like a good idea) I think it might have been what Dave posted it is still a cheap microphone with more money in the circuit than in the capsule.


Analag
Good point with we have all heard great microphones in recordings, but there is a difference with a more simple path or when you have different microphones all setup at the same time and macthed for level using headphones your voice and/or a repeatable sound source. You have posted about some of your microphone builds using higher current in the tube(s) I am taking a different path. I often like more current in tubes but with microphones I have not made up my mind.



I still know little about SDs,ribbons and the most complicated ones dynamics. Do some reading about the design of a dynamic microphone Some good stuff in the AES book on microphones.




I have heard some of Dave's stories as well as others stories about Pro audio. They are not good.




Bill posted
"My belief is that there may be some little understood parameters that add to create a whole; but everything can be measured, quantified and qualified one way or another, just some people choose not to"

I agree.

I have had talked to people about the interaction of transformer alloys and cap types going for a sound. There are others doing test with this stuff besides me. I think people sometimes look at this as magic and not science. You have your DA and BH curve vs level as a good starting point.

Klaus's forum has a realy good thread about the newer DJ SD microphone.
 
No doubt in comparison to you, my journey into the microphone has only just begun. It is also an area where I am focusing now since I am really happy with the rest of my studio. I plan to grow my mic collection to the point where EQing vocals becomes minimal. The TCM1150 is on my to do list...what is your opinion on this mic.

Analag
 
[quote author="Gus"]Now the problem with making money with china tube microphone mods is there is the rode K2 and the SP t3 etc. The rode not a bad microphone for the money or sound(I have not heard a T3 but I would guess it sounds good).[/quote]

Anyone else out there with experience comparing the T3 to some of these Dave Thomas Mods on the Apex 460s?
 
Judging by the other SP mics I am sure it sounds fine. They start with better capsules than the other manufacturers. The QA is much better too.
 
I noticed that the SP mics got a new look. No mention of changes to the inards though. Wonder what's up with those guys, anyway - haven't seen Brent post here in a while.
 
Back
Top