Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Audio Aphorism or how David kills Goliath


1. Dynamic mics sound better than other types.


2. Omnidirectional mics sound better.


3. Therefore dynamic omnis may sound better.


4. 635a, MD21, D130 are great but they can sound bass heavy as they are not Fletcher-Munson or voice effort compensated.


5. Inexpensive domestic omnis do the trick as they can sound correct to the mind of the listener.


6. They may not sound great to a pro console but that may be a problem of the console. On top quality handmade electron tube preamps they sound amazing.


7. The above may give some insight why the recording industry ended up this way. It can be much better. An engineer at Abbey Road Studios said once to engineer George Konstantopoulos, "the right mic at the right position". Can it be that some inexpensive mics may do the trick without the need of EQ.


The above is just a theory trying to explain why David with much less beats Goliath.


It is falsifiable therefore it is scientific.


It is nice to remember that correct audio engineering is not flat frequency responce from mic to loudspeaker but from vocal chords of singer or actor to listener's brain.[2]


If one has a nice inductor EQ like Pultec then sound may be nice with expensive mics by cutting the extra mind perceived bass and treble or boosting at around 2.5KHz etc.


Expensive mics may give so exaggerated bass perceived to brain that it becomes a joy to build a mic input transformer. For example an excellent ribbon mic is so bass heavy (including proximity effect) that a Pleiades transformer can be made with just a few turns of insulated wire as primary on a
Magnetec Nanocrystalinne toroidal core.


If a 20Hz to 20KHz transformer is used one may end up with 2 bathtub frequency responce to brain perception curves.[3]


The point is that some inexpensive microphones do not even need Pleiades filters.


They can immediately fulfill the great secret, the right microphone at the right position in many applications. And they allow making possibly the simplest signal path on the planet.


For example. Just a mic feeding an input transformer feeding a JFET or a battery powered electron tube (see Pleiades open source V preamplifier) and we are ready to make music. Under heating
cathode is also such a great trick used on the great Neumann U47.


So with just a handful of high quality components, unheard of low noise, dynamic sound and amazing sound quality can be achieved. And this achieved using metaphorically just a small stone, a bit of wood and a rubber band.


Ribbon microphones are great too. They need proximity compensation with an inductor in parallel as is done inside RCA ribbon microphones, (Pleiades filter) or a Pleiades compensating transformer usualy after the internal transformer and a very low noise battery electron tube preamplifier such as Pleides V series or K117 JFET.


Condenser microphones are great too. The simplest circuits like Neumann U47 do the legendary trick.


Some crystal microphones are great too. Perhaps the simplest signal path with them. They do not even need an input transformer. The input impedance of the preamplifier has to be perhaps above 500kΩ or one looses all the bass. So Pleiades V series may not be suitable unless the anode voltage is increased and the anode to grid resistor is increased. At 2 to 3 MΩ input Z bass is very big. So proximity can be adjusted by a variable resistor shunt to the microphone and then feeding a a very high input impedance.


Expensive microphones are great too.


All that is needed is selling a spare house and 20 years of research to arrive to some truth and light. And to appreciate that something is suitable irrespective of highest or lowest price.


And it may be more important what is not done rather than what is done. What is subtracted than what is added.


A simple signal path may sound so good it may not need a compressor-limiter. This can be done manually anyway if needed as the great masters did.


All you Need is Ears - George Nartin


References:


1. Endless forum discussions for their inexpensive mic discoveries, for example:https://www.gearslutz.com/board/so-much-gear-so-little-time/568728-can-u-tell-me-about-these-f-96-sony-mics.html (this is just an example and not indicative, there are many microphones discussed in the web including euroelectron blogspot. As of writing this and after trying so many microphones of any price, the Philips N8207 is used for reference for its clarity but there are tremendous variations from specimens of this model).


2. The secret of Hollywood, Sound Picture Recording and Reproducing Characteristics (for flat frequency responce from vocal chords to listener's brain) - Loye and Morgan - JSMPE - Hollywood


3. Bandwidth needed for Flat Frequency Responce from Vocal Chords of Singer to Listener's Brain and Pleiades Amplifiers - euroelectron blogspot






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