Noob needs help with z5600a II mic repair

[Adam Frandsen]

No, the picture shows 8 wires (although i think i count at least 9 - aren't there at least two black ones going to the GND pad?). And they're not going "into the plug of the mic", but they're going into that (intended) screening housing that contains the mic's output transformer. And, coincidentally, also the plug. Go on, remove a couple of the tiny screws holding the top half of that can, and see for yourself.

BUT...

You have the mic, right? You can see (or measure, with your meter's beeper / continuity tester) which pins of the mic's connector, the wires from each of those eight solder pads go to (where applicable - as mentioned in my previous post, at least one of those wires will be going to the primary winding of said output transformer, which connects to none of the pins in the connector).

That being said, assuming you have a multimeter, and you know which end of a soldering iron is hot (and can avoid grabbing that end), it should be trivial to (carefully) measure what voltages are on what pins of the power supply and, if needed, move around a couple wires so they match up with the mic connector's pinout, so you won't need any intricate crossover-wire-reassignment in whatever cable you end up making.

I have to express my astonishment of the animosity I am met with on this forum - such low social IQ, have you guys not had sex for a year or what? It is incredible how you continue to give no answers and only play smart with supposedly acquired knowledge and no intellect. To the three fools who keep adding insults in their comments, please sod off from this thread, your so called help is unwanted. You guys won't get far in life with that attitude.

 

[Khron]

I have to express my astonishment of the animosity I am met with on this forum - such low social IQ, have you guys not had sex for a year or what? It is incredible how you continue to give no answers and only play smart with supposedly acquired knowledge and no intellect. To the three fools who keep adding insults in their comments, please sod off from this thread, your so called help is unwanted. You guys won't get far in life with that attitude.

Now-now, there's no need for name-calling and such... colorful language.

The thing is, there's a good chance you're asking the wrong questions, perhaps? Or, since you yourself very astutely pointed out that this is GroupDIY, should we understand you're somehow opposed to doing a little bit of detective-work, if needed, and just expect some gift-wrapped ready-made solution specific to YOUR particular situation?

And especially since this is DIY, many of us with years of learning and tinkering behind us, are a bit reticent about presenting solutions on a silver platter, especially when the "why" behind those alleged problems is... debatable at best. That's why we asked you those "why" questions, to try to get to think for yourself (employing at least common sense, if experience is lacking), and determine the worthiness of the problems you posed. Some problems / issues may very well not be problems / issues to begin with.

I hope you can also see things from our side, and how and why we're confused (and somewhat disappointed) by your attitude as well. I'm quite sure neither i, @Whoops nor @pucho812 meant any significant insult by our attempts to help you, but some of us are less adept at diplomatically veiling our frustration with your... well... stubbornness, dare i call it?

We've offered you several answers (to the questions you perhaps should have actually asked), but none seem to have satisfied your exacting standards, and have been met with animosity when we pointed out the irrelevance of some of your questions.

But in the interest of clarity, would you terribly mind perhaps making a bullet-point list of, on one hand, the issues you're facing, and on the other hand, the problems that are still left without a solution, even 40-odd posts later?

[Later edit - added the quote of the message this is a reply to, "just in case".]

 

[Adam Frandsen]

Now-now, there's no need for name-calling and such... colorful language.

The thing is, there's a good chance you're asking the wrong questions, perhaps? Or, since you yourself very astutely pointed out that this is GroupDIY, should we understand you're somehow opposed to doing a little bit of detective-work, if needed, and just expect some gift-wrapped ready-made solution specific to YOUR particular situation?

And especially since this is DIY, many of us with years of learning and tinkering behind us, are a bit reticent about presenting solutions on a silver platter, especially when the "why" behind those alleged problems is... debatable at best. That's why we asked you those "why" questions, to try to get to think for yourself (emplying at least common sense, if experience is lacking), and determine the worthiness of the problems you posed. Some problems / issues may very well not be problems / issues to begin with.

I hope you can also see things from our side, and how and why we're confused (and somewhat disappointed) by your attitude as well. I'm quite sure neither i, @Whoops nor @pucho812 meant any significant insult by our attempts to help you, but some of us are less adept at diplomatically veiling our frustration with your... well... stubbornness, dare i call it?

We've offered you several answers (to the questions you perhaps should have actually asked), but none seem to have satisfied your exacting standards, and have been met with animosity when we pointed out the irrelevance of some of your questions.

But in the interest of clarity, would you terribly mind perhaps making a bullet-point list of, on one hand, the issues you're facing, and on the other hand, the problems that are still left without a solution, even 40-odd posts later?

[Later edit - added the quote of the message this is a reply to, "just in case".]

I wasn't the one who started the insults, I was being very thankful and followed up answers with additional questions, then whoops suddenly began a tirade about how I should just stick to opera etc.. Then there is confusion for some reason about what I mean about not being able to find the right male reverse connector (guess they thought I meant reverse of male, which isn't the case), which I still haven't at a reasonable price. I did post from pelusos website the exact type plug, but at a steep price. Then got a nice answer from someone else.

I want to make a new cable, I shouldn't have to defend this, I want an extra, maybe one that is stronger, and better if possible, but for sure a new cable. The sE reseller here in Taiwan says I have to send in my cable to destinguish, which one it is, be are there are 9 versions for the z5600a II mic. This will take forever and cost me 89 euro or so, which I could probably do cheaper if I found the parts myself. I know what connector to look for now, I know the cable type, and I am still confused about the wiring, because the pinout deciphered for me doesn't seem to be how it is done in my PSU. So, I posted the pictures from my mic and PSU to see, if I could get this verified.

I have also understood that I probably only need to change the electrolytic caps, since that is standard for recapping. I also understand that putting in other caps may change the sonics. This could be one of the fun parts about the project.

I also understand that you are against me changing the power transformer so you won't help me find an alternative made with better materials if one auch exists.


The thing is, I am not asking your permission about what to change in my mic, I am telling you what I have decided to change and asking for help in doing so.

 

[abbey road d enfer]

Connectors can be male or female, with few notable hermaphrodit types.
They also can be plugs or sockets, teh former attach to a cable, the latter being fixed on a chassis.
I must admit that whoops has been quick-tempered, but Khron does not deserve the flak.
Anyway, all children keep calm or teach will shut class.

 

[JohnRoberts]

I have to express my astonishment of the animosity I am met with on this forum - such low social IQ, have you guys not had sex for a year or what? It is incredible how you continue to give no answers and only play smart with supposedly acquired knowledge and no intellect. To the three fools who keep adding insults in their comments, please sod off from this thread, your so called help is unwanted. You guys won't get far in life with that attitude.

Nor will you get very far here with your attitude.

4. You will find that the members of this community are courteous and respectful of each other, so please reciprocate those gestures. Leave the flame-war mentality at another forum. Personal attacks and generally hateful comments (regarding race, religion, gender, sex, etc...) will not be tolerated.

If you receive responses that are not civil, breaking rule #4 you can report them, as yours have been reported to the moderation team already.

Be nicer....

Anyway, all children keep calm or teach will shut class.

and Abbey is the kinder, gentler Moderator.


JR

 

[Adam Frandsen]

Connectors can be male or female, with few notable hermaphrodit types.
They also can be plugs or sockets, teh former attach to a cable, the latter being fixed on a chassis.
I must admit that whoops has been quick-tempered, but Khron does not deserve the flak.
Anyway, all children keep calm or teach will shut class.

My response to Khron was based on what he wrote : “ That being said, assuming you have a multimeter, and you know which end of a soldering iron is hot (and can avoid grabbing that end), it should be trivial to (carefully) measure what voltages are on what pins of the power supply…”, which I do consider patronizing and unnecessary.

I have never been confused about male or female connectors, with the GX20 in question the female connector is readily available, the male connector that it typically comes with at online shops is with a thread on it, which mine does not have, it is a straight male plug, which they refer to as straight reverse male. This I can only find on Pelusos website for 48 bucks, which is a little steep and they may or may not ship to Taiwan. Another user understood this immediately and posted links to a manufacturer and a catalogue, great help.

I wanted a fun project to learn new things and experiment with fixing/modding/upgrading my microphone, and all is a first for me and all the research I have done has been quite extensive already and of course comes with questions. I have not been lazy to google or anything else, and if I wanted someone to just fix it for me, I could go to the local electronics street here in Taichung and have it done for me quickly and cheaply (the actual soldering etc., not the sourcing of parts), but that was not the point, point is I wanted to have fun trying this myself. Instead I am told not to change anything, because I have no skills and will mess up my microphone, that changing things aren’t necessary, that I basically don’t need a new cable, that I cannot hold a soldering iron at the right end, that I don’t know what a power transformer does, that I should stick to being a singer if I don’t want to be a singer in the afterlife instead, that I cannot hear what is good and what isn’t, and that I don’t know the difference between a male and a female connector.

Main point is I bought the mic used, and it arrived not functioning, it had a loud hum and had an electrolytic cap in the PSU blown, which was replaced. The hum went away. The mic still sounds thin, distant and weak to my ears, more so than one could expect from a mic that is supposed to be sibilant and add harmonic distortion, as one user said. So when asked why I want to change things, this was the answer given, it is an old used mic that already had a capacitor fail and sounds off, therefore I want to change all that can be changed, to make sure it is up to specs. With this I asked for help, not for permission. Another user posted he had just done similar mods and was interested in seeing my mic when it was done, which was great encouragement.

 

[Adam Frandsen]

Nor will you get very far here with your attitude.



If you receive responses that are not civil, breaking rule #4 you can report them, as yours have been reported to the moderation team already.

Be nicer....



and Abbey is the kinder, gentler Moderator.


JR

Understood

 

[RoadrunnerOZ]

Both PSU and Mic body schematics appear to only show 7 pin connections. If building a new cable just match the ends pin for pin identical to your existing cable. If the 8th pin is connected at the mic end and not the PSU you can easily trace where it goes - but as the mic is functioning without that connection I wouldn’t worry about it.
The way this mic appears to work as I see it from the hard to read schematics:
The 0 to 120V line is the pattern control line. 0V being Omni, +60V being Cardioid and +120V being Figure 8.
The two diaphragm plates appear to be labelled d1 and d2 on the schematic. The pattern switch is a series of resistors in a voltage divider chain which the selector moves around to change the voltage at the switch wiper.
When the D2 diaphragm plate is taken to ground by the pattern switch, (the D1 diaphragm plate being hard wired to ground), this is Omni. Both diaphragms are in phase.
The backplate block would sit at 60V held by a resistor chain - you can’t measure this voltage as it is fed by a 1GΩ resistor (the relatively low impedance of a meter drops the voltage) - the variation in voltage induced on this feeds via C1 to the first stage of the tube.
When the D2 diaphragm plate is at 60V - the same as the backplate with D1 at ground - this is Cardioid.
When the D2 diaphragm is at 120V this is Figure 8 as D1 and D2 are the exact opposite relative to each other and at -60V (ground) and +60V (120V) respectively to the backplate sitting at +60V.

As far as tubes go the choice of a ECC83 which is another name for 12AX7 or 7025 can be tricky. As it’s a microphone you need low noise, good rejection of handling noise (microphonics) and good musical detail (response). Mullard Reissue 12AX7, Svetlana 12AX7, Preferred Series 7025 are all good choices. (The 7025 is just a low noise selected 12AX7)
As far as swapping out the 12AX7/ECC83 for a 12AT7 can work but a 12AU7 is not a great idea. The 12AT7 has lower gain, higher headroom, can sound warmer but will draw more current. The 12AU7 has significantly lower gain, is likely going to be biased wrongly and likely to cause heavy current drain and potential damage.

 

[Adam Frandsen]

Both PSU and Mic body schematics appear to only show 7 pin connections. If building a new cable just match the ends pin for pin identical to your existing cable. If the 8th pin is connected at the mic end and not the PSU you can easily trace where it goes - but as the mic is functioning without that connection I wouldn’t worry about it.
The way this mic appears to work as I see it from the hard to read schematics:
The 0 to 120V line is the pattern control line. 0V being Omni, +60V being Cardioid and +120V being Figure 8.
The two diaphragm plates appear to be labelled d1 and d2 on the schematic. The pattern switch is a series of resistors in a voltage divider chain which the selector moves around to change the voltage at the switch wiper.
When the D2 diaphragm plate is taken to ground by the pattern switch, (the D1 diaphragm plate being hard wired to ground), this is Omni. Both diaphragms are in phase.
The backplate block would sit at 60V held by a resistor chain - you can’t measure this voltage as it is fed by a 1GΩ resistor (the relatively low impedance of a meter drops the voltage) - the variation in voltage induced on this feeds via C1 to the first stage of the tube.
When the D2 diaphragm plate is at 60V - the same as the backplate with D1 at ground - this is Cardioid.
When the D2 diaphragm is at 120V this is Figure 8 as D1 and D2 are the exact opposite relative to each other and at -60V (ground) and +60V (120V) respectively to the backplate sitting at +60V.

As far as tubes go the choice of a ECC83 which is another name for 12AX7 or 7025 can be tricky. As it’s a microphone you need low noise, good rejection of handling noise (microphonics) and good musical detail (response). Mullard Reissue 12AX7, Svetlana 12AX7, Preferred Series 7025 are all good choices. (The 7025 is just a low noise selected 12AX7)
As far as swapping out the 12AX7/ECC83 for a 12AT7 can work but a 12AU7 is not a great idea. The 12AT7 has lower gain, higher headroom, can sound warmer but will draw more current. The 12AU7 has significantly lower gain, is likely going to be biased wrongly and likely to cause heavy current drain and potential damage.

Wow! Thanks for this incredibly informative and concise answer, it hugely helps my understanding! I will do my best to measure where possible - and please bear with me for asking one follow up question, to which I may find the answer after measuring, but would love to have an experts eyes confirm:

On the picture from the inside of my PSU, does the cable socket seem to be wired according to the schematics found here on the forum, or is it different - maybe I see it wrong, but to me it seems the brown wire for example connects to the pattern dial and then pin 4 and not pin 3... But as you say, the mic works, so it may not be wrong, just different, or I may not be seeing it right...

Thanks for taking the time to provide such thorough help! I think I have all I need now

 

[Nen'O]

Ok, I have the same mic in front of me.
It’s 8 pin connector with 7 wires cable thus it’s called AC7.

This is where I got new cable

AC7 AUDIO CABLE Z5600A SERIES/GEMINI I SE ELECTRONICS - Audiotest Servicio Técnico

If your mic is z5600a II then you will need AC2 cable

https://www.audiotestserviciotecnic...-z5600a-ii-gemini-ii-gemini-5-se-electronics/
As well there is someone on eBay selling pre made cables for all se electronics and other tube mics as well as connectors.

https://www.ebay.com/str/designacab...uid=-kKRzdrVRG-&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Cheers

 

[Adam Frandsen]

A general announcement to whom it may concern:

I "appreciate" the lively discussion around the topic of replacing components in my tube microphone and PSU. I understand that some of you have concerns about this decision and my general capabilities and reasoning, and I'd like to address them to end this topic.

Firstly, it's important to note that the age and usage of the equipment can lead to wear and tear on all components, including the power transformer, resistors, and capacitors. Even if a multimeter test shows they're currently functioning, it doesn't necessarily mean they're not nearing the end of their lifespan. Preventive maintenance is a common practice in many fields, and audio equipment is no exception as I understand it.

Secondly, replacing these components can potentially improve the performance of the PSU. High-quality components can offer better performance characteristics, lower noise, and improved reliability, all of which can contribute to the overall sound quality of the microphone.

In addition to the electrolytic capacitors, which are understood to often be the first to fail, I'm also considering replacing the other capacitors and resistors. While these components may last longer, replacing them can still offer benefits. Newer components can provide better stability, precision, and consistency, which can improve the performance and longevity of the PSU. Furthermore it could be fun to experience any sonic changes - hopefully for the better.

Safety is another important factor, right? Old components can sometimes pose a safety risk, especially if they're starting to fail. Replacing these components with new ones would likely be safer, providing peace of mind...

Consistency is also key. I've already had to replace a capacitor in this PSU. Proactively replacing other components can help ensure consistent performance and avoid future failures.

Lastly, this process is a valuable learning experience for me. It allows me to better understand my equipment and how to maintain and repair it. Plus, it gives me the opportunity to customize my gear to better suit my needs and preferences.

In conclusion, while I respect the viewpoints shared here, I believe there are valid reasons to proceed with replacing the power transformer, resistors, and capacitors. I appreciate your input and look forward to further constructive discussions. Thanks to everyone for their input and help!

Best regards,
A

 

[Adam Frandsen]

Ok, I have the same mic in front of me.
It’s 8 pin connector with 7 wires cable thus it’s called AC7.

This is where I got new cable

AC7 AUDIO CABLE Z5600A SERIES/GEMINI I SE ELECTRONICS - Audiotest Servicio Técnico

If your mic is z5600a II then you will need AC2 cable

https://www.audiotestserviciotecnic...-z5600a-ii-gemini-ii-gemini-5-se-electronics/
As well there is someone on eBay selling pre made cables for all se electronics and other tube mics as well as connectors.

https://www.ebay.com/str/designacab...uid=-kKRzdrVRG-&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Cheers

Thanks a lot for the links, I have the z5600a II first edition - the Taiwan distributor sent me these two pictures of two of the most common cables for this mic (he still claims there are 9) - mine is the gold pin one and the larger female one.

 

[Adam Frandsen]

Just a few pictures for reference of the different versions of this mic - including the original z5600, which now sells under the T.Bone (Thomann) brand as SCT 2000… There are as you see a new and old version of the z5600a II, one z5600a, and one z5600.

 

[Whoops]

I have to express my astonishment of the animosity I am met with on this forum - such low social IQ, have you guys not had sex for a year or what?

To the three fools who keep adding insults in their comments,

please sod off from this thread,

your so called help is unwanted.

You guys won't get far in life with that attitude.

First you don't even do simple google searches.
Then you are clearly a person with relationship problems and are very insultuous. You disrespected a lot of well respected members in this forum, when you're are Mr. no one here. You broke the forum rule number 4, a very important rule in this community, and that's why some people reported rightfully your post.

Rule number 4:

"4. You will find that the members of this community are courteous and respectful of each other, so please reciprocate those gestures. Leave the flame-war mentality at another forum. Personal attacks and generally hateful comments (regarding race, religion, gender, sex, etc...) will not be tolerated."

Like JR said with your attitude and disrespect you are not going very far in this forum.

I've been reading this thread since the beginning and no one disrespected you or made any personal attack, you were the only one doing that, and doing so to people that are taking their own time to help you for FREE!

You seem to think you have the right to have help, but you don't. You ask free help in a public forum and you might end up with replies that are not what you wanted to hear.

then whoops suddenly began a tirade about how I should just stick to opera etc..

I tried to help you, and I gave my best advise as possible, of course I can see that you are a very stubborn and troubled person so you took my advice the wrong way.
Selling that mic that you don't like the sound and buying one that you might like, it's always a good advise.
Specially to someone that doesn't even understand a very basic audio electronics stuff, like changing the power transformer will not give you a sound that you will find more pleasant.
You should really follow my and Pucho advises.

I hope that you are a much better Opera Singer than your Social Skills.

I regret that I spent some of my time trying to help you, you don't deserve it.
I'm out of this thread for good

 

[RoadrunnerOZ]

Wow! Thanks for this incredibly informative and concise answer, it hugely helps my understanding! I will do my best to measure where possible - and please bear with me for asking one follow up question, to which I may find the answer after measuring, but would love to have an experts eyes confirm:

On the picture from the inside of my PSU, does the cable socket seem to be wired according to the schematics found here on the forum, or is it different - maybe I see it wrong, but to me it seems the brown wire for example connects to the pattern dial and then pin 4 and not pin 3... But as you say, the mic works, so it may not be wrong, just different, or I may not be seeing it right...

Thanks for taking the time to provide such thorough help! I think I have all I need now

It may be that the numbers on the Mic schematic relate to points on the PCB but when you do a trace with a meter with the cable connected to both ends you should be able to do a map of the whole system - pin for pin, point to point.
The PIN numbers don’t matter but what does matter is they all go to correlating points at each end.
As far as replacing the power transformer goes you will not notice a sonic improvement, or indeed any changes in the mic from changing it. It was designed for the circuit it is employed in. I would look more to a capsule and audio transformer upgrade for a positive sonic difference. Looking at the photo you posted of the supply the transformer looks well built and shielded so changing this may well be a zero gain.
As far as the sound of the mic goes placement relative to the mouth can make big differences and a good pop filter is a must - I prefer the pressed metal mesh ones as they divert the plosive wind current direction to vertical without losing top end sibilance as you get with cloth type filters. You can use a wet finger over the top of the grille of the filter to determine which way the air pulses with a plosive like “T” or “P” or “B” - singing from one side the air will go up, from the other it will go down. The air pulses should go down the body of the mic, not over the top of the capsule as this causes pressure changes and turbulence around the capsule. Some mesh pop filters have the presentation side (the side with the badge if it has one) on the opposite side to the one that should face you - as these are mass produced different batches may have the mesh reversed.
Your spacing is dependent on your vocal strength and usually the minimum distance from mic to mouth (ignoring the pop filter) is a span from little finger to thumb with the hand splayed, thumb on the lips and little finger on the mic grille, the pop filter then goes in between. Harshness can come from singing straight at the mic - angling downwards towards the mouth can reduce some of this. I have one client I record and he uses a tube mic, but with his voice which is a little hard edged, we have the mic inverted angling downwards and slightly off to one side. With loud passages pulling away from the mic and returning to “on” the mic for normal to soft.
The other issue can be with the input preamps in your recording interface - what are you using to record?

 

[JohnRoberts]

First you don't even do simple google searches.
Then you are clearly a person with relationship problems and are very insultuous. You disrespected a lot of well respected members in this forum, when you're are Mr. no one here. You broke the forum rule number 4, a very important rule in this community, and that's why some people reported rightfully your post.

Rule number 4:

"4. You will find that the members of this community are courteous and respectful of each other, so please reciprocate those gestures. Leave the flame-war mentality at another forum. Personal attacks and generally hateful comments (regarding race, religion, gender, sex, etc...) will not be tolerated."

Like JR said with your attitude and disrespect you are not going very far in this forum.

I've been reading this thread since the beginning and no one disrespected you or made any personal attack, you were the only one doing that, and doing so to people that are taking their own time to help you for FREE!

You seem to think you have the right to have help, but you don't. You ask free help in a public forum and you might end up with replies that are not what you wanted to hear.




I tried to help you, and I gave my best advise as possible, of course I can see that you are a very stubborn and troubled person so you took my advice the wrong way.
Selling that mic that you don't like the sound and buying one that you might like, it's always a good advise.
Specially to someone that doesn't even understand a very basic audio electronics stuff, like changing the power transformer will not give you a sound that you will find more pleasant.
You should really follow my and Pucho advises.

I hope that you are a much better Opera Singer than your Social Skills.

I regret that I spent some of my time trying to help you, you don't deserve it.
I'm out of this thread for good

oh-oh...

Come on guys, lets try to play nice together... You are upsetting the children.

JR

 

[abbey road d enfer]

My response to Khron was based on what he wrote : “ That being said, assuming you have a multimeter, and you know which end of a soldering iron is hot (and can avoid grabbing that end), it should be trivial to (carefully) measure what voltages are on what pins of the power supply…”, which I do consider patronizing and unnecessary.

The disease of this millenium is people who seek every opportunity to feel insulted.

 

[Adam Frandsen]

It may be that the numbers on the Mic schematic relate to points on the PCB but when you do a trace with a meter with the cable connected to both ends you should be able to do a map of the whole system - pin for pin, point to point.
The PIN numbers don’t matter but what does matter is they all go to correlating points at each end.
As far as replacing the power transformer goes you will not notice a sonic improvement, or indeed any changes in the mic from changing it. It was designed for the circuit it is employed in. I would look more to a capsule and audio transformer upgrade for a positive sonic difference. Looking at the photo you posted of the supply the transformer looks well built and shielded so changing this may well be a zero gain.
As far as the sound of the mic goes placement relative to the mouth can make big differences and a good pop filter is a must - I prefer the pressed metal mesh ones as they divert the plosive wind current direction to vertical without losing top end sibilance as you get with cloth type filters. You can use a wet finger over the top of the grille of the filter to determine which way the air pulses with a plosive like “T” or “P” or “B” - singing from one side the air will go up, from the other it will go down. The air pulses should go down the body of the mic, not over the top of the capsule as this causes pressure changes and turbulence around the capsule. Some mesh pop filters have the presentation side (the side with the badge if it has one) on the opposite side to the one that should face you - as these are mass produced different batches may have the mesh reversed.
Your spacing is dependent on your vocal strength and usually the minimum distance from mic to mouth (ignoring the pop filter) is a span from little finger to thumb with the hand splayed, thumb on the lips and little finger on the mic grille, the pop filter then goes in between. Harshness can come from singing straight at the mic - angling downwards towards the mouth can reduce some of this. I have one client I record and he uses a tube mic, but with his voice which is a little hard edged, we have the mic inverted angling downwards and slightly off to one side. With loud passages pulling away from the mic and returning to “on” the mic for normal to soft.
The other issue can be with the input preamps in your recording interface - what are you using to record?

I have of course tried several different setups for recording with professional audio engineers, both in halls and in studios, and it has always been a struggle to capture all the colors of the voice, whether with orchestra or piano, often the hall mics catch the most realistic sound, but often the balance is then off. Then of course the mixing of the different mics is important. My own setup includes several mics, of which I have the z5600a II, a stereo pair of sE 8s cardioid and an NT2A with me here in Taiwan. I use the Audient Evo interface to record, doesn’t have a ton of gain, but I love the auto gain function, it works well and is fast and I generally think it sounds good. It also generally measures quite well according to the audio forums I have checked out and the videos I have watched. It is not state of the art equipment, but it is good and I will upgrade once I feel it is necessary. I record voice and piano mostly myself, and I find that using the stereo pair plus a centered large condenser on the vocals captures it like i want it to. I will consider what you said about changing the audio transformer, would you have any suggestions already? I stand far enough away from the mic that there are no plosives, we are talking 80-100db of singing, so I am 1.5 to a few meters away depending on the repertoire. I find that it can work either way - pointing/angling the mics downward or upwards. I mix and master on a MicroiDSD dac/heaphone amp with a pair of HD800s, I track vocals with a pair of closed focals and a pair of closed audio technica. My main stereo setup is a quad 80 tube mono block system, primaluna preamp and a pro-ject rs2 DAC. Thanks again for such a detailed response! EDIT: Since I will install a PK-47 capsule on the mic, could the LL1969 from lundahl be a good contender? Also reading about swapping the transformer makes me doubt that I can do it myself, since many parts of the mic and psu may need to be reworked…

 

[Adam Frandsen]

oh-oh...

Come on guys, lets try to play nice together... You are upsetting the children.

JR

If by children you are referring to me, I am a 40-year-old man

 

[Adam Frandsen]

The disease of this millenium is people who seek every opportunity to feel insulted.

Seems like the first one to have insults thrown at him was me, and it also seems like the first one to be reported was me… So I neither started anything, nor did I seek to feel insulted. I was also quick to leave the fight and continue with the main topic. The reason why I quoted the comment, was because you accused me of giving underserved flak to Khron, whilst that was not the case, but just the final straw. I also have asked reasonable questions and reasonable people have also answered- others have had other objectives.