Townsend Labs Sphere Guts and basic analysis

[kingkorg]

As someone sugested here before, can't remember who, it's kinda like focusing a great camera lens and playing with bokeh.

 

[green-fuzz]

Exactly that. I had listened to A/B comparisons of this mic versus "the real things" on youtube, but i was never able to use the polar pattern myself in a stereo config. It really is a great thing, more than the mic emulations, even if they're quite good.

 

[kingkorg]

I downloaded and tested the new version of the app and did some measurements of the plugin.



Since the plugin is now protected and no longer available from Townsend they don't need to use EQ within the mic itself as a kind of hardware protection for the new LX variant of the mic. The circuit of the LX mic is now flat.



The corrective curve is now joined with the emulation curves, and for the LX you can just stick the capsule into any flat circuit and use as LX alternative, presuming you have the now protected plugin. The body for the new LX should be now smaller, something like Sound Projects C1 should do fine. If i had to guess, a stock SP C1 would work just fine. That is for single sided version, and if software warnings don't annoy you because just one side is connected.

I found out about the new mic and plugin thanks to @Wordsushi amazing Youtube content, so kudos to him.

A comment on his guestimation in one of the videos that LX stereo option is not available because of the possible capsule side mismatch.

My guestimation is that the capsule in LX is matched just fine, and UA introduced software limitation because of the price difference just like absence of some of the models. As the circuit is now flat, the LX won't work accurately with the regular Sphere plugin intended for L22 model use.

The corrective curve for the LX looks like this (it replaces the hardware curve of the L22). It looks different probably because of the headbasket shape, and maybe even slightly different capsule.

Now in response to your Ocean Way video @Wordsushi

If you load attached CSV curve in Voxengo CurveEQ (available as trial), you can use it before the sphere DLX or L22 plugin you would be able to use DLX mic with all the emulations including OW mics, and stereo
You can also replicate the curve with any EQ of choice.

 

[kingkorg]

LX guts.

 

[Wordsushi]

I found out about the new mic and plugin thanks to @Wordsushi amazing Youtube content, so kudos to him.


Now in response to your Ocean Way video @Wordsushi

If you load attached CSV curve in Voxengo CurveEQ (available as trial), you can use it before the sphere DLX or L22 plugin you would be able to use DLX mic with all the emulations including OW mics, and stereo
You can also replicate the curve with any EQ of choice.

King! Dude... First of all, thank you. This thread is so impressive, man. I love how much you've dissected the Sphere to analyze it. This is really amazing work. There's little doubt the LX and the DLX/L22 sound different from each other with the LX just sounding "drier" and closer to the source. For the 47's, it seems like the larger, more 47 accurate headbasket of the DLX/L22, is much better suited to replicate the modeled sound. While the 87's seem to sound better on the LX. But what I'd like to hear your opinion on is the translucent plastic dome that sits on the LX's capsule deck. The DLX doesn't have it and I'm completely guessing that this slightly curved dome over the LED's is also diffusing sound inside the headbasket better. I'm looking at your graph on the previous page of Heabasket on vs off and that area between 4-8k feels like it may be less scooped in the LX. I really respect your various mic analyses you've posted here and my knowledge of these things pales in comparison, so I'd love to learn more about this from your viewpoint.

 

[Wordsushi]

One more thing to add in case anyone was curious. With the LX, you only get 20 of the 38 core mics, but if you own/buy the Ocean Way or Putnam Collection plug ins (for Apollo only though), you can access the whole 38 mic core Sphere collection. What happens is the screen inside the app where you choose which mic you have enables access to the L22/DLX as choices, so at that point you're essentially using the DLX plug in on the LX.

 

[laurentj]

One more thing to add in case anyone was curious. With the LX, you only get 20 of the 38 core mics, but if you own/buy the Ocean Way or Putnam Collection plug ins (for Apollo only though), you can access the whole 38 mic core Sphere collection. What happens is the screen inside the app where you choose which mic you have enables access to the L22/DLX as choices, so at that point you're essentially using the DLX plug in on the LX.

I can confirm this is working great, no more corrective EQ needed using the pre-built alice opa circuit with selection of LX in OW/Putnum plugin. The models seem more accurate now as I am using a NT1/B2 Pro donor body. I like the 47 model even more, the modern headbaskets seems to improve temporal resolution. Crazy how close the emulation is to my U87..smooth, no silibance, no chinese capsule sound whatsoever.

Thanks for the outstanding analysis kingkorg.

 

[Mr. LB]

My first message here, so please call me out if I say something inappropriate or stupid.

First of all, let me say that it's an honor to be part of such a generous and dedicated community like this. I'm just sorry that my role here will be more to learn from you than to contribute to the discussion.

I've been following this topic since the beginning. But since Universal Audio took control of the Sphere L22, I confess that things got a bit confusing for me.

Reading Kingkorg's last post, I had a question, silly but a question.

Essentially, what you're saying is that any microphone that has two Schoeps-style flat circuits, a 797 Audio K67 capsule, and a 5-pin connector in a U47-style body, if connected to the plugin now available in the UAD Apollo, works like a UAD LX or UAD DLX without the need for the equalization curve offered here before?

So, would it be the same as saying that if someone invested in two of these circuits:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...!sea!BR!2640746323&curPageLogUid=PXCtReSLctRN
or

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...!sea!BR!2640746323&curPageLogUid=SL3UWlhcW35O
Plus one of these bodies:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...!sea!BR!2640746323&curPageLogUid=RFwHOzB3y0mZ
Plus a 797 Audio K67 capsule, they would be assembling a microphone that is compatible in performance in terms of emulation with what UAD offers (that is, if they were using the software sold by them).

Links ares just a rough example, by the way!

Is that it, or did I get it wrong?

 

[laurentj]

OPA Alice - Dual Channel measures even a little better than Townsend original amp due to SOA modern TI op-amp and higher ouput due to standard pol voltage mod 80V. Sounds very good.

The ceap chines ones you mentioned probably are of inferior quality. Also no DC/DC convertor.

You can only use these flat amps with the UAD LX version of the plugin, working without problems! I used to habe the king provided curves on an eq input buss.

You need the specific C0002 version of the 797 K67. Than you will have a microphone which is very close performing. I got best results placing it in a spare U87 body.

 

[iomegaman]

I built an OPA Alice Dual Channel because of this thread, I do have the UAD Townsend plugin...and also ran the EQ curve initially from the 1st post to get things to work with my Studio Projects stuff, everything works fine...

The OPA Alice Dual is an incredible sounding mic for about $100...was an easy build and loads into the Townsend plugin without the EQ curve needed.

 

[Carl Meanwell]

Great work on this, excited to give it a try - are you able to use the stereo 180 UA plugin as well? Or does this only become available if you buy the DLX mic?

 

[iomegaman]

No need to buy the DLX, it works as expected, it will ask if you have the Townsend version or the Sphere version but it doesn't seem to care or know much beyond that...the plugin works fine...I was fortunate to get the plugin years ago when it was free and its been in my account ever since.

 

[wanderingengineer]

Just resurrecting this for my own L22 clone using Alice OPA and 797 CY002.

@kingkorg , if I am using the UAD or OG Townsend plugins, I would need to use your original (box.com "Sphere Circuit FR.csv) HF attenuation curve in Curve EQ (to emulate the in-built HF circuit in the L22) if I want to select L22 or DLX in the plugin and access all the models?

But if I select LX as the input, the plugin makes any corrections and applies the models itself?

Just to clarify, what does the other CSV in Curve called "LX Correction Curve.CSV" do then?

Sorry for being dumb. And thanks for all your help.

 

[kingkorg]

Just resurrecting this for my own L22 clone using Alice OPA and 797 CY002.

@kingkorg , if I am using the UAD or OG Townsend plugins, I would need to use your original (box.com "Sphere Circuit FR.csv) HF attenuation curve in Curve EQ (to emulate the in-built HF circuit in the L22) if I want to select L22 or DLX in the plugin and access all the models?

But if I select LX as the input, the plugin makes any corrections and applies the models itself?

Just to clarify, what does the other CSV in Curve called "LX Correction Curve.CSV" do then?

Sorry for being dumb. And thanks for all your help.

It is a response to the video in this post.

I downloaded and tested the new version of the app and did some measurements of the plugin.



Since the plugin is now protected and no longer available from Townsend they don't need to use EQ within the mic itself as a kind of hardware protection for the new LX variant of the mic. The circuit of the LX mic is now flat.



The corrective curve is now joined with the emulation curves, and for the LX you can just stick the capsule into any flat circuit and use as LX alternative, presuming you have the now protected plugin. The body for the new LX should be now smaller, something like Sound Projects C1 should do fine. If i had to guess, a stock SP C1 would work just fine. That is for single sided version, and if software warnings don't annoy you because just one side is connected.

I found out about the new mic and plugin thanks to @Wordsushi amazing Youtube content, so kudos to him.

A comment on his guestimation in one of the videos that LX stereo option is not available because of the possible capsule side mismatch.

My guestimation is that the capsule in LX is matched just fine, and UA introduced software limitation because of the price difference just like absence of some of the models. As the circuit is now flat, the LX won't work accurately with the regular Sphere plugin intended for L22 model use.

The corrective curve for the LX looks like this (it replaces the hardware curve of the L22). It looks different probably because of the headbasket shape, and maybe even slightly different capsule. View attachment 105505

Now in response to your Ocean Way video @Wordsushi

If you load attached CSV curve in Voxengo CurveEQ (available as trial), you can use it before the sphere DLX or L22 plugin you would be able to use DLX mic with all the emulations including OW mics, and stereo
You can also replicate the curve with any EQ of choice.

 

[wanderingengineer]

Yes, thanks @kingkorg - I am a subscriber to @Wordsushi 's YT channel and watch a lot of his videos.

I loaded up the UA Sphere plugin today. It has a "Sphere Direct" setting which it claims shows you Sphere microphone output unadulterated described below.



However, when I analyse the impact that this setting is having on a pure test signal, the following is shown for the L22 and DLX (essentially nothing much being done by the plugin):



Yet for the LX, the same setting results in which is what I find confusing:



I am head scratching a bit but that would suggest that UA's Sphere Direct for the L22 would include the HF attenuation on @kingkorg 's initial CSV Sphere FR.csv (because the plugin is not correcting for this when set to Sphere Direct) whereas with the LX, the same Sphere Direct setting is doing quite a lot of HF work as shown in the FR above. This is just to get to the Sphere Direct output.



For Sphere Linear (getting the LX to be as flat as possible by correcting its output) on the LX, you get:



and for the L22 to get to Sphere Linear:



Anyone have any idea why there's such a big difference for the Sphere Direct output? I can image why there would be a need for a lot of EQ to flatten the response (Sphere Linear) but surely the direct output is the direct output, so why the big difference for the LX above?

As a comparison, the two charts below show the EQ curve being applied to first the LX and then the L22/DLX to get them to the model of a U87Ai (LD87 Modern)

LX corrective:



DLX/L22:



These are all with the Sphere plugin set to Cardioid, on-axis, no HPF.

 

[kingkorg]

Sphere DLX does correction in the mic itself. If you go with that capsule and flat circuit, you have to use the initial sphere CSV file i posted before the plugin for DLX models.

The newer LX version does this correction in the plugin. You shouldn't use my curves with it. The difference between the curve LX does compared to my initial CSV file is due to different headbasket LX has, and it accounts for that. The CSV file of the LX correction i posted is just informative.

TLDR easiest approach is to use my original curve before the plugin as i described originally, and not think about LX at all.

 

[wanderingengineer]

Thanks @kingkorg, that’s what I had arrived at and intend to do.

I get that the LX is using the plugin instead of the circuit but I still don't understand the LX “Sphere Direct” output above unless UA are trying to homogenise the Sphere Direct between all their Sphere mics, thus as you say the headbasket becomes an issue?

 

[kingkorg]

Thanks @kingkorg, that’s what I had arrived at and intend to do.

I get that the LX is using the plugin instead of the circuit but I still don't understand the LX “Sphere Direct” output above unless UA are trying to homogenise the Sphere Direct between all their mics, thus as you say the headbasket becomes an issue?

Well the curve you see in LX dirrect is the curve that is in the DLX mic hardware itself so the DLX plugin doesn't have to do anything, and is flat. Hope that makes sense.

 

[wanderingengineer]

Thanks, it does make sense I think. Appreciate your patience with answering my questions.

 

[carter123098]

Well the curve you see in LX dirrect is the curve that is in the DLX mic hardware itself so the DLX plugin doesn't have to do anything, and is flat. Hope that makes sense.

I got a real quick question, i have a rode nt1 Ai1 i’m pretty sure is the exact model but i saw you were messing with one open, there is no screws anywhere on it and my XLR prong #1 is poking out so much, some connection issues, And also something is jiggling inside. But to get inside of it i have to take the shock cage off, which is too tight from the previous owner to take off and rotates the whole bottom of the microphone, i figured taking the bottom off, and then getting the cage off would be best, but im stumped on even getting that piece off because there is absolutely no screw holes and no manuals on the internet hahah.