KEL HM-1 mic

  • Thread starter Thread starter moose09
  • Start date Start date
M

moose09

New member
Hi there,

First post here and total newbie so bear with my stupid questions. :)

(A) I have a pair of KEL HM-1 mics. They are supposed to be "small diaphragm"? The diaphragm is bigger than the usual small diaphragm condenser in other pencil condenser mics. Can they still be classified as "small"? What is the implication of a "larger than small diaphragm" sound wise ?

(B) The mic has a "wide-cardioid" pattern. The diaphragm is placed vertically in the mic. I wonder which side is front and back. Or does it matter? Or the mic top should face the source?

(C) The spec says it has a flat frequency response. I used the pair to record acoustic piano. I found that the sound is LESS bright than what I actually hear from the piano. I had to boost the 4K, 8K+ ranges to make it sound more like what I actually heard. Otherwise it sounded a bit like a piano in the next room. Is it normal? Is this a good choice for piano?
 
A) It has a 1/2" diaphragm. That's usually classified "medium".

B) The side of the mic with the logo on it is the front. But point it any way that sounds best.

C) The mic, IME, gets a pretty realistic capture. If you're hearing the piano as brighter than the mic is picking up, it might be the mic placement that you're using that's causing the difference.
 
Thanks XLR! That makes sense. I guess I pointed them the wrong way so I was not getting the right sound. I'll try again.
 
moose09 said:
...I'll try again.
Click to expand...
Experiment a lot with mic placement. A couple inches to one side or the other, or a few inches closer of farther, can make a world of difference. Lots of info here on mic'ing piano if you search. You'll get a very different sound close than from several feet away. Many vairiables determine what's best in a particular situation. But the HM-1 is a great mic and very flexible in application.
 
XLR said:
Experiment a lot with mic placement. A couple inches to one side or the other, or a few inches closer of farther, can make a world of difference. Lots of info here on mic'ing piano if you search. You'll get a very different sound close than from several feet away. Many vairiables determine what's best in a particular situation. But the HM-1 is a great mic and very flexible in application.
Click to expand...

I spent the whole weekend trying to 'optimize' mic positionings. I thought the mic top was the front so I pointed the mic top to piano. Now I know I got it all wrong. How dumb I am! :D

Do pencil type small diaphragm mics have their front at the top?
 
  • Like
Reactions: XLR
moose09 said:
Do pencil type small diaphragm mics have their front at the top?
Click to expand...
There are side-address mic's and end-address mic's. "Pencil" mic refers to an end-address mic.

Re mic positioning, sometimes the best sound is captured with the mic's diaphragm not pointed directly at the source. But, to be honest, in my use of the HM-1 it always sounded best with the diaphragm on-axis to (pointed at) the source. As you've already done though, you've just got to experiment a lot. No shortcut there as every source and room is different.
 
XLR said:
There are side-address mic's and end-address mic's. "Pencil" mic refers to an end-address mic.

Re mic positioning, sometimes the best sound is captured with the mic's diaphragm not pointed directly at the source. But, to be honest, in my use of the HM-1 it always sounded best with the diaphragm on-axis to (pointed at) the source. As you've already done though, you've just got to experiment a lot. No shortcut there as every source and room is different.
Click to expand...

I re-oriented the mics to face the piano last night. Now they gave me a much better image and accurately balanced tone. It did not sound like a piano in the next room anymore. Thank you so much!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top