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Time to build another microphone


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I posted here about the MXL 990XF mic upgrade kit I won and built. It is my current favorite large diaphragm condenser mic, very smooth, full and rich for vocals.

 

No affiliation but I'm a big fan of the microphone parts products, they align well with my "do it yourself" aesthetic and adhere to to concept of "getting it right going in."

 

I have 2 potential donor mics right now. I ordered the RK12 capsule, supposed to emulate the AKG C12 sound - and the T-84-55 circuit board with the T6.5 XF transformer, which is designed to produce a notable level of second order harmonic distortion. That kit will fit a Groove Tubes GT-55 with minor modifications and it appears I can make it fit an MXL 1006BP with a different modification.

 

I'll decide which one to work with when the kit arrives. I'm gravitation towards the MXL, partly because turning an inexpensive and only pretty OK mass produced microphone into a great sounding piece of gear appeals to me and I paid $23 with a case for it at a thrift store. That puts me at under $400 and labor for something special.

 

Eventually I plan on building one with the RK67 capsule and a clean solid state circuit. Then I'll have 3 flavors that should cost way more than they did.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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It will be interesting to hear which you prefer. I find that with my voice, I pretty much EQ it to sound like how I want it to sound, and it ends up sounding pretty similar regardless of which mic I use :) Acoustic instruments are a different story, though, because there I'm not close-miking in the same way.
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It will be interesting to hear which you prefer. I find that with my voice, I pretty much EQ it to sound like how I want it to sound, and it ends up sounding pretty similar regardless of which mic I use :) Acoustic instruments are a different story, though, because there I'm not close-miking in the same way.

 

I've been experimenting with recording vocals with 2 mics lately. I made a "mini vocal booth" out of a storage tub (and lots of foam padding) and I hang one mic upside down above and put one below right side up.

I've been running the parallel input/output of a Tech 21 Sansamp Para Driver DI in the send/return on my ISA One and then taking the XLR output to a third track. This allows me to add some harmonic distortion, then I can blend the 3 tracks into one vocal track. If the song needs more "grit" in a bridge (just for instance), I can bring the distortion track up just a bit. A little goes a long way.

 

I'm guessing I won't "prefer" so much as use them both and I might be able to leave the Sansamp out of the loop since this second build is tailored to offer considerable second order harmonic distortion.

In general, the fewer cords the better.

 

That said, I may just swap in my Tech 21 Q-Strip to EQ on the way in. In general, the fewer plugins the better too.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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The Mic-Parts kit arrived today. I'll do a parts check with the manual and then it will be a bit after Thanksgiving before I can get around to starting the build.

I did well the last time by going at it for maybe an hour and then taking a break for a day or so. I'm not in a hurry, it's more important be be focused and do everything as best as I can.

I am really looking forward to hearing this one!!!!!

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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  • 1 month later...

An update - a different path than I was anticipating.

 

I got an email from Mic-Parts regarding a new kit - the T67. This has a new capsule and a new transformer, it took them a few years to get these parts developed to their standards.

I bought the kit and it's almost complete. I tested it last night in cardioid, it sounds fantastic. I still need to do final cleaning and seal one solder joint with magic goo. I also need to test the Omni and Pad switches, those are both inside the mic on the circuit board, easily accessed by unscrewing the bottom and sliding the mic body down a bit.

 

I may want to use the Omni option at some point, not sure about the pad. I won't be getting too loud here. This is a smooth, full sounding mic and very quiet. JFET/transformer configuration, more on the clean side but there are some second order harmonics and the high frequencies sound lovely with no harsh peaks.

 

I'll have more to say after I use this for a while.

 

Meanwhile, I plan on getting back to the Groove Tubes GT-55 mic mod next. I've intentionally chosen 3 different capsules, the MXL-XF kit I won came with a capsule modeled after the K-47, the GT-55 has a capsule modeled after the AKG C-12 and the T-12 kit is modeled after the K-67 capsule that was/is used in the Neumann U-67 and U-87 mics.

 

For a small home studio, that is probably enough variations to suit any vocalist that may come here. I do have friends that are great singers, ranging from a true soprano to a low baritone/bass register. And we all sound different, not one single mic is going to be the best for everybody. Add in a couple of favorite dynamic mics and I think I have this pretty well covered.

 

More soon on the original topic and the new mic (s).

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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  • 2 weeks later...

First and again, no affiliation with Microhone Parts or Roswell Audio, I did win one kit in a contest but I paid the same price for the other two that anybody else would pay.

 

OK, completed the T-67 kit. Love it, great mic. Different flavor than the MXL mod kit I built. And...

 

... just did the initial tests on the mod kit I bought for a Groove Tubes GT-55. I ordered that with the RK-12 capsule, their take on the legendary AKG C-12 microphone. The circuit board for this kit is designed to produce the highest level of second order harmonics of any Microphone Parts kit and I went with the T-6.5 transformer, which also has a higher level of second order harmonics.

 

Bear in mind that these harmonics are pretty subtle, something you probably only hear when it's taken away. It's not like stomping on a guitar overdrive pedal, not even close. Maybe more like if you turned up a Fender Champ with a great speaker just a little bit loud.

 

Anyway, I shifted gears on this mod kit and since the rails to mount the circuit board were similar enough to make it easy, I built it into an MXL 1006 BP that I got for a few bucks at a thrift store. I had a couple of reasons for doing this, one, the case that came with the MXL is quite a bit nicer than the mic bag that came with the GT-55, two, the cover for the capsule on the GT-55 needs a bit of modification for the larger capsule to fit and it went right into the MXL and three, the "super-saddle" that is included in the kit was super easy to install in the MXL and would require more re-work for a good fit in the GT-55.

 

The mic works great, first time out. That is three mic kits in a row that I've built and there have been challenges with my vision. I am now very far-sighted after 65+ years of being very near-sighted (cataract surgery). It's been difficult learning to use magnification and frustrating working with tiny parts like these. That said, I'm three for three and that is a great indicator regarding just how good the instructions and email support are for these products.

 

I know have 3 wonderful sounding mics for my studio, all of them are different and great in their own ways. My current sense of it is that the RK-12 capsule is my favorite right now. That could change and I love the tones of all three mics. I'm very appreciative that this possibility exists, if I can do this so can you! Cheers, Kuru

 

PS, I'll do some comparison testing with these mics soon. I've got my own voice for testing and there will be other singers here in the foreseeable future. Add in my Shure KSM8 and Aston Element and I have something for everyone.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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Tonight I plugged straight into the Quantum and monitored with headphones in Waveform.

I put the mics on a small stand on my desk. 3 mics I built from kits - Microphone Parts. No affiliation, people mention brands here all the time, this is a good one too. :)

 

First the mod kit - the MXL 990 XF, a JFET transformer design with intentional 2nd order harmonics. The capsule is an RK47, the rear capsule has not been gold plated and is silent with no wire.

This is a smooth, clear medium high output microphone. Proximity effect is very usable, it doesn't get boomy or muddy - the notes remain clear. It is a large diaphragm condenser, plosives are impressive and avoidable.

Sibilance is pretty well controlled by a bit of distance and the non-peaky trebles. I like it.

 

My second build was the new T-67 kit, both the RK67 cartridge and the premium Platinum" transformer option are new. Other than some vision/perspective issues - being farsighted and using magnification are both new to me and awkward sometimes - I enjoyed building this mic. The best part is using it, this is an excellent sounding microphone in all respects, low noise, very sensitive, clear and full sounding from a reasonable distance. I loved the way my voice sounded. A keeper.

 

Tonight I finished the third kit, I plan on going back and dressing a few leads but the circuit is complete and the mic works well. This was a mod kit for a Groove Tubes GT-55. I had one to use for a donor. The capsule is he RK-12, an emulation of the AKG C-12. The circuit is the T84-55 with the T6.5 transformer, which delivers the highest level of second order harmonics of any circuit they offer. I went my own way and installed the kit in an MXL 1006 BP body that I had. This was possible because the structure rails inside the mic are very similar in many ways between the GT and the 1006. I had to bend the rails a small amount and then it worked well.

 

I don't know what it would be like to build the Groove Tubes mod, I'm sure it's very doable. What matters is the results - this mic is very high output but still clear and "huge sounding" - proximity effect is pronounced but beautifully controlled. It's like having another voice! Pops and sibilance need careful technique, this mic will do both of those things. I'll try a pop filter and/or some distance. Putting the mic a little lower or higher can fix a lot of it as well, the sound is still very clear and full. Currently this is the mic I plan on using the most for my own songs.

 

I could use any or all of these and be happy with the results so that may happen too. It may be a good long while before I build another mic but I am glad I did it and grateful that the opportunity exists. If you have some soldering skills and would like to own a great microphone this is a great way to make that happen.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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An update - a different path than I was anticipating.

 

I got an email from Mic-Parts regarding a new kit - the T67. This has a new capsule and a new transformer, it took them a few years to get these parts developed to their standards.

I bought the kit and it's almost complete. I tested it last night in cardioid, it sounds fantastic.

 

Did you mention which transformer you chose? Also, what is the "Quantum" you plug into?

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An update - a different path than I was anticipating.

 

I got an email from Mic-Parts regarding a new kit - the T67. This has a new capsule and a new transformer, it took them a few years to get these parts developed to their standards.

I bought the kit and it's almost complete. I tested it last night in cardioid, it sounds fantastic.

 

Did you mention which transformer you chose? Also, what is the "Quantum" you plug into?

 

I chose the new transformer, they call it Platinum 6.5. Matt spent a couple of years working on making a better transformer than the MP6.5. I do mention the transformer above.

I haven't got a basis for comparison but the mic sounds awesome.

Presonus Quantum Thunderbolt 2 interface. 8 mic/line ins and the 2 on the front are switchable to DI for guitars and basses. It's a nice unit and seems to be ripping right along with an Apple Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter.

 

The T-67 is a wonderful mic but out of stock until February. Matt had just a few for December and I snapped one up. Not really certain why, I am not usually "first in" on new products. This was NOT a mistake, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

That said, the mod kit with the T84-55 circuit, the T6.5 transformer and the C-12 capsule is just amazing. Both will be used here, I'm smiling thinking about it. The MXL 990 XF mod kit is no slouch either, I win!!! :)

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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A couple of photos. Last night I took the mic apart, dressed the leads, cleaned a few solder joints and covered one terminal solder joint with conformal fluid.

The mic still works and it's still fantastic. I don't recommend this build the way I did it, I just did it that way.

2573.thumb.jpg.927f5fa2b6beb630181ae7189e7fde8f.jpg

2574.thumb.jpg.d028d9f71c2c6b94adaeb22f1381c1fb.jpg

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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