New to the world of Microphones and could do with some nudges in the right direction.

[shabtek]

there is a an 87 forgery available from china--even the packaging is a forgery...it sounds nice and is made relatively well but costs more. the headbasket will interchange with the real deal with slight persuasion, (probably stretching out the contacts)

its dimensions are very close to the real thing. but as Gus says circuit is easy, capsule grill is not--I have not done too much testing but the main thing I have noticed in swapping heads and capsules around is what the headbasket does--in my non-rigorous observation the k87 sibilant/presence is attenuated--maybe gone.
this deserves further investigation (actual measurement) but is remarkable that the slight differences in mesh or whatever changes the sound signature so much, more than circuit (tlm67/87 clones)in this case

 

[ccaudle]

the acoustics(capsule grill etc interactions) are the harder part

Any opinions on why there have not been more instrument focused microphones with a very open grill? You could have heavier mesh with something like 5mm openings that would provide very little acoustic obstruction but still provide protection from accidental finger poke. I naively would think that such an open grill would remove much of the acoustic signature of the body.
The Josephson C700A and C700S is somewhat like that, it has a grill with large hexagonal openings with whatever inner mesh is present light enough that you can see the capsules relatively clearly.

 

[Purplenoise]

there is a an 87 forgery available from china--even the packaging is a forgery...it sounds nice and is made relatively well but costs more. the headbasket will interchange with the real deal with slight persuasion, (probably stretching out the contacts)

its dimensions are very close to the real thing. but as Gus says circuit is easy, capsule grill is not--I have not done too much testing but the main thing I have noticed in swapping heads and capsules around is what the headbasket does--in my non-rigorous observation the k87 sibilant/presence is attenuated--maybe gone.
this deserves further investigation (actual measurement) but is remarkable that the slight differences in mesh or whatever changes the sound signature so much, more than circuit (tlm67/87 clones)in this case

Every deviation from original dimensions, material, parts, placement will influence the sound to an extent..audible or not. When I built my 67 clones using syt5 bodies I had to add anther layer of fine mesh to bring it a little closer to the Neumann reissue I was comparing it to ( all other parts were exactly the same, capsule, caps, transformer). Now…although there are still differences, I can do punch ins with the reissue and it’s extremely close. Of course the reissue u67 sounds different than the vintage 67s although they use the same mechanical parts. My point is that everything is a synergy of parts and that’s the beauty of diy.

 

[shabtek]

Any opinions on why there have not been more instrument focused microphones with a very open grill? You could have heavier mesh with something like 5mm openings that would provide very little acoustic obstruction but still provide protection from accidental finger poke. I naively would think that such an open grill would remove much of the acoustic signature of the body.
The Josephson C700A and C700S is somewhat like that, it has a grill with large hexagonal openings with whatever inner mesh is present light enough that you can see the capsules relatively clearly.

there is requirement shielding
as purplenoise says 'synergy of parts'

I guess I am just relating how one could narrow down their exploration to grille variations and go far towards tuning the system. not simply eliminating effect of grille

 

[kingkorg]

Any opinions on why there have not been more instrument focused microphones with a very open grill? You could have heavier mesh with something like 5mm openings that would provide very little acoustic obstruction but still provide protection from accidental finger poke. I naively would think that such an open grill would remove much of the acoustic signature of the body.
The Josephson C700A and C700S is somewhat like that, it has a grill with large hexagonal openings with whatever inner mesh is present light enough that you can see the capsules relatively clearly.

Most companies are concerned about physically protecting the capsule.

That Josephson mic has that dome above the capsules which doesn't help at all.

I have made a mic with no grille using large edge terminated capsule. It can be wired so that it doesn't need any shielding. I don't have the images, but it pretty much looks like the Soyuz with just capsule sticking out on the top. The smd fet and 1G resistor are soldered on the capsule itself, so it has 3 connections, cardioid only.

Soyuz has a pretty transparent solution, the grille so close to the diaphragm doesn't affect audible range. However the ring around the capsule does affect pattern and frequency response. If you manage to avoid it, or make it paper thin, you get ideal solution.

Here's an idea, very rough around the edges, just a proof of concept, fet inside the capsule so no additional shielding required, my favorite instrument mic currently. Made inside a permanent marker tube. Ideal for toms, off axis sound is butter smooth, cymbals sound like a dream.

 

[Delta Sigma]

Keep in mind that this will be your first mic, but may not be your last. I haven't built the FET 847 (though I plan to) but I think of it as a good launching point for experimenting with capsules. Maybe someone who has built it could confirm but the circuit looks very basic and I would expect the mic to sound like its capsule/transformer combo (plus donor mic body).

You could build it with a cheap edge terminated capsule or a K47 copy. Later, you could replace it with a better K47 (3U, Beesneez, Heisermann, etc), then you could even throw in a Tim Campbell CK12. This way, if you have future plans for projects, you have an idea of what the capsules sound like; and you'd have a spare capsule or two for your next project.

The tube classics like U47, M49, Elam 251, C12 are quite simple circuits. If you head that direction with an idea of the capsule sound, you have a good starting point. Before my first builds, I did a lot of research into the originals I was planning to make a "copy" of. That was misleading. I doubt any of my clones sound like the originals. They sound amazing though. I have done capsule swaps, transformer swaps, component value changes and small acoustic changes to make each one sound the way I want.

 

[Purplenoise]

Keep in mind that this will be your first mic, but may not be your last. I haven't built the FET 847 (though I plan to) but I think of it as a good launching point for experimenting with capsules. Maybe someone who has built it could confirm but the circuit looks very basic and I would expect the mic to sound like its capsule/transformer combo (plus donor mic body).

You could build it with a cheap edge terminated capsule or a K47 copy. Later, you could replace it with a better K47 (3U, Beesneez, Heisermann, etc), then you could even throw in a Tim Campbell CK12. This way, if you have future plans for projects, you have an idea of what the capsules sound like; and you'd have a spare capsule or two for your next project.

The tube classics like U47, M49, Elam 251, C12 are quite simple circuits. If you head that direction with an idea of the capsule sound, you have a good starting point. Before my first builds, I did a lot of research into the originals I was planning to make a "copy" of. That was misleading. I doubt any of my clones sound like the originals. They sound amazing though. I have done capsule swaps, transformer swaps, component value changes and small acoustic changes to make each one sound the way I want.

Solid advise. It’s funny but my favorite vocal mic is the d-ef47. It became my favorite after I stopped trying to make it sound like an original and I went with a toroidal 7.5:1 transformer and a heiserman k47 ( had an original Neumann k47 and bv08 style in there before).

 

[Icantthinkofaname]

You should do an U87 project, there's pcbs for it, bodies and all parts are available, a lot resources for it and you can get help over here
In the end you will have a top quality vocal mic and not just a DIY gizmo.

check these pages, everything you need is over there:

http://www.vintagemicrophonepcbkit.com/DU87.html
https://groupdiy.com/threads/neumann-vintage-u87-clone-build-thread.48030/
https://groupdiy.com/threads/vintag...-pcb-kit-for-diy-new-d7-custom-capsule.49675/
https://groupdiy.com/threads/syt-5-microphone-bodies-b-stock.79952/
https://groupdiy.com/threads/unmark...parts-syt-5-cu-49-ht-11a-gt-2b-and-u47.50015/



I remember a long time ago the "Alice mic" it being a popular project in mic builders yahoo group, not at all over here. If I remember correctly it used an inexpensive Electret capsule, so not even true condenser.
A lot of time has passed and nowdays there's much more interesting and better projects that will actually turn out into high quality professional microphones, like the U87 project I suggested

People have made variations of the Alice mic with LDC capsules. I think @Khron had good success with it including using Chinese edge terminated capsules. Pretty sure the Roswell Mini mics and TechZone Audio mics are also Alice mics made with LDC capsules.

 

[MikelLikesIt]

Hello.

I'm new to mics, but have some basic knowledge of analogue electronics through DIY guitar and amp projects.

Would love to dip my toe into making a vocal mic, and would love some advice on what circuits to look at. I don't really want to go down the kit path as I have many components and can whip up a PCB board to fit a donor housing no problem.

So, what should I be considering for a first project, for a phantom powered vocal condenser mic?

I have seen the term 'Alice mic' thrown around in a few places and on youtube, good starter, or with looking at something else?

Thank you for taking the time to read.

Good starter. Boards available easily and cheaply shipped to the US anyways.