Recording a great vocal sound with a Sony MTL F-96 omni microphone

All that is needed is a (130Ω,40mH) Pleiades passive filter inside a Neutrik XLR barrel adapter just after the mic.


Example signal path:


male singing voice at 1-3 inch - Sony F-96 low Z - Pleiades (130ohms,40millihenries) filter - Sony TC-D5 Pro - Sennheiser HD580


The resistor R in series with inductor L, Pleiades filter can be used for reducing bass heaviness to listener's perception so that a big bright vocal can be recorded.


Attention to phase. The F-96 used was phase inverting so no phase change adaptor was needed as the TC-D5 Pro used is phase inverting too.


For comparing with a Sennheiser MD211 N microphone a phase reversal adaptor was included after the mic. The MD211 sounds much more bright and extended at HF.


But the F-96 sounds very respectable too and could be the right mic for a particular application. No handling noise too. No s problems. No p problems. Can send to the cleaners mics costing hundred times more.


One can experiment with various values of R,L on the Pleiades filter connected in parallel with voice coil. The filter due to the inclusion of R is a gentle slope low cur starting from a high frequency dictated by L and the mic's output impedance. Without the filter the sound is very bass heavy. Possibly due to Fletcher Munson and voice effort curves [Lowe, Morgan].


Later addition: Latter on today the Philips N8 207/00 (dark brown top) omni moving coil mic was tried. Amazing sound, does not need a Pleiades filter. Great extended treble and body to sound. It must have a very light aluminum membrane. Very loud too directly to Sony TC-D5 Pro. Sends for tea mics with 3 more zeros in the price.


Moving coil omnis have nothing to do with condenser omni capsules. In the former case the membrane is resistance controlled with a very broad damped reasonance centered at mid frequency range. In the latter case the membrane is stiffness controlled at some high reasonant frequency, shrill tinkie sound? Directional condenser capsules are resistance controlled at mid range just like pressure operated moving coils. So 2 directional condenser capsules set for omni sound good too. See also Microphones - Bore, Peus - Neumann.


Reference:


Flat frequency response from producer's brain to listener's brain, Sound Picture Recording and Reproducing Characteristics - D. P. Lowe, K. F. Morgan - Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers



Microphones - Bore, Peus - Neumann
http://www.indigo-music.com.ua/info/downloads/neumann/docu0002.pdf