Replaced capsule in 3 pattern mic but only figure 8 is working

[soliloqueen]

Ok, I’m happy and sad to report that the flat k47 in the other mic works correctly. I bet that the melted socket or some of the sloppy soldering is messing the 1st mic up. So, I’ll try wiring those pins to the circuit board directly and getting the socket out of there. I’m also going to check the joints on the extensions I soldered to the capsule wires on the first one, because I didn’t extend the wires on the second.

Worst case scenario is that I buy another mic and do it again. $70 for a learning experience isn’t so bad.

The reason I asked about whether the front diaphragm is at Ground in f8 is because it's also possible if you're supremely unlucky that the front wire was kinked against the lid in the box and during shipping exactly the right amount of internal strands could be severed leading to a front diaphragm that can be grounded but not polarized. You could also check the front lead wire for Sharp kinking damage at about the diameter of the capsule. My war against wire microphonics put me in a tough place. Neumann decided to use thick, mass and stiffness dampened wires. They can only make this decision because they make the entire microphone and thus have control over termination and can terminate the wire after a short distance in a way that doesn't really need flexibility. Since I don't have control over how the capsule is installed, I had to go with longer wires, which required different and more fragile insulation to keep microphonics down. It's one of the annoying things about selling retail and OEM capsules. I don't get to consider the system holistically.

 

[157audio]

The reason I asked about whether the front diaphragm is at Ground in f8 is because it's also possible if you're supremely unlucky that the front wire was kinked against the lid in the box and during shipping exactly the right amount of internal strands could be severed leading to a front diaphragm that can be grounded but not polarized. You could also check the front lead wire for Sharp kinking damage at about the diameter of the capsule. My war against wire microphonics put me in a tough place. Neumann decided to use thick, mass and stiffness dampened wires. They can only make this decision because they make the entire microphone and thus have control over termination and can terminate the wire after a short distance in a way that doesn't really need flexibility. Since I don't have control over how the capsule is installed, I had to go with longer wires, which required different and more fragile insulation to keep microphonics down. It's one of the annoying things about selling retail and OEM capsules. I don't get to consider the system holistically.

Interesting, I will check that. I think I remember it being ok but I’ll check for sure. Given the fact that I didn’t accidentally melt any parts on mic #2, I’m going to guess that the experience of seeing how the mic was put together helped.

By the way, I had to use the stock post, and when trying to get the screw out from the original saddle, the difference in the stock screw and the screws that you supply is really evident. The stock screw head stripped right away on both mics and was very difficult to remove. That says something to me about your commitment to quality at every little spot in your capsule. Thank you for that.

 

[Voyager10]

Ooh, C15 got a bit melted:

 

[157audio]

Ooh, C15 got a bit melted:

View attachment 142232

Ooh, C15 got a bit melted:

View attachment 142232

Yeah, I have the steady hands of a sturgeon without a doubt.

 

[micolas]

Ooh, C15 got a bit melted:

View attachment 142232

It was the first thing noticed,
(sorry @157audio )
but it is not the cause of the incorrect operation in the present case.
Also, the microphone was built very badly by the manufacturer.
I think that we here in groupdiy really build at a professional level

 

[157audio]

It was the first thing noticed,
(sorry @157audio )
but it is not the cause of the incorrect operation in the present case.
Also, the microphone was built very badly by the manufacturer.
I think that we here in groupdiy really build at a professional level

Probably so. Maybe down the road I’ll look at building a different circuit for it from things that are around here. I figured out on the second mic how to get pieces out of the way of the iron in a better fashion.

 

[soliloqueen]

Ooh, C15 got a bit melted:

View attachment 142232

Can't believe I missed that. The pictures are a bit disorienting haha

 

[micolas]

That's it! The sight gets worse, the hands start shaking, concentration weakens, we lose patience, health problems appear, but the important thing is to keep our enthusiasm and young spirit. Let's move forward!

 

[soliloqueen]

Interesting, I will check that. I think I remember it being ok but I’ll check for sure. Given the fact that I didn’t accidentally melt any parts on mic #2, I’m going to guess that the experience of seeing how the mic was put together helped.

By the way, I had to use the stock post, and when trying to get the screw out from the original saddle, the difference in the stock screw and the screws that you supply is really evident. The stock screw head stripped right away on both mics and was very difficult to remove. That says something to me about your commitment to quality at every little spot in your capsule. Thank you for that.

I'm back and forth on it honestly. I do dig the high grade steel screws but they're also non-magnetic which is a bitch when you're trying to put them in the saddle. I'm thinking of reformulating them again. We're going to start making the capsule screws to order and I'm thinking about making the mounting screws to order too. It would be 10 times more expensive but 10 times more expensive than one cent is only 10 cents. But at the same time is that overkill? I feel like the day I start making the saddle mounting screws to order is the day I am officially insane.

 

[157audio]

I'm back and forth on it honestly. I do dig the high grade steel screws but they're also non-magnetic which is a bitch when you're trying to put them in the saddle. I'm thinking of reformulating them again. We're going to start making the capsule screws to order and I'm thinking about making the mounting screws to order too. It would be 10 times more expensive but 10 times more expensive than one cent is only 10 cents. But at the same time is that overkill? I feel like the day I start making the saddle mounting screws to order is the day I am officially insane.

It’s not and your capsules are worth every penny. I’m sold for life on these.

I ordered another turnstile mic that I’m picking up tomorrow at adorama when I’m in the city. I have a big band recording in a few weeks and it will be nice to have 2 of these with your capsules in them

 

[157audio]

My neighbor and I got together today and tested modded vs unmodded mics on voiceover. It was very interesting and educational. I’ll post up some clips in the next day or so. It was really fascinating watching him work a mic.

Short version- the unmodded mic sounds pretty good, very usable. The modded mic sounds very different and very good, and useable for different things. I’ll be using it on musical sources soon as well, which is my intended use anyway.

Down the road I can see the arienne capsules being mated with a circuit designed to take advantage of what they do really well, but what I have now is way more mic than the total spent would indicate. Plosives and sibilance definitely are smoother with the arienne capsule. My neighbor is really excellent though (it’s funny that I realized how many times I’ve heard his voice on TV and such!), so it also highlights that the talent putting sound into the mic is always the most important factor. I did some comparisons last night with my voice and the differences were much more pronounced, with the arienne being better by a lot. There’s a reason I’m not a voiceover artist though…

 

[LevinGuitar]

Nothing to do with solving your problem, but:

Is it possible that this mic have a deemphasis built in? Could you please tell us the capacitance of C14, C15 and C16? Measure it if the marking is not easy to see.
If the C14 is the output cap?, could you measure resistance between junction of C14/C15 and mass?

What Fet does it use? What value measures C13?
No doubt this is a multipattern version of the mic from the 797audio promo video.
https://groupdiy.com/threads/797-m5-microphone.88373/

 

[157audio]

Nothing to do with solving your problem, but:

Is it possible that this mic have a deemphasis built in? Could you please tell us the capacitance of C14, C15 and C16? Measure it if the marking is not easy to see.
If the C14 is the output cap?, could you measure resistance between junction of C14/C15 and mass?

What Fet does it use? What value measures C13?
No doubt this is a multipattern version of the mic from the 797audio promo video.
https://groupdiy.com/threads/797-m5-microphone.88373/

I have no idea on any of that, but tell me how to measure what you are asking and I definitely will!

To be honest, I don’t have a great understanding of electronics, but I do understand signal flow well and I can solder things to the right place (generally) when I have directions or things are marked. I would like to get a better understanding of how the different parts of a circuit work, so learning to do what you are asking would be a help.

 

[LevinGuitar]

You need a capacitance and resistance meter, any multitester have that options

 

[157audio]

In do have one, I’ll try to do it today

 

[157audio]

Here is a dropbox folder of sound samples if anyone wants to check them out. My friend and neighbor Jake Hart (http://www.jakehart.org) did the VoiceOver tests. We recorded it in the room he uses at home to do VO work, so his signal chain is a dbx286 channel strip into a Scarlett 2i2, recorded to twisted wave at 24/48. I chopped up the recording into specific examples of stock vs modded tac1100 mic, and one sample of the stock tac700 mic. We intended to do a run through of all of the same settings on each but the conversation kind of drifted so there aren't examples of every pattern in stock and modded, but there's some good stuff here. He set gain according to what he said is always requested and approved for his VO submissions, so the only thing I did to files was to lower the gain on a couple where he leaned in more (on purpose) so that volume didn't give a false impression.

I got quite an amazing lesson in VoiceOver, voice control and resonance, working a mic, all sorts of things.

Anyway, here they are!:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/08wn...-ygV_Ats?rlkey=xpttrx1352ckvqgyofai8m42j&dl=0

 

[micolas]

Here is a dropbox folder of sound samples if anyone wants to check them out. My friend and neighbor Jake Hart (http://www.jakehart.org) did the VoiceOver tests. We recorded it in the room he uses at home to do VO work, so his signal chain is a dbx286 channel strip into a Scarlett 2i2, recorded to twisted wave at 24/48. I chopped up the recording into specific examples of stock vs modded tac1100 mic, and one sample of the stock tac700 mic. We intended to do a run through of all of the same settings on each but the conversation kind of drifted so there aren't examples of every pattern in stock and modded, but there's some good stuff here. He set gain according to what he said is always requested and approved for his VO submissions, so the only thing I did to files was to lower the gain on a couple where he leaned in more (on purpose) so that volume didn't give a false impression.

I got quite an amazing lesson in VoiceOver, voice control and resonance, working a mic, all sorts of things.

Anyway, here they are!:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/08wn...-ygV_Ats?rlkey=xpttrx1352ckvqgyofai8m42j&dl=0

Hi @157audio
In all scenarios I prefer the K47 even though it does not benefit from the ideal headbasket)
(For the stock 1100 type K87 capsule you will need to apply Deemphasis)
Your friend Jake Hart has a nice voice for VO

 

[157audio]

Hi @157audio
In all scenarios I prefer the K47 even though it does not benefit from the ideal headbasket)
(For the stock 1100 type K87 capsule you will need to apply Deemphasis)
Your friend Jake Hart has a nice voice for VO

Yes, I think a round head basket will be a future thing to do to this mic. Microphone Assassin’s flat k47 YouTube demo mentions that.

And yes, Jake is really good- I didn’t realize how often I’ve heard his voice in commercials and such. I know he did 3 seasons of a transformers cartoon a few years ago, but that’s not something I would have seen (but when I was young i absolutely would have seen it!), and does audiobooks and lots of commercials. I learned a TON from him the other day which will make my recordings of singers much better in the future.

Tonight I’m getting together with a friend who is a violinist and violist, and his wife is an opera singer, so we may record a few quick samples in their apartment. If we don’t have time tonight before we go to the show we are seeing them sometime in the next couple of weeks we will.