Homemade figure 8 mic?

4

4tracker

Guest
Is it possible to modify a high-z omni mic to have only a figure 8 pattern?

Would blocking the front and back of the mic with foam/soundproof material work?

Thanks.
 
Hi,
I doubt it. Have a look into how these microphones are designed and how they work.

I know it seems counter intuitive, but an omni picks up all around it because the back of the capsule is sealed.
A ribbon has fig-8 pattern because front and back are both exposed. Any sound from the side excites the element's front and back the same amount and in the same way, cancelling out.

If you tried to physically block sound, you'd just end up with a really dull mic, I reckon.
 
4tracker said:
Is it possible to modify a high-z omni mic to have only a figure 8 pattern?

Would blocking the front and back of the mic with foam/soundproof material work?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I figured it wouldn't work. But before buying soundproofing material I thought I'd ask and save the money.

In that case, can anyone recommend a good low budget (under $200, but cheaper the better) figure 8 mic?
 
PRHunt said:
A perfectly valid reason!

If you wanted to try MS on a low-ish budget, you could use a ribbon mic like the No Hype LRM-1: NoHype Audio Products: Quality Affordable Audio Equipment

For that matter, grab a couple and then you can try a Blumlein array!
Click to expand...

Wow, thanks for the recommendation. Is the LRM a decent quality mic? Is it worth upgrading the transformer?

Edit: I bought 2 with the stock transformer after reading the gearslutz pages. Stoked!
 
Last edited:
I have not used the LRM-1, but I have purchased other products from No Hype. J-P Gérard is a straight-up good guy to deal with and I trust him. I am going to get a pair of LRM-1 myself soon, with stock transformers. I have a pair of Cinemag ribbon transformers sitting unused, so I could "upgrade" with these.

Have fun!
 
4tracker said:
Is it possible to modify a high-z omni mic to have only a figure 8 pattern?

Would blocking the front and back of the mic with foam/soundproof material work?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

No - you need to do the opposite and cut the back off completely so it's open on both sides.

Totally impracticable, though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top