Why microphones sound better with the capsule facing downwards - now scientifically explained!

[rock soderstrom]

You have a talent for working in the HiFi industry.

Yes, that's for sure. Lyrical exaggeration can be fun and entertaining, I celebrate that too. BUT, and I mean a really big but, this is about science and facts!

Sorry, but please keep this thread clean.

 

[dai h.]

5. **Catastrophic Release:** At the upper end of the scale, "Catastrophic Release" farts are so potent they can transform the sonic landscape in unimaginable ways. However, caution is advised — their power is such that they can overshadow delicate nuances in the audio if not used sparingly.

6. **Code Brown:** The zenith of the SPL. These are the farts of legend, spoken of in hushed tones among audio engineers. They possess the power to completely redefine a recording, imbuing it with a depth and presence unrivaled by any other method. However, they are so potent that their use is recommended only for outdoor recordings, with appropriate protective gear for all involved.

fart jokes are popular...

 

[rogs]

Reminds me of the old controversy about the orientation of valves (tubes) in guitar amps.

The famous British makers (Vox, Marshall) tended to mount their 'valves' upright, so that the heat would dissipate away from the chassis.

Fender, on the other hand would mount their 'tubes' the other way up, so that the heat would dissipate into the chassis?

Endless arguments about which was best. Fans of the Fender amps would say the chassis could cope with the extra heat fine, and that inverting the mounting of the various elements within the tubes - especially the heaters - created a 'better' sound ??

Probably all nonsense - although there will always be some who swear there is a difference (All 'grist to the mill' for the snake oil salesmen ! )

 

[Tubetec]

Then again the Fender PCB material might benefit from the heat as it tends to drive off any moisture , which its prone to under certain condensing conditions .
Cooking all the caps isnt such a good idea but the main PSU caps are housed under the pan at least .
Chassis gets very hot with the inverted style mounting .

 

[rock soderstrom]

fart jokes are popular...

That's exactly what I meant by "keep this thread clean"!

 

[Rusan]

....the Fender PCB material might benefit from the heat as it tends to drive off any moisture , which its prone to under certain condensing conditions...

LOL, when reading that sentence, the moldy smell of old Fender vulcanized fiber eyelet board hit me from back when I used to work on guitar amps all the time in this extremely humid area. I'm literally feeling a bit queasy right now, especially after remembering this one exceptionally vile blackface Bassman chassis that I had to first leave outside with a fan blowing on it for a couple of days.

CJ must have a titanium stomach with platinum plating, or else wears a fireman's SCBA at work.

 

[rock soderstrom]

'm literally feeling a bit queasy right now, especially after remembering this one exceptionally vile blackface Bassman chassis that I had to first leave outside with a fan blowing on it for a couple of days.

That reminds me of an organ I received as a gift. Great sound but after 20 years of being in a smoker´s rehearsal room it was no longer possible to be in the same room with this organ.

 

[rogs]

That reminds me of an organ I received as a gift. Great sound but after 20 years of being in a smoker´s rehearsal room it was no longer possible to be in the same room with this organ.

I used to work as an electronic organ repair tech way 'back in the day'! Some of the instruments in churches at the time dated back to the 1950s.
Many used selenium rectifiers, and if they failed it used to make the whole church stink!
A sort of sickly sweet smell, not unlike that of the decaying body of a dead mouse or rat -- which we also encountered on occasion!
(The rodents would chew through cables - or get trapped in cable looms - and then die inside the instrument.)
Happy days!

 

[MicMaven]

Fender, on the other hand would mount their 'tubes' the other way up, so that the heat would dissipate into the chassis?

Um ... I hesitate to get serious in THIS particular thread ...

Good Day, Mr. @rogs, I believe there is no mystery about this. Some manufacturers enclose tubes above the chassis and inside the amp head, providing lousy ventilation and poor heat dissipation. In contrast, Fender and other manufacturers hang tubes below the chassis, outside the head, so air can circulate around and between them, which dissipates heat better, notwithstanding they hang right below the chassis frame. I have owned solid state amps which mounted the big power stage transistors on big heat sinks outside the cabinet/head for what I presume is the same reason.

* Disclaimer - While I believe this explains the practice, I do not claim it is, in fact, efficacious!! ​

At least that is my understanding. Happy trails to you, old man. James

 

[Cqwet Dbdfte]

To assure any product gets used in the correct orientation one simple and subtle way is to add some (visible) text to the outside.

The Telefunken logo plate on the U47 would suggest the intended operation would be cable down, which of course could be wrong

 

[jasonallenh]

Will those low frequencies fit inside 5 gallon buckets?
17m @ 20Hz. You may have to fold those bastards.

That's what the absorptive towels were for

 

[fixorfling]

Perhaps another safety gauze, between the flatulator, (cheek clapper) and mic,
to prevent bass grape blow outs, during intense SPL / FPL. (similar to a drill, on masonry setting)

May produce LFO puddles, or purple balloons, in extreme circumstances,
proceed with caution.

I vote for Valves Upright, or the heater carnt do its job correctly, as designed.

 

[neowalla]

What MicMaven and Grim Reaper said.
We learned to set up vocal mics that way in school. We never used those pantyhose pop filter things. Unless the vocalist looks up a lot when they sing, the blasts of their nasty breath will blow past, below the capsule preventing plosives, and you get a little chest resonance thrown in to the bargain.
Later as a boom operator, we would aim the shotgun mic at the bridge of the talent's nose for the same reasons. Also to keep the mic out of the shot