Transformer balanced Multipattern LDC with M7 capsule build advice?

[GalenH]

Hello all,

I'm a totally newbie to mic building, so if I ask some silly questions, please keep that in mind.

I am really interested in building a large diaphragm, multipattern, transformer balanced (but not tube) microphone with an M7 capsule, kind of after the sound of an m49. Of course
I understand that I wouldn't be able to get that close without copying the tube, headbasket design, etc. But I want something that functions well for many sources with a mellow tone and is lower maintanence and weight than a tube mic.

I really love the sound of m49s but there's no possible way I could afford one in this current reality, and I like to make things anyway. Tube circuits are something I'd rather not mess with, being a beginner, and they are also too heavy and complex for my current life situation, I'd rather not deal with an external psu.

I would ideally like to find a kit that could supply the electronics, like the micparts kits (I know there are mixed reviews) and then I could change out the capsule for a good M7.

However, the micparts kits have only cardioid/omni, switched internally, and I would far rather have at least figure 8, if not subcard, supercard, in addition.

Of course I could make the mics dual output, and have an infinitely variable polar pattern, but sometimes I record larger ensembles, and I don't want to use twice as many channels for one mic.

I really loved the sound of a soundelux u195 that I had, and I think a large part of that sound is the oversized transformer, but a multipattern mic that has a similar flavor would be far more useful for me, especially for recording a singing guitarist with 2 fig 8s, etc.

As far as capsules, I am looking at the m7s from beeskneez, dachman, 3u... not sure who else. I would like to use a mylar diaphragm, I know original was pvc but I'd rather have it age a bit better.

It might be too much to ask to be able to find all of this in a kit, or to modify a kit... but I figured it would be useful or informative at least just to start the query.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Gus]

So you want free microphone design work?

You should be able to find what you want with a search of this forum and other places on the web.

The electronics is the easy part(you can cut and paste("design") from what you can find on the web) the grill and capsule environment design is where the work is. To do this correctly you need test gear.

A good DIY microphone is going to cost money.
Unless you wind your own transformers a good one costs.
You will read nonsense here about cheap transformers sounding good. I guess some people never heard a good one.
With capsules you often get what you pay for.

 

[GalenH]

So you want free microphone design work?

You should be able to find what you want with a search of this forum and other places on the web.

The electronics is the easy part(you can cut and paste("design") from what you can find on the web) the grill and capsule environment design is where the work is. To do this correctly you need test gear.

A good DIY microphone is going to cost money.
Unless you wind your own transformers a good one costs.
You will read nonsense here about cheap transformers sounding good. I guess some people never heard a good one.
With capsules you often get what you pay for.

Hi Gus,
I am certainly not asking for free design work whatsoever. I'm not sure what's out there as far as kits, and one possibility I was wondering about was whether there was a kit available that I could replace the capsule of and maybe the transformer that was already multipattern.

If I was benefiting from someone's design work and they had to do extra work for me to do so I would of course want to pay them for that work.

I wasn't also planning on not spending any money, certainly good transformers are often at least $100 each and the beesneez m7 capsules are around $300. And then there's all the other parts, the design work or kit price and the body. I'm not trying to be unrealistic. Only say that a good m49 copy is in the 3,000 neighborhood and I was trying to figure out if I could make something for less than 1or 2,000.

I posted this thread just in case someone had done what I was thinking of and posted a thread about it, or as said before, was selling kits that fit the bill I could purchase.

 

[Moby]

Fair enaugh. Everybody wants cheap and good. And yes, it's possible. Ok, not cheap, cheap but 1-2k can give you nice sounding and acceptable looking M49 alike microphone.
But before you start with it, you have to know that there is no way to make it "right" withouth a good capsule, good tube, good transformer and good mechanical parts. Why? Because the sound of the microphone is the cumulative result. You fail with the one part and that part "dominates". So, read carefully what other DIY members have to say and sometimes read between the lines.
Good luck and happy DIY.

 

[GalenH]

Fair enaugh. Everybody wants cheap and good. And yes, it's possible. Ok, not cheap, cheap but 1-2k can give you nice sounding and acceptable looking M49 alike microphone.
But before you start with it, you have to know that there is no way to make it "right" withouth a good capsule, good tube, good transformer and good mechanical parts. Why? Because the sound of the microphone is the cumulative result. You fail with the one part and that part "dominates". So, read carefully what other DIY members have to say and sometimes read between the lines.
Good luck and happy DIY.

Thanks for this, Moby!