Vintage ribbon mic help

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capnreverb

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I picked up a vintage ev v1 ribbon mic. It appears to be in decent shape cosmetically, but i have yet to open it up to look at its insides. How will i tell if the ribbon is broke? is it obvious? Also, it has a weird plug/cord that extends to a screw like connector that is just a brown circle with a metal circle in the center. How difficult would it be to switch this to an xlr or 1/2 inch to see if it works, and how would i do it? Also, its seems to be quite magnatised at the grill, mountings/large and screws where the mic itself is connected to its stands. Is this an issue that i should be aware/worried? I know I am asking alot, so any info would be greatly appreciated.

thanks,
-wietlispach

www.soutrane.com
 
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<How will i tell if the ribbon is broke? is it obvious?>

Yes, you will immediately see if there is something wrong with it. Watch that the ribbon is not loose.

<Also, it has a weird plug/cord that extends to a screw like connector that is just a brown circle with a metal circle in the center. How difficult would it be to switch this to an xlr or 1/2 inch to see if it works, and how would i do it? Also, its seems to be quite magnatised at the grill, mountings/large and screws where the mic itself is connected to its stands.>

It is relatively easy operation. Open it up and unsolder this connector. Remember the wire going to metal circle--it is gonna be +. Now, look at the lug that screwed to the body inside. Find a wire from the transformer going to this lug and unsolder it--it is gonna be your (-). Now, using a short piece of mic cable connect (+) to pin 2 of XLR, (-) to pin 3, and ground to pin 1.

<Is this an issue that i should be aware/worried? I know I am asking alot, so any info would be greatly appreciated.>

1) Don't blow at the ribbon
2) Don't check internal transformer with a tester.

And feel free to ask questions.
 
I wouldn't solder an XLR cable onto that if I were you. That's a high-z cable, and I don't doubt it's a high-z mic. If I were going to replace it, I'd just look for an old high-z mic cable that terminates in a 1/4" TS plug. Then you don't have to tear the mic down for no reason, and you can either plug it into a high-z input or use a 1/4" to XLR step down transformer, about $10. I believe plugging it into a high-z input will produce better results, if you have one.-Richie
 
Richard Monroe said:
I wouldn't solder an XLR cable onto that if I were you. That's a high-z cable, and I don't doubt it's a high-z mic. If I were going to replace it, I'd just look for an old high-z mic cable that terminates in a 1/4" TS plug. Then you don't have to tear the mic down for no reason, and you can either plug it into a high-z input or use a 1/4" to XLR step down transformer, about $10. I believe plugging it into a high-z input will produce better results, if you have one.-Richie
Click to expand...

The mic does say it is high z. This might be a dumb question, but would would a high-z input be, or what would be a "1/4" to XLR step down transformer"? Any advice where I can find a high z - 1/4" cord.

I greatly appreciate the advice I have gotten so far.
 
Richard Monroe said:
I wouldn't solder an XLR cable onto that if I were you. That's a high-z cable, and I don't doubt it's a high-z mic. If I were going to replace it, I'd just look for an old high-z mic cable that terminates in a 1/4" TS plug. Then you don't have to tear the mic down for no reason, and you can either plug it into a high-z input or use a 1/4" to XLR step down transformer, about $10. I believe plugging it into a high-z input will produce better results, if you have one.-Richie
Click to expand...

Richie,

EV V1 (as well as V1A) is a low-Z (at least by modern standards) ribbon mic (even though sometimes it has printed "Hi-Z"). Yet, I would like to see a Hi-Z ribbon mic--at least I've never heard about one, and in any case step down transformer here would be no-no, as you loose sensitivity and as a result S/N ratio even further. I would still suggest to change connector to XLR and run the output balanced, esp. if you have long cable. I have this mic (as well as V2) and once I measured its transformer ratio, but at the moment forgot the value. If you want I can do it again and tell exactly the output impedance.
 
Well Cap'n, I feel bad, because about 2 weeks ago I threw out one of those cables, just what you need, sayng, "Hell, they haven't made mics to use this cable since about 1975. I'll never need this again." If I still had it, I'd send it to you. Anyway, high-z is high impedence, and it generally plugs into what today would be considered an instrument input, rather than a mic input. It will tend to lose signal when run through long runs of cable, anything over about 30 feet. I don't claim to know what Marik's plan to balance the output would do, but I'm waiting to see if Harvey weighs in here. He's a not-quite-spring-chicken mic expert. If he doesn't show up of his own accord, send an email or private message to Harvey Gerst on this board, and he will probably give you the simplest solution. He may know where you can buy the cable. Unfortunately, I don't.-Richie
 
Well, I opened her up very nervouosly, hearing that even thinking about the ribbon will cause it to break. I got it open and here is what i found.

1. The whole innards are covered in a very fragile cheesecloth like material that started to tear when i tried to remove it to have a look at the ribbon. So, I let it be for now.

2. I held the mic up to a bright light and I could see through the cheeescloth that the ribbon appears to be intact.

3. The whole mic is very magnatised with tiny metal shavings stuck to the cheesecloths and elsewhere on the mic.

So, I have these questions

1. Is it ok to get rid of the cheesecloth?
2. Whats with all the magnetic activity?
3. Rewiring it to xlr.
4. This all might be a bit out of my capabilities, so where could i send it to have the work done. I am not interested in fixing the cosmetics, just in getting it running.

Which leads me to the broader question as to whether its worth it.

I bought the thing for $60. I would like to have a ribbon mic for recording and have heard so many good things about ribbon mics for recording, especially things like reeds and other horns. I dont mind spending another 2-3 hundred more to get it up and going if it will end up being a quality mic. Does anybody have any experience with these mics when they are working? Does anybody have a favorite source for getting work like this done?

thanks for your time,
-wietlispach
www.soutrane.com
 
Richard Monroe said:
Well Cap'n, I feel bad, because about 2 weeks ago I threw out one of those cables, just what you need, sayng, "Hell, they haven't made mics to use this cable since about 1975. I'll never need this again." If I still had it, I'd send it to you. Anyway, high-z is high impedence, and it generally plugs into what today would be considered an instrument input, rather than a mic input. It will tend to lose signal when run through long runs of cable, anything over about 30 feet. I don't claim to know what Marik's plan to balance the output would do, but I'm waiting to see if Harvey weighs in here. He's a not-quite-spring-chicken mic expert. If he doesn't show up of his own accord, send an email or private message to Harvey Gerst on this board, and he will probably give you the simplest solution. He may know where you can buy the cable. Unfortunately, I don't.-Richie
Click to expand...

She came with its original cable, but its pretty beat and has the weird ending with the brown circle around the center metal circle. Thanks for taking the time to respond.
 
capn -

You ask what all the "magnetic activity" is about. Well - the ribbon is stretched loosely in a strong magnetic field. Fluctuations in that field caused by movement of the ribbon are converted to electrical current, and that current is the output of the mic. So a strong magnetic field is necessary.

Metal shavings are bad news to a ribbon. They will stick to the magnet, and if they touch the ribbon, distortion will occur, not to mention eventual ribbon damage. The cheesecloth acts as a shield against those contaminants and as a rudimentary wind shield.

Before you do anything else, put the mic back together and find some way to test it. If it sounds good, don't worry about it. If it doesn't, you'll have to have it reribboned; it costs around $125.

The eminent practitioners of the almost-lost reribboning craft are Clarence Kane and Stephen Sank. You can google for these names and contact them.
 
AGCurry and Marik are right on. Send it to Clarance Kane or Stephen Sank, or Wes Dooley for cleaning and the silk replaced. I'm sure they can change it over to a low impedance XLR output (which is where it'll work best).

Any one of these three people will do a great job on getting it peaked, but check their prices and which one is closest to you. Clarence Kane is in New Jersey; Stephen Sank is in Albuquerque NM, and Wes Dooley is in Pasadena, CA.
 
Some interesting developments. I just got in the mail today a vintage ev 638 mic with its original cable. I had no idea what kind of cable it used, i bought it on ebay for $10 and thought it looked cool. I unscrewed the cable, and it turns out that it is the same weird kind that goes into the ribbon mic. Even better, the cable extends into a 1/4" plug (stereo one at that). So, i plugged it into the ribbon mic and then my board. Nothing. I turned the trim up to about as far as it would go, and, it works. If i crank the trim all the way, the mic gets real noisy and sounds like it's not happy. I am hopping an xlr would improve the sound output. Also the cord I got today is real crappy, and i had to jiggle the 1/4" to make it work. Does a ribbon mic using a 1/4" usually sound that weak?
 
Marik said:
Richie,

EV V1 (as well as V1A) is a low-Z (at least by modern standards) ribbon mic (even though sometimes it has printed "Hi-Z"). Yet, I would like to see a Hi-Z ribbon mic--at least I've never heard about one, and in any case step down transformer here would be no-no, as you loose sensitivity and as a result S/N ratio even further. I would still suggest to change connector to XLR and run the output balanced, esp. if you have long cable. I have this mic (as well as V2) and once I measured its transformer ratio, but at the moment forgot the value. If you want I can do it again and tell exactly the output impedance.
Click to expand...

Do you like the v1 in terms of recording applications?
 
capnreverb said:
So, i plugged it into the ribbon mic and then my board. Nothing. I turned the trim up to about as far as it would go, and, it works. If i crank the trim all the way, the mic gets real noisy and sounds like it's not happy. I am hopping an xlr would improve the sound output. Also the cord I got today is real crappy, and i had to jiggle the 1/4" to make it work. Does a ribbon mic using a 1/4" usually sound that weak?
Click to expand...

It seems that you are using line Hi-Z input of your board. It should be fine with XLR input.

>Do you like the v1 in terms of recording applications?<

I highly modified it. That's what I did:

1) Instead of 'cheesecloth' I put silk.
2) Re-ribbon with original RCA ribbon foil.
3) Output transformer changed to very high quality Lundahl LL2911.
4) Original low efficiency magnets changed to super strong Neodymium ones.
5) Added XLR connector.

This way it sounds considerably better than original and has higher output, but.... I wouldn't consider it V1 anymore. And yes, I love it.
 
I believe that the V1 was considered to be in the same class as, say, the RCA 74, i.e., a fairly inexpensive mic to be used for remote broadcasting. It doesn't have the frequency response of its older and more expensive brothers. But if you do what Marik did, it might be quite nice.
 
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