Why Aren't More People Interested In Cloning A Sony C37A?

[beatsnblunts]

out of all the gear i sold, i regret trading away my 1957 C-37a the most. And of course a year later is about when they started going way up in price. It needed a tune up and i wanted a pair of ribbons so i traded it to Wes at AEA for a pair of R84’s. It was a beneficiary trade for me at the time. Not so much now

 

[Barry Hufker]

You can't see the future...

 

[paulcheeba]

I have a pair of Manley Silver with the Josephson capsules which sound great. I prefer them to the Tonelux or Mojave.

 

[k brown]

I have a pair of Manley Silver with the Josephson capsules which sound great. I prefer them to the Tonelux or Mojave.

Doesn't the Mojave use the Josephson capsule?

 

[Tim Campbell]

Doesn't the Mojave use the Josephson capsule?

Yes it does.

 

[AlgoRhythms]

One of my biggest regrets in audio was selling my matched pair of Sony C37a microphones. They were perfect in every way. Among the many hundreds of recordings I used them on were two Grammy winning big band recordings, where they were on the featured artist.

I sold them to a label I was doing a lot of work for at the time so I had easy access. But we parted ways and I lost the usage of them for good.

Dumb. They are great mics.

 

[EarthTone]

It seems like a lot of the popularity of these mics got hyped after Bon Iver made these videos. Maybe I’m wrong, but I noticed a lot of Gearslutz (man I miss that website name) were referencing this album as a great C37a example, and a source of driving up the prices of the vintage ones… Also, I gotta say, I play sax and C37’s are killer on horns. It’s sort of in the neighborhood of what happens with the u67- The clarity of a condenser with the high end pleasantness of a ribbon. The rolloff on the top end of these is real.

 

[SparkleBear]

They manufacture the MA37 capsules in my town here in santa cruz! If i recall correctly, its a Josephson capsule that David Royer commissioned. I have been very curious to build a c37 myself but kind of put the idea down when i couldn't find an appropriate capsule available. Second the mention of the FONY37 LOL great play rock.

 

[EarthTone]

They manufacture the MA37 capsules in my town here in santa cruz! If i recall correctly, its a Josephson capsule that David Royer commissioned. I have been very curious to build a c37 myself but kind of put the idea down when i couldn't find an appropriate capsule available. Second the mention of the FONY37 LOL great play rock.

Are they available to be purchased by folks like us?

 

[rock soderstrom]

Second the mention of the FONY37 LOL great play rock.

When I saw the mic for the first time, I had to laugh out loud too . Very nice mic, has style and I think it also sounds good with the bargain KK12 capsule!

 

[spiders]

The Tonelux copy is getting press of late, so despite what @Tim Campbell said, obviously some people do like the Sony and its copies, and choose it even when they have many great mics to choose from!

I know this is an odd thing to say, but I've used a c37a more than any other microphone other than a SM57. I had access to a pair for years and used them on everything. When a C37a works on a track, which is most the time, they are just heavenly. Eventually I had to return them and sought out the Tonelux. In regards to the one I got, it was a pretty serious disappointment. The sound was quite mid focused, muffled overall, and it did not respond at all like either c37a I had used before. In a shootout on a track where I'd previously recorded the vox with a c37 the tonelux ended up last in last place, best to worse being the c37a, UM57, Rode nt1a, tonelux. I have to mention it was no contest as well. Distant fourth. Very poor showing.
I am not a professional engineer, I play keyboards for a living and record mostly my own music. I'm sure an audio wizard could have achieved better results than me, but the fact that I enjoyed the sound of the nt1a, a mic I really don't care for honestly, over the tonelux had me returning it as fast as possible. I think something may have been wrong with it, as I later saw the same mic resold at a steep discount.

I'm in the midst of cloning a c37a now, it's not prohibitively expensive to get the parts together to do it. Here's hoping it turns out ok.

 

[Dylan W]

I know this is an odd thing to say, but I've used a c37a more than any other microphone other than a SM57. I had access to a pair for years and used them on everything. When a C37a works on a track, which is most the time, they are just heavenly. Eventually I had to return them and sought out the Tonelux. In regards to the one I got, it was a pretty serious disappointment. The sound was quite mid focused, muffled overall, and it did not respond at all like either c37a I had used before. In a shootout on a track where I'd previously recorded the vox with a c37 the tonelux ended up last in last place, best to worse being the c37a, UM57, Rode nt1a, tonelux. I have to mention it was no contest as well. Distant fourth. Very poor showing.
I am not a professional engineer, I play keyboards for a living and record mostly my own music. I'm sure an audio wizard could have achieved better results than me, but the fact that I enjoyed the sound of the nt1a, a mic I really don't care for honestly, over the tonelux had me returning it as fast as possible. I think something may have been wrong with it, as I later saw the same mic resold at a steep discount.

I'm in the midst of cloning a c37a now, it's not prohibitively expensive to get the parts together to do it. Here's hoping it turns out ok.

There's a shootout on Youtube between the Mojave and Tonelux. The Mojave sounds nice to me, more in the C37 realm. I didn't think the Tonelux sounded very good, but that may just be for this particular source.

Edit: Here's the video.

 

[eso]

I love the C37, or the Mojave Ma37, on string sections as overheads. Lush but also detailed. They take the stridency of violins. Also make great VO (original purpose) and room mics for drums. Under-appreciated in my opinion. Vocal mics get all the glory, but there are so many other fantastic mics, like the C37.

David Royer is a big fan of the C-37 and he uses some of his clones for recording frequently.

This is a plot from a C-37

 

[kingkorg]

When I saw the mic for the first time, I had to laugh out loud too . Very nice mic, has style and I think it also sounds good with the bargain KK12 capsule!
View attachment 123300

 

[MicMaven]

There's a shootout on Youtube between the Mojave and Tonelux. The Mojave sounds nice to me, more in the C37 realm. I didn't think the Tonelux sounded very good,

Wow ... ahem ... I have the completely opposite take. The Tonelux is bright, brassy, alive, and realistic, sounding like I am right there in the room, the snare snaps and the cymbals sizzle and sing. In contrast, the Mojave sounds dull, subdued, and thumpy, with substantially rolled off treble - lifeless with no sizzle or zing or punch. I vote Tonelux, expecially recording a straight ahead jazz trio where the drum kit is a prominent feature, not a mere foundation for ther rest of the group. Cymbals are bright, brassy and almost harsh - I would record them as they are, but then that is just MY take ... your mileage may vary. James

 

[soapfoot]

I diverge from Tim C’s opinion here

I love the C37a and the lesser-appreciated C38

Great on woodwinds, fantastic on guitar cab, good on the right vocal

 

[k brown]

I diverge from Tim C’s opinion here

I love the C37a and the lesser-appreciated C38

Great on woodwinds, fantastic on guitar cab, good on the right vocal

Especially female vocals.

Used on Pat Suzuki and chorus for Flower Drum Song original cast album.