shaund

Alright - I'll play. Here's a list of mics I've bought or built: Condenser mics 2x Shure KSM32 (T-less) 1x Shure KSM141 (T-less) 1x Rode K2 (Tube / T-less / OG Rode CK12 / NOS Amperex tube) 1x Rode NT1 (newest version) 1x MicParts S-25 1x MicParts T12 (in a lightly-modded MXL 2001 body) Ribbon mics 1x Rode NTR (Transformer) Dynamic mics 3x Audio-Technica Snare/Tom 1x Audio-Technica Kick/Tom 1x AKG D112 1x Heil Sound PR 35 1x Heil PR 30 3x Shure SM57 Uncool mics 1x Behringer ECM800 Measurement mic 1x Crown CM700 (SDC) Here's an example of something I recorded, mixed, and mastered in a day with these mics: https://open.spotify.com/album/1BVFw44x4PdvrhdkIfGqcb?si=-TxDsGA7Q4SSltZKcnFeeQ For that EP, I used the KSM32 in ORTF to get the OH drum sound. Used the cheapo AT mics on all the toms and snare, D112 inside on kick. Blended in samples w/ Addictive Trigger (have a method there to match the tone - could describe it if interested). I think I used the K2 on the vox; need to replace that mic, or maybe just get a new capsule for it. The T12 would likely have been a better choice; love that T12, but hadn't built it yet at the time. Bass went direct through a Little Labs Redeye as I recall. Didn't use the NTR, though I LOVE that mic. Still, you kind of need to track w/ a little top end boost cause vocalists want to hear that crisp sound. BG vox were all on the Heil PR 30; no reason, just kind of sounds a little "thin" when you have the singer pull back, and I wanted them to not be too full. SM57's on the two guitar cabs, live in the room (yes, you're hearing a TON of bleed into that OH mic from the guitar cabs.) Obvs overdubbed vox and bgvox later; used the PR35 and PR30 for main a bg while they were tracking. Note that I do this all in a single day as part of this "speed mixing" thing I do just for fun, so no time to overdub anything except vox. They walked in the door and 6.25 hours later I was uploaded finished master to Dropbox; to do stuff that fast I have to use templates, edit really fast, have mics setup, not get too crazy about positioning, etc. Lots of thinking ahead. Anyhow, happy to answer questions or get feedback; ask me anything! (loving the thread - I should post my list of "mics I'm lusting after and why")

The first mic that comes to mind is a Sennheiser e 609. Up against a 57, I preferred the 57. Not sure why, exactly (perhaps it had to do with poor mic cab placement - it was a long time ago), but that's what I recall. Also not a fan of the Audix i5. A drummer I played with had one and used it on snare on several demo recordings - I remember it having more low fundamental snare tone, more high end snap... and thus scooped mids. And I didn't like the sound; pre-processed, but not to my taste. Re: the D112, my shootouts of currently-manufactured kick mics always leaves me preferring the Beta 52 over the D112. I don't hate the D112, but I, too, always sample replace it. I find it's EXCEPTIONAL as a trigger for Addictive Trigger. (Which, btw, is an excellent "set and forget" drum trigger - very easy to use, and has an "Audio Fingerprint" that works much better IME tools where you're dragging a slider below certain transient peaks, while trying to keep it above others...) I often use a pair of KSM 32's for drums overheads. While those mics are not instantly exciting, I've come to enjoy them more and more. It's the opposite curve, slowly falling in love with them, versus what I had the with D112, where at first I thought I had stumbled onto the Sound Of Rock, but then realized I didn't like where the low-end thump and the beater click peaked. But these are all inexpensive dynamic mics. Wonder if anyone has an expensive mic they have been unimpressed with for some specific reasons? EDIT: I played with another drummer a long time ago that had a C1000. Even at the time, I hated that thing!

Hey Matt - very interesting that you've already experimented with sounds absorption and diffusions in the cage. In terms of frequencies you can address with absorption, 1/4 wavelength of 3.5Khz is about 1". Given this, if you simply took a "long" cage and added 1" of OC703 to the top and bottom, seems like you would dampen resonance of the mic cage from 3.4k up quite a bit. Of course, it's taking up a lot of real estate in the cage (1" for absorption at the top, whatever the gap is to the capsule, the capsule diameter, more airspace, 1" at the bottom). In terms of the the size needed for diffusion, I think you can scale it down using something like www.subwoofer-builder.com/qrdude.htm (that's what I've used in the past.) If you change the well width lower than the minimum recommended, I don't think it works as well... but it still works somewhat. I was thinking of 3d printing the output of a QRDude schematic, essentially. What mic cage absorption / diffusion experiments have you done, and did you hear anything? If you were going to try something else in the future, what would it be? (ie. what areas of research in physical mic cage design do you think are interesting to pursue?)

Hi all - an idea I've been toying with is whether or not you could 3d print acoustically useful inserts for the inside of a mic cage. I'm thinking something that would cause diffusion in the 7k range (might, for example, smooth out some sibilance if it was caused by acoustical resonance within the cage - not sure that's really a thing.) 7k is about 1.9" in terms of wavelength size; you would have to build a diffuser (probably 2d like a mini skyline, though never seen that done) that has a max depth of about 1/2" to address the quarter wavelength of 7k. Also, maybe a 1/2" of absorption on either side would change the sound in the sibilance region? I'll attach a drawing I made the other day by way of visual explanation. (Scale is wrong - if that's a 1" capsule, then the diffusion marked in blue is not deep enough.) Anyhow - the idea kind of reminds me of Josephson's metal foam grill on the C715. Think something like this would work? If it wouldn't be audible, anybody have theoretical grill designs / basket designs that you think WOULD affect the sound of the capsule?