Mic Reviews at Harmony Central!

[noisedude]

Those, anyway, who can set aside the notion that it is alchemy. There are no spirits involved; it's physics all the way down.

Ah, so that's why people buy old Fenders still rather than just getting a Variax to replace their entire collection. And come to that, isn't the Variax just trying to sound old-fashioned??

I agree with you to a point, but if what you say is 100% true then why don't we all just buy the mic with the flattest response and to hell with the tone of the thing?

That said, and to tie the thread together slightly at this point, the work done by Alan et al has obviously raised the standards hugely for the home/skint recordist. It's a shame people are reading 9/10 reviews for C1000Ss when there are now many new mics available that will do a better job for cheaper.

 

[arcanemethods]

I agree with you to a point, but if what you say is 100% true then why don't we all just buy the mic with the flattest response and to hell with the tone of the thing?

I'm only referring to manufacture. Getting that tone in the first place is where the art and analysis (and perhaps the spirit) are involved and it is not an easy task or one for which there is a flowchart (yet), but once that sound is nailed, reproducing it on an automatic assembly line is just a matter of adequate measurement of the prototype and control of the machine(s) doing the reproducing.

Frankly, reverse engineering a good instance of an existing microphone should not be particularly challenging.


Bob

 

[DJL]

I'm only referring to manufacture. Getting that tone in the first place is where the art and analysis (and perhaps the spirit) are involved and it is not an easy task or one for which there is a flowchart (yet), but once that sound is nailed, reproducing it on an automatic assembly line is just a matter of adequate measurement of the prototype and control of the machine(s) doing the reproducing.

Frankly, reverse engineering a good instance of an existing microphone should not be particularly challenging.


Bob

And Stephen Paul wasn't the first to use 3 micron diaphragms in condenser mics; several small diaphragm mics with 3 micron capsules were already out on the market. Stephen was the first to figure out how to make a large diaphragm mic using a 3 micron diaphragm without the the capsule tearing itself apart or suffering from uneven tensioning.

He then went on to create large diaphragm capsules using 1 micron, .9 micron, and even .6 micron diaphragm materials. No one else has been able to produce a workable large capsule in those ranges.

NOTE: "No one else has been able to produce a workable large capsule in those ranges."

 

[Flatpicker]

Ah, so that's why people buy old Fenders still rather than just getting a Variax to replace their entire collection. And come to that, isn't the Variax just trying to sound old-fashioned??

It's still just physics, albeit physics we may or may not fully understand.

In other words, I've played several old Fenders, Gibsons, and Martins. Some of them sounded great, but just as many, if not more, really sucked! (Funny, but you never hear anyone talking about those – not as much mystique, I guess…) And compared to the bad ones, I might just rather have a Variax, or at least a newer version of the same guitar. You see, this particular example you bring up has to do with the wood’s physical properties, not voo-doo.

 

[acorec]

It's still just physics, albeit physics we may or may not fully understand.

In other words, I've played several old Fenders, Gibsons, and Martins. Some of them sounded great, but just as many, if not more, really sucked! (Funny, but you never hear anyone talking about those – not as much mystique, I guess…) And compared to the bad ones, I might just rather have a Variax, or at least a newer version of the same guitar. You see, this particular example you bring up has to do with the wood’s physical properties, not voo-doo.

I think that the collector market has created all these myths about vintage equipment (mics, guitars, amps etc.) The simple fact is this: If you advertise to sell a 1954 Strat in good shape, wether it is a dog or not, buyers will line up to buy. Simple as that. I have played ,more than you can beleive ,vintage guitars that are supposed to be "sweet" that sucked ass.
The "vintage" market is jacked up by collectors who have no clue how a "good" guitar, amp etc. is supposed to sound. They are in it for the status and eventual $$$. For the ones who really know, well they are victims of the collector's overinflated prices and usually locked out of the market.

 

[acorec]

NOTE: "No one else has been able to produce a workable large capsule in those ranges."

Someone will. SP was a gifted mic dude, but like all gifted people, there will be another.

Look at music, sports, movies...............err.........everything.

 

[DJL]

Originally posted by alanhyatt
Where do you think that mic is made?

Originally posted by DJL
I don't know... and rather than me guessing, why don't you tell me if you know?

Originally posted by alanhyatt
Its not the ability to make it...its the ability to understand it, and to design it correctly. You just don't drill a backplate and slap them together. While some companies in China still do it that way, the good ones don't anymore.

Originally posted by DJL
how do the good companies do it? Also, I've always wanted to know who designed the Studio Projects C1?

And...

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by arcanemethods
I'd appreciate input from Alan as to the degree of automation employed in the production of his mics but I also appreciate the proprietary nature of such information.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey Alan, you are here to help right?

 

[Flatpicker]

I think that the collector market has created all these myths about vintage equipment...

Sooooo true!

Truth is, there was only one out of a hundred or so that was an exceptional instrument. I've talked to people that work at Fender, Gibson, and Martin who tell me the same is true today - every hundred or so of the same instrument, you'll find one that just knocks your hat off. The rest are just ordinary.

 

[noisedude]

Ok I'm agreeing with the comments on the vintage market. Arcanemethod - in theory what you say is true, but it just doesn't seem to be like that in practice. But I guess I don't know that much.

 

[arcanemethods]

Ok I'm agreeing with the comments on the vintage market. Arcanemethod - in theory what you say is true, but it just doesn't seem to be like that in practice. But I guess I don't know that much.

I spent a bunch of years in the machine tool and robotics industry designing computer controlers and managing the software development. As a consequence I became very aware of what these machines can do both in terms of automated measurement and the fabrication itself.

The precision and reproducability required for a consistent microphone aren't even near the outer edge of what can be done and you don't need a production level that would justify the capitol investment. There are contract shops that make this widget in the morning and another widget in the afternoon without a hiccup in their line.


Bob

 

[noisedude]

Fair enough! Thanks!