No Name Tube Microphone

[Jim Lad]

Well, it's here.
No idea what it is, really.
If there was ever any paperwork with it, and I believe there was, the creepy guy I bought it from removed it.
I'm guessing it's one of those kits Aurycle.com - Manufacturer Direct Pricing on professional studio microphones, usb microphones and microphone kits and someone has painted the external tube blue.
The valve says 12AX7B China.
I'm burning it in right now and it sounds quite harsh but it's really, really hot.
Cost me $200 and thanks to the "No Choice Shipping" another $68 in duties.
I'll see if I can get a picture up in this new format.
It came with a fairly short, 7 pin lead. Short enough that the box has to stay in the studio which is no big deal for home recording and a power supply.
No bass roll off or PAD.
Fortunately, I have a Samson SP01 spider mount kicking around and it fits. When tightened, the mic can still spin around but is held firmly by the threads.
The cardioid emblem below the grill tells you where the front is.
No box, just some cardboard with the country of origin stamped on it.
It's too soon to tell but I'm going to give it a week to settle in.
The Behringer T-1 impressed me big time (although I have to sell it when the solid tube arrives) and it got off to a slow start.

 

[moresound]

Looks kinda weird Jim ..... open up the power supply and get a picture up here to see!
The web site has a 10' cable in the picture is that how long your 7 pin is? and the bottom container ring doesn't have a a double ring on the outside as yours does. would you say the paint may scrape off easily?

 

[moresound]

Oh yeah and what was it that made this guy creepy?

 

[Jim Lad]

He lied about the brand.
Said it was "Generic" whatever the heck that is.
Then the word "Custom" came in after I paid.
The paint job looks good.
It's all solid brass, I think and the ring on the body can move depending on which way you assemble it.
The base screws off.
I'll go and take some pictures.

 

[moresound]

That site you posted Jim is it a US or Canadian company?

 

[c7sus]

Custom generics seems to be a pretty large segment of the mic biz these days.

 

[Jim Lad]

Don't know how many pictures I can upload here but here goes.

 

[moresound]

Now Open the power supply and get a few shots of in that box.

 

[Jim Lad]

No!......................................................

 

[Jim Lad]

Going down to the studio to try it out.

 

[Jim Lad]

Here you go.
MixcraftLive: home
I'm using the AT M450 (from my Christmas money) on the tenor guitar and dropping it down to 40% panned 25% to the right, after the singing starts.
The Vocal mic is picking up enough guitar on its own.
Recording straight into the Korg D3200 and about 12" distance from both mics.
What do you think?
If you want to compare it to the Behringer T-1. Keep in mind that I had a cold.
MixcraftLive: home

 

[kidvybes]

Yeah, that's the Aurycle I think...first thing, get rid of that tube!...crap!...find a nice 6072 or at least a decent 6201 (12AT7WA) and swap it out...should tame some of the harshness...I don't understand why you buy the Behringer tube mic and this mic, when I post a link to a really great tube mic that costs less than the two of them together...guess, you just gotta learn...

 

[Jim Lad]

I don't understand why you buy the Behringer tube mic and this mic, when I post a link to a really great tube mic that costs less than the two of them together...guess, you just gotta learn...

You're right of course.
Don't know what I was thinking.
Have you tried the Behringer, by the way?

 

[kidvybes]

...no, never tried it, but the half-sized capsule (16mm) is enough to discourage any interest on my part...it pays to know what's inside...when you're ready for a real tube mic, I'll point you in a better direction...

 

[Jim Lad]

the half-sized capsule (16mm) is enough to discourage any interest on my part

It's good that you want to promote your friend's mic but seriously.
Don't knock the gear if you have no experience with it.
It's a damn good mic.
I have an AKG Solid Tube on the way.
Will that do?

 

[dgatwood]

Yeah, that's the Aurycle I think...first thing, get rid of that tube!...crap!...find a nice 6072 or at least a decent 6201 (12AT7WA) and swap it out...should tame some of the harshness...I don't understand why you buy the Behringer tube mic and this mic, when I post a link to a really great tube mic that costs less than the two of them together...guess, you just gotta learn...

Yeah, that's exactly what I was about to say. I don't know that the Chinese 12AX7 tubes are necessarily bad tubes, but the 12AX7 tends to be too high gain for the circuits in most of the Chinese tube mics, IIRC. GE 5-star 6072 parts are generally good choices, but honestly, I think you'll find that anything with lower gain than a 12AX7 improves the sound considerably. There are an awful lot of cheap tubes in the $10 ballpark that would be a sizable step up....

Interchangeable tubes (in alphabetical/numerical order):

5751
6072
6201
12AT7
12AU7/ECC82
12AY7

Some good manufacturers include GE, Mullard, Philips, RCA, Sovtek.... Also, don't overlook the "JAN" parts. These are military parts, usually made either by Phillips or GE.

 

[Jim Lad]

Thanks:
There are a few local shops that I can depend on for this stuff.
I'm not in to swapping tubes just because you can but I've said, right from the start, this one's really, really hot.

 

[PhilGood]

12AX7's gain is too hot for mics and pushes into distortion too quickly, which is why 12AY7 or 12AV7 is better.

Yeah, that's definitely the Aurycle kit mic. I bought two or three of them. They are the same mic that was sold as the sE5000 (IIRC) and another famed mic (with a different capsule).

I tried modifying the board, but ended up just copying the Ela M 251 circuit (adjusting for remote pattern control) with a Tim Campbell capsule and a Lundahl transformer. I also found a better grill off another mic that matches the Ela M's grill mesh count.

Here's how mine looks inside:

 

[moresound]

Phil ..... did you ever put a stock one together and try it so as to be able to <in your mind> A/A the unmod and moded?

 

[PhilGood]

Yes I did. What I ended up with in the stock mic sounded very much like an off-the-shelf Apex 460. Its no wonder either. The circuits and components are almost identical in every way with the exception of pattern control and no cathode follower. Other than that, every components is the same type and value. It is exactly the same capsule and transformer used in the 460. The grill might be a few mm wider and taller, so that has an effect on sound as well, but over-all the mic was harsh and brittle. A few adjustments can make it switch over to be very good though.

Change the C11 capacitor to a high quality film up to 1uF. Swap the transformer to something good in the 10:1 range. Jensen makes on that is very transparent. Peluso's BV11P is made by Tamura, but is very warm sounding. Remove the RF caps by the transformer primaries. Change the 1uF filter caps to mylar (and you really only need the one between R1 and R2) and maybe reduce the 1G ohm resistors to 500M Ohm. You could also run both halves of the tubes in parallel and use a smaller turns ratio transformer, or wire it for something like an EF86 (which sounds really good in combo with a C12 style circuit.)

Then there's the capsule. K47 or a Peluso style CEK12 (I HIGHLY recommend a Tim Campbell CT-12 capsule). If you want to tame the highs while using a CEK12 or CT12, jumper a 100pF-330pF 600v shunt capacitor from before the output cap and tube anode to ground.

Now you're talking.

(and lower the voltage from the PS to 124v)...


Ok MSH, what did I do wrong?