U47-style bodies - who can make one?

[Skylar]

RE Anodize versus matte nickel plating for the body:

I don't think it will matter one way or another.
Anodizing will likely be cheaper and may actually provide a more durable finish.

Ultimately I will choose the process that looks and feels best;
from what I've seen, I should be able to achieve the same results, visually, with either process.


Here's what I'm going for more or less:
[I just got the newest service pack of SolidWorks 2009, which includes a new render engine!]


       

 

[bugfight]

woohoo!
how will the pre-order work?

 

[thousandshirts]

Those renderings look spectacular  8)

 

[barney]

Just a friendly bump as i'm even more keen now to house iaudio's MK7 mic project.  Any news?

 

[desol]

That last one in blue...is beautiful.  mmmm beer.

 

[Skylar]

Hello everyone.


I finally got an invoice for wire mesh samples.
Those samples are now in the works.

I got my u47 shockmounts from RIMSHOT & Stitch-o today, they fit the bodies per-fect-ly.

These shockmounts are really quality, and I'm very happy with them.
   
       



Also:
I'm getting a plethora of emails from folks inquiring about how to reserve a mic body.
It's becoming difficult to keep up with these emails (due to the sheer volume), so I apologize if I haven't gotten back to you yet!
But to answer these questions, there is no reservation system!
No bodies have been sold, and nothing has been reserved yet.
When the mic bodies are ready, I will make a big, fat post in the White Market and give everyone a couple weeks notice before the purchasing system goes "online."

 

[thousandshirts]

Thanks for the info!  I'll keep my eyes peeled. 

 

[speakercoil]

God that body is sexy... I want one or two soooooooo bad. I think what you are doing is fair... The whole white market thing, giving everyone fair warning... It's like setting a release date for a desired item... That way the ones who truly want it will be prepared when the time comes and it is on sale.

OH... Are there limits on how many we can buy? Is it possible to order two? Or will it be one per customer?

-Grant

 

[MATTI]

Oh, Skylar -if you could make a notification of the white market opening here so we´d get notification to our e-mails!

Best

Matti

 

[SSLtech]

God that body is sexy...

Thanks.

-I work out!

;D

 

[audiovisceral]

Hey Skylar, those look great, but is there any chance of any sort of etched indicator as to which side is front and back? If you look at most LDCs, they tend to have some marking, logo, or indicator, often on that collar rim around the base of the head basket on the front side. I would hate to build such a beautiful mic and then have to stick a little red dot sticker on one side to keep track of which direction the diaphragm points.

Since we're not using polar pattern selectors or logos on  the mic bodies like originals:

http://www.saturn-sound.com/images%20-%20microphones/short%20u47%20&%20u48.jpg

Perhaps something tiny and simple like a CNC cardioid symbol on the front?

eg. http://www.directproaudio.com/images/products/apex460_large.jpg

I don't know if this is complex to CNC or if it would significantly add to costs, but I feel we should have some design element to ensure we're not all singing into the backs of our mics half the time before realizing it.

 

[desol]

How much longer? How much longer!!!  ;D

 

[thousandshirts]

Perhaps something tiny and simple like a CNC cardioid symbol on the front?

eg. http://www.directproaudio.com/images/products/apex460_large.jpg

I don't know if this is complex to CNC or if it would significantly add to costs, but I feel we should have some design element to ensure we're not all singing into the backs of our mics half the time before realizing it.

Decals are cheap, and may solve the "front/back" dilemma without resorting to "design element" level changes.

 

[buschfsu]

yes lets keep it clean!!

 

[Kingston]

Has this thing fizzled down to nothing, or is there still work going on?

 

[thousandshirts]

There is Wittgenstein's reappropriation of Longfellow:

In the elder days of art,
Builders wrought with greatest care
Each minute and unseen part
For the gods are everywhere

Although I'd also like to include, somehow, Spinoza in the last line:
...Excellent things are as difficult as they are rare

For such a project I have the interest, 'ad infinitum.'   And I think
this is just such a project.  Each minute part...an excellent thing,
wrought with care, and, to be sure, this is rare.

I can only hope things are going very well indeed, and remind myself
to be patient.

 

[MagnetoSound]

Very well said indeed!

 

[Skylar]

UPDATE TIME:

Yes, it's still happening!


I have decided that I need to use a different manufacturer because, even after 4 attempts, the old guys couldn't get the prototypes correct.
Each time I got a new mic body there were at least one or two little things that were not done correctly.
The quality was good, but they would get a dimension wrong by exactly 1mm or use the wrong thread or forget to countersink a hole, etc., etc.

These mic bodies really need to match my drawings to the letter!
And all dimensions need to fall within tolerance!


So, I'm working with two new manufacturers (both Chinese), and I have three different quotes from one of them.
The positive side of working with them is that the whole thing (parts, headbasket assembly, finishing) can be done in one place, which really simplifies things.
If the quality is good, then I'm going to go for it.

Based on the Chinese mics that I've seen, I think the workmanship of their parts is good, but the designs are not that great.
Maybe capsules are a different story, but that's how I feel about the bodies.



I'm pursuing samples now, and we'll go from there.

 

[MATTI]

Take your time, it will be good

cheers

Matti

 

[tommypiper]

I have decided that I need to use a different manufacturer because, even after 4 attempts, the old guys couldn't get the prototypes correct.

Too bad.  Were they American?  

Maybe they thought the details would be insured in the production run and they were just trying to solve the latest issue, while ignoring previous details that had already been built correctly in previous prototypes because those details had already been solved.  A quick prototype might not get the overall attention to previously confirmed (and correctly built) specs, as a production run would.

I'm sorry to see us going to China for manufacturing.  My opinion is a bit different than yours about the Chinese quality.  You say it's good quality.  With the possible exception of a ribbon mic I've seen, the quality IMO is not good and the attention to detail is extremely inconsistent.  I hope I'm wrong, but I fear you will have a similar experience with inconsistencies as your previous manufacturer.  Hopefully it won't happen during the production run, because returns and guarantees are usually impossible.  Materials are also a question mark with the Chinese.  Quality of metals and finishes is never tops.  

I don't want to start a debate about Chinese manufacturing, in general -- I'm speaking from my experience, just FYI.  Let's leave it there.

Best of luck on this and thanks for your patience and persistence!