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Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones...
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Subject: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: GUEST,matt milton Date: 06 Dec 11 - 09:25 AM http://www.eartrumpetlabs.com/products/microphones/ I want all of these. (Well, actually I could live without the bicycle-disc ones.) A fug of blokey gadget-lust descends... |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: GUEST,matt milton Date: 06 Dec 11 - 09:26 AM OK, here's a clicky: http://www.eartrumpetlabs.com/products/microphones/ |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: theleveller Date: 06 Dec 11 - 10:20 AM Excellent - I want one as well. |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: Lonesome EJ Date: 06 Dec 11 - 11:18 AM The sprockets models could be used as halberds to keep harmonica players off of the stage. |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: VirginiaTam Date: 06 Dec 11 - 11:51 AM Abney Park mic Abney Park's steampunk mic and keyboard |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: GUEST,matt milton Date: 06 Dec 11 - 12:06 PM see I am sad and geeky enough to spot that that Abney Park mic is merely a Blue Ball microphone that they've taken the logo off and made to look rusty. Shame on them! |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: treewind Date: 06 Dec 11 - 01:12 PM Huh! They're all condenser mics! Ralphie should be along in a minute to tell us about his CARBON mic - hand made only a few years ago, as featured on final track of his solo CD "Eloise". Now that's steampunk... |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: GUEST,matt milton Date: 06 Dec 11 - 01:18 PM yeah, carbon mics are very cool. Crystal mics too. (Soundwise, they do essentially amount to just rolling off lots of the bottom end until you get a 'telephone' effect, but...) |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: Will Fly Date: 06 Dec 11 - 02:11 PM Ho hum - for those prices I could construct my own. |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray Date: 06 Dec 11 - 02:14 PM Well, we're in the market for some new studio mics; looking good, but how do they sound?? |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: GUEST,Ralphie Date: 07 Dec 11 - 06:22 AM Thanks Anahata. I do indeed have a genuine USA made Carbon granual microphone made by the lead guitarist of the Polyphonic Spree! (Only one in the UK I think!) Encased in a brass bit of scaffolding pole. Bleedin heavy! and guess what...It sounds like a telephone! (Doesn't need phantom volts either!) Available for hire if you're looking for that "certain" sound! Check out my latest CD "Eloise" 2 examples of it doing it's stuff on there. (Advert over) |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: Richard Bridge Date: 07 Dec 11 - 07:15 AM OK, I'll bite. How do you make a carbon mic work without an applied voltage? |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: Will Fly Date: 07 Dec 11 - 07:16 AM Read all about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_microphone |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker Date: 07 Dec 11 - 10:19 AM "Ho hum - for those prices I could construct my own." Hi Will, if you check the paragraph at the bottom of eartrumpetlabs "Bricolage" page: "We are committed to supporting the DIY community. I plan on posting more information here with advice and detailed instructions on how to construct your own mics for other bricoleurs-at-heart. For now, the schematic of our most common microphone circuit is here. This is essentially a variation on the venerable, versatile, and extremely clever transformerless FET Schoeps circuit widely used by commercial manufacturers and home builders alike, as well as for upgrades and mods of lesser commercial mics." |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: Richard Bridge Date: 07 Dec 11 - 10:44 AM Yes Will - the wiki article says it as I remember it - the application of a DC voltage that is modulated by a varying resistance. |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: Richard Bridge Date: 07 Dec 11 - 10:50 AM And that head amp circuit on the "Bricolage" page (how pretentious - I suppose they will be built in an atelier too) must have a voltage source to power the op amps and since I see no other I suspect phantom. |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: GUEST,Ralphie Date: 07 Dec 11 - 10:52 AM Probably got it wrong re phantom volts.....My desk has universal phantom anyway....Still sounds very silly!....And is great for banging in nails! |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: GUEST,matt milton Date: 07 Dec 11 - 04:26 PM the mics I orginally linked to are phantom powered condenser mics (not carbon or crystal mics). Carbon and crystal mics are kind of a fun thing to have around, but they're of very very limited use.You can get exactly the same effect by just using drastic EQ. Or just recording stuff very badly. |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: Surreysinger Date: 08 Dec 11 - 07:57 PM Suibhne Astray ... you asked what they sounded like? Have a look at the Placid Audio website where you will find photographs of the three types of microphone they produce, together with various samples of recordings. They are very pretty looking beasts, and as Ralphie and Treewind have already reported examples of their use can certainly be found on Ralphie's CD. |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: Darowyn Date: 09 Dec 11 - 03:57 AM I was amused by the fact that they all seemed to be using Retort clamps, of the sort that there used to be in the school chemistry lab, to hold them up. Cheers Dave |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: GUEST Date: 09 Dec 11 - 07:30 AM "Suibhne Astray ... you asked what they sounded like? Have a look at the Placid Audio website where you will find photographs of the three types of microphone they produce, together with various samples of recordings. They are very pretty looking beasts, and as Ralphie and Treewind have already reported examples of their use can certainly be found on Ralphie's CD." Again: the mics I originally posted to are not carbon or crystal mics. So they are nothing like the mics on the Placid audio website. Not that I have anything against those - they are great looking and well made mics. But if I wanted a carbon or a crystal mic I wouldn't pay any more than £100 for one: the limited bandwidth sound you get simply isn't worth it. Besides, you can get actual vintage 2ndhand crystal/carbon mics on eBay for much less than the Placid audio ones. Or alternatively just buy a new 2011-produced harmonica mic, like the Shaker Egg one. Or this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Circuit-Bent-Pabst-Beer-Can-Mic-Carbon-Microphone-/160694858175?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item256a28f1bf |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: GUEST,Jon Date: 09 Dec 11 - 07:38 AM "Ho hum - for those prices I could construct my own." Hi Will, if you check the paragraph at the bottom of eartrumpetlabs "Bricolage" page: Well, not that I'm an electronics person (but I can look up the cost of the components or equivalents for that), the circuit looks cheap enough. I suppose the main cost of build would be in the microphone capsule (if that's the term) they use? |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker Date: 09 Dec 11 - 08:26 AM Listened out of curiosity to the sound samples for carbon or crystal mics.. ok, these days that kind of limited bandwidth tonality can be easily replicated with [cheap or even free] software plugins. Though as I lost interest in music technology developments some 3 or 4 years ago I can no longer provide links to exact current software products. However, these days I'd be more inclined to just approximate that kind of tone via a gain and impedance adjusted signal through a fixed position wah wah pedal, or vintage Dallas Rangemaster Treble Boost clone, or even a mid boosting fuzz box... Any of the geeky 2nd hand cheap ebay music gear at my disposal; But certainly wouldn't spend that kind of money for a limited use exotic mic, even if I could afford it... |
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Subject: RE: Tech: Beautiful steampunk microphones... From: Desert Dancer Date: 09 Dec 11 - 06:04 PM Just Glue Some Gears On It (And Call It Steampunk) |
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