So far one nice combination is Vb=10V, Ic=100mA, using a 64ohm to 8ohm output transformer. Nice sound, a test using the Flashdance soundtrack CD.
How would high power sound with an 8ohm to 8ohm output transformer while increasing Ic? Or for example 24ohm to 8ohm.
Or even higher Ic for example 2A, a Darlington transistor and a step up output transformer, for example 1ohm to 8 ohm. If this works it can be a joy to make such transformers as there are few turns of wire to wind involved.
Having the pleasure today discussing with George Gialousis.
I was telling him of a desire to make single device (electron tube or transistor or MOSFET) class A power amplifiers and compare the sound quality. For example the already tested Pleiades EF183, or Pleiades 2N3053 low power amplifiers in class A operation (electrons flowing all the time)..
Asking him which might be better, a single device power amplifier at high voltage low current or low voltage high current operating point, he recommended the BUX37 high voltage Darlington which should operate either way.
After asking him for a MOSFET recommendation he also suggested the use of a IGBJT which seems a very nice idea.
On a discussion of general marketing ideas he said even a prince cannot expect people to buy because he is a prince. Hard work is needed to earn your value to a target market.
Also it is not the name that makes a product. The good quality product makes the name.
A favorite quote is the 3 or 4 Ps in marketing.
You need to have a suitable Product.
A suitable price.
Suitable timing, place in time. For example you cannot expect to sell as retail swimming suits in winter.
Promotion.
We were discussing whether promotion is included in the suitable product requirement.
By biasing with a resistor from Vb to base, Ic increased with time as the transistor was increasingly becoming warmer. That is, there is thermal runaway.
Hopefully it can be solved by a descent heatsink or an emitter resistor.
Constant craving - K. D. Lang on CD - Sony CD Walkman line out or Philips CDR 870 line out - Pleiades 2N3055 power amplifier with various output transformer ratios, Vb= 9V or 12V or 24V - Marantz Imperial 5C
Trying to increase power output by increasing Collector power dissipation (by changing Vb or base bias current), increased loudness but not as much as expected while transistor with a heatsink was getting warm.
It seems there is a limit as transistor amplifiers need signal power input due to their low input impedance which depend on how much the collector circuit is loaded. There is hfe (ratio of collector current to base current), and if the collector current is increased the base current must be increased to and the same applies to a changing base collector or base current i.e. a signal current.
A CD player at line out for example can give a certain amount of small power output.
Connecting the sigle electron tube Pleiades EF183 power amplifier at 2.4W plate dissipation to the CD Walkman line out gave by comparison a huge sound, surprisingly loud and big. The reason seems to be that an electron tube does not take power from the signal source as it has a very high input impedance.
So it seems the winner will be the electron tube.
A Darlington can be tried. But it is 2 transistors although the configuration or connection between them is a simple as possible.
At your risk. Take all safety precautions. Potentially lethal voltages may be present.
Surprisingly enough the sound can be very good. See previous post.
Yesterday by the way on the larger transformer the I laminations were separated from the E laminations while music was playing. Bass reproduction decreased as expected. Then E laminations were removed, mid reproduction was decreased as expected by high frequency reproduction was still there. Meaning that the high frequencies can pass through air without needing the metal.
In fact this seems to be more correct. The primary is now a coil without core. Its inductance is low. But since reactance is ohms is proportional to frequency too, impedance is high at high frequencies. So the output impedance of the transistor is not loaded so there is no voltage drop. Therefore high frequencies appear at the primary and since the coils are hugged together energy passes through electromagnetic induction to the secondary. Or is it electromagnetic radiation?
Mid and high frequencies need the iron so that there would be no voltage drop at the primary of the output transformer. And possibly the circulation of magnetic flux?
The use of the somewhat big (size75mm) transformer with air gap and low ratio described on previous post makes possible a good quality sound with only a 12V battery.
But today a smaller size transformer made years ago rediscovered by chance produced a sweeter and better quality sound, more natural, easier and even smoother to the ear.
The size of this transformer is 60mm. Es are stacked together and there are 2 long screws keeping them together. While Is are stacked together and placed over the Es with no 3M Scotch invisible tape separating them. There is still of course a true air gap as metals do not fit exactly together.
Also thin wire is used by "mistake" on both primary and secondary.
Also and this is the most interesting point perhaps, the laminations are ordinary "thicker" laminations used on power transformers.
I thought there would be no extended high frequency response. By surprise there was amazing bass, mid and treble.
The experiment with this transformer sounds less loud but it sounds much better or listenable with musicality.
Signal path:
Constant Craving - K. D. Lang on CD - Sony CD Walkman line out - Pleiades 2N3055 resistor biased from collector to base, Vb=12V, Ic typically 60mA - Marantz Imperial 5-C with Tweeter setting at Low
Later addition:
Perhaps this comparison of the 2 transformers is not as relevant as it seems as the 2nd one has an inductance ratio of about 1.5H to 47mH i.e. is has a larger turns ratio.
For example Constant Craving - K. D. Lang advances the art.
Moonlight Sonata - Beethoven is very characteristic of beginning with a minor chord and then the 2nd chord harmony is created by the bass going down one step of the scale while the upper parts played by the right hand remain exactly the same. It is the principle of least change in music creating a fantastic effect by this passing bass note.
In Constant Craving exactly the same thing happens with a great difference. This 2nd chord takes place as the 3rd chord while the 2nd chord is an ordinary one with a remote bass. So the 3rd chord takes place unexpectedly. But the brain of the listener somehow still relates to what was the 1st chord.
I have not heard yet another music classical or pop that uses this harmony structure as on Constant Craving. If you know one please kindly post it at the comments below.
Beginning harmony of Moonlight Sonnata.
Bass bD harmony bA bC E
Bass bC harmony bA bC E
Beginning harmony of Constant Craving:
Bass F harmony C F bA
Bass C harmony C bE G
Bass bE harmony C F bA (equivalent to what tales place as 2nd chord on M.S.)
Bass bD harmony C F bA
it can also be played:
(right hand notes played together higher than middle C notes);
C F bA
C bE G
C bE F bA
C bD F bA
All this intelligent harmony carries on from introduction to verse.
Steven's law. How ear brain perceives sound intensity (ie power). 10 times less power sounds only 2 times less loud. So for example 100mW should sound only 4 times less than 10W. See Sound and Hearing - Stevens, Warshofsky - Life Science Library.
Nice distortion at peaks simulating real life instruments getting gradually non linear at high playing levels. See the paper Tubes vs Transistors - Russell O. Hamm.
Or even a Darlington transistor with an inverse ratio output transformer, for example 1ohm to 8 ohms in order to get very high power even with 12V power supply?
This is on one transistor only single ended audio power amplifiers with no negative feedback.
Using Italian Transeria Ligure E,I laminations a new lower ratio output transformer was made that the used for the Pleiades 2N3053 operated at 24V, 10mA.
This transformer was made by winding 64 turns of 0.55mm wire, then 270 turns of 0.25mm wire, then 64 turns of 0.55mm, then again 270 turns of 0.25mm, then 60 turns of 0.55mm.
Inductance ratio with no air gap is 340mH to 47mH.
This sounded very nice with Pleiades BD139 at Vb=6V, Ic=25mA.
Signal path: Flashdance soundtrack on CD - Sony CD Walkman line out - Pleiades power amplifier - Marantz Imperial speakers
Then air gap was introduced by attaching a layer of 3M scotch invisible tape across the open end of stacked Es. Inductance ratio became 227mH to 33mH.
Sound is still very nice with amazing bass, mid, treble.
.
Then Vb was changed to 12V and Ic to 60mA for louder sound but 2N3055 sounded better at 12V and Ic=80mA.
Then transformer was opened up again and airgap was increased by putting all Is in a small transparent plastic bag and placing them by hand on top of the Es while music is playing.
Yesterday at 3rd (classical) Hellenic radio were noticed 2 quotes of film director Elia Kazan from his autobiography book. Here they are roughly translated back to english.
Talent: maniac of working
Ταλέντα, μανιακοί της εργασίας
Genius: shines happiness (they do what they like)
Ιδιοφυίες, ακτινοβολούν ευτυχία (κάνουν αυτό που τους αρέσει)
First time I saw it was when Zhanna placed the mobile phone on top of the right side of the piano keyboard.
Apparently by placing the mobile phone this way, the mic capsule comes so close to the boundary (the wood of the piano) that it picks up mainly the main reflection of sound from wood (boundary mic principle), plus the vibration of wood itself.
Here are 2 recording of the same piano same day, different solo pianist (the person at the right side), different mobile phones, but one phone is held by hand, the other recording is by placing the phone (Galaxy A13) as described above.
The closer to the source the more important the quality is.
For example the song is more important than the recording. No matter how good a recording an unimaginative composition is an unimaginative composition.
So what could be a priority list?
What the producer has in mind.
What the composer has in mind.
The song.
The arrangment.
The quality of music instrument or instruments used.
The quality of voice or intonation of the singer.
The acoustics or lack of acoustics, for example recording outdoors, or not recording near wall reflections etc.
The pleasure of meeting yesterday Alexandros and his unique kindness is an inspiration on making a better CV. Or at least one that I can enjoy writing.
Born in 1972 in Athens.
1972-1982 (0 to 10 years old)
Piano lessons at National Conservatory
Starting teaching myself the ability to recognize musical notes by ear. It is something very useful that can help understanding how notes are combined together even when passing through any place where music is being played. I still seek to improve it everyday as any newly discovered interesting song is always a challenge. Recognizing the notes in the bass is the most difficult but once this can be mastered the door to understanding opens as the word bass can be traced in the Hellenic word "Βασις" meaning foundation [1]. Below is the song Bones by Telenova which reveals itself beginning with the bass only:
Of course lack of this ability is no obstacle in enjoying or even composing great music.
First attempts in constructing electronic circuits, radio receiver, transmitter, amplifier on the pedagogic games Polycyclomatic 1002 or 501, discovered on a schoolmate's party. The electric and mechanical connection of the electronic components is done with springs while following the assembly instruction schematic. At the time I did not know what an amplifier is so when noting was heard on the speaker except a click sound I was puzzled to what was done wrongly.. Disappointment have itself to joy when a radio receiver was connected to it and music appeared clearly heard in the room. The simplicity and nice sound of these experiments are still an inspiration on designing or improving the simplest possibly electronic circuits.
1982-1992 (10 to 20 years old)
co DJing at school class parties, usually at Intercontinental Hotel ballroom
It's the 80s and we would play with schoolmate Yiannis Tieris vinyl records on rented Technics SL1200 MK2 turntables beautiful songs such as:
Small range FM radio station after building the legendary HF65 JostyKit. It is around 1985 and it is a joy broadcasting in city of New Smyrna songs like:
Making up a piano, electric bass, drums band at school's basement studio. This is the only instrumental we tried to play, there is a recording on cassette, here is the original:
Sorbonne C1 literature - University of Paris - Sorbonne French Language Diploma
Finished High School Lycee Leonin Franco-Hellenique - New Smyrna - Athens
Failed panhellenic examinations for admission to a Hellenic university
With the help of family business Homer "Ομηρος" schools of English attending 1 year foundation course for university preparation at Coventry Technical College - UK. Distinction marks in Mathematics and Physics allowed entrance to University Of Warwick - UK.
University of Cambridge Proficiency in English diploma
I have the pleasure to meet and communicate with piano tuner Albert Ketenzian in his workshop and exchanging information on musical acoustics beyond the usual academic norm. For example that a musical octave (one that sounds correct to the human brain) is slightly higher than an exact 1 to 2 ratio which is the engineering octave.
1992-2002 (20 to 30 years old)
Final year project for B. Eng. degree: Design and Investigation of a Triode Single Ended Audio Frequency Amplifier with No Negative Feedback
Joined the Warwick University Chorus conducted by Collin Touchin.
Singing polyphonic choir music. Concerts in Coventry and London.
Bachelor of Engineering in Engineering Electronics class C - The University of Warwick - England
Worked for a few months at Audio Note UK. Participated in the assembly of high end electronic valve (electron tube) amplifier kits for high quality music reproduction.
Withdrew from Master's of Philosophy - Napier University - Edinburgh
Area of research is on comparison between electron tube and transistor class A audio amplifiers for music reproduction
Military service at Hellenic Air Force.
Telephony, Radar maintenance assistant.
Joined the Air Force modern music band, playing keyboards, entertaining officers with their families on vacation dinners.
Co-formed rock band Obsession with Markos Delivorias and Albert Ketenzian.
I have the pleasure to meet Lefteris Logaridis who studied in England. I did not know at the time that Lefteris was a major technical force since being a kid for record productions of his uncle Stamatis Spanoudakis.
Lefteris promptly got me into pro audio equipment techniques such as using audio signal transformers and their importance for audio quality.
Joined Fons Musicalis choir. Concerts in Athens concert hall (Megaron Mousikis), Odeon of Herodes Atticus ancient theatre, Epidaurus ancient theatre.
Teaching at IEK Halandriou, Athens, sound engineering electronics relevant to sound engineering, acoustics
I have the pleasure to meet at IEK Panos Diamantopoulos, specializing in modifying pro audio equipment by simplifying the signal path. Together we begin recording concerts at various indoor or outdoor locations including ancient theatre Odeon of Herodes Atticus. Panos hands on a paper the simplest possible schematic of a microphone preamplifier with a JFET transistor.
Teaching at Akis Golfidis' MIA (Mixing is Art), electronics in sound engineering
.
Attended masterclass in choir conducting with the choir conductor of Fons Musicalis chorus, Costis Constandaras.
2002-2012 (30 to 40 years old)
Records songs as composer, recording artist and producer in Sound Studio and Paraxis studio in Athens.
Mastering of some of these songs at Abbey Road Studios, England. A very valuable experience confirming that good studios around the world treasure, preserve and use high quality equipment or microphones of any decade together with the latest technology.
Publishing in UK some of these mastered songs with the CD and 7'' vinyl single title Songs of Innocence and Experience - William Blake poetry, Yorgos Tsakiris music.
Not exactly a commercial success but a valuable lesson, including learning from my mistakes.
September 13 2010 beginning of euroelectron blogspot. It concentrates on how music and electronics can work together. On the design of extremely simple electronic audio amplifiers. On why we like what we like on popular music. On explaining electronics or music getting at times as close to the heart of the vibrating (almost like dancing) electrons or air molecules that carry music from place to place. From the producer's or composer's brain to the brain of the listener.
2012-2022 (40 to 50 years old)
Having the pleasure to meeting again and interviewing legendary Hellenic songwritter Mimis Plessas in his 90s, on how he crafted some of his songs. The series is called Sectrets of Music (Μυστικά της Μουσικής). Here is the 1st episode recorded in binaural (3D recording) using the Pleiades binaural microphone (in ear headphones converted to housing a small microphone capsule for each ear). It is to be listened with headphones:
First sucess in making high end batterry powered audio power amplifiers operating in class A1 (electrons flowing all the time) with only one active device per channel (transistor or electron tube). The Pleiades 2N3053 currently the near field monitoring speaker power amplifier in Pleiades studio lab.
2022-
First sucess in making a high end battery powered DL series electron tube audio power amplifier with only one electron tube per channel, no other active or passive device (no capacitors, resistors) except an input and an output transformer and 3 battery power supplies. It is found that such high end amplifier was patented by Arnold 100 years ago.
Current unfinished projects:
Designing and producing prototype of:
Pleiades EF183 or EL84 single ended class A1 audio power amplifier with no negative feedback with an input transformer instead of an extra electron tube
Pleiades DL94 batterry powered class A1 audio power amplifier with no negative feedback and an input transformer instead of an extra electron tube
Pleiades DK series battery powered electron tube microphone booster preamplifier
Continuing The Melody Book
Continuing the book A Letter to Clive Davies
Recording outdoors vocals or other instruments in order to have almost no reverberation at low frequecies
While contemplating building a single ended EL84 power amplifier driven by a 1;12 input transformer instead of a driver electron tube...
It was decided to try the EF183 as a triode connected power amplifier which has a similar pinout and much less power consumption.
It sounded expressive, loud and smooth.
Operating conditions:
Vb=120V
V(Rk)=2.4V (V across 120ohm cathode resistor) hence
Ik=20mA
Ck=100uF
input transformer 1:12
output transformer 5Kohm:4ohm 3Watt, (possibly from Collins receiver)
Rg=470Kohm
input transformer is coupled to control grid by use of a coupling capacitor
Signal Path:
Big in Japan-Alphaville, on CD - SONY CD Walkman line out - Pleiades EF183 - Celestion Ditton 150 (8ohm speaker typically 30ohm at mid band).
The PSU used is a top quality component, military power transformer, 5U4 rectifier electron tube, choke input filter, paper in oil 10uF capacitor, 10Kohm 10W dropping resistor, 50uF electrolytic capacitor. All this is overrated as this PSU was intended for higher power.
Razor blade should be disinfected by use of isopropyl alcohol.
Soft hair can be removed from the body by dry shaving if it is done gently, slowly with patience.
Then waiting for at least half an hour before a shower. This avoids infection by water.
Dry shaving if done properly can avoid red spots on the body by wet shaving infection.
The above is derived from what Julie told me on waiting half an hour after manicure or pedicure before washing to avoid contamination of nails with water, towel microbes etc.
Each channel consists of just one EL84 electron tube triode connected with step up input and step down output transformer.
Currently prototype created on an aluminium diecast box where components are places on top. Orientation of box is like on NAIM NAIT 2 transistor amplifier.
Colors possibly orange and blue for output transformers.
At the back is the power supply with toroidal transformer, EZ90, octal base electrolytic capacitor.
In Hellas forest fire is very popular just before about 10 of August when nobody remembers the so many forests on fire last year at the same period.
For some reason many forests including those in islands catch on fire at about the same time. This makes the job of firemen very difficult. There may be fire starting at 5am.
The high wind of that period which takes place every year makes the fire grow or expand.
One channel has been built so far with Wago connectors.
It works and sounds very nice.
Signal path:
Africa - Toto - Sony CD Walkman line out - Lipshitz inverse RIAA network - Pleiades 3 DC90 - Sennheiser HD580
It consists for an input transformer, 1 DC90 with grid at space potential (only a capacitor is connected to control grid), 1 DC90 with 10MOhm grid leak bias, 1 DC90 with 1MOhm grid leak bias, and the output transformer. Signal transformers are Sowter ones on octal bases.
As there is no chassis it picks up RF and FM radio can be heard!.
So there is some hiss which should almost be gone when it is built on a Hammond diecast aluminum enclosure.
A rough preliminary frequency response test with anti RIAA (inverse RIAA Lipshitz) network gave -5dB at 20Hz and 20KHz.
For example, below the second sentence is possible correct as the logic operator OR covers all cases. Is the 3rd version the correct?
For example in a room are musicians and somebody asks: "Please come forward those who play flute and piano" 2 musicians only come. If the proposal is: "Please come forward those who play piano or flute", 7 musicians come. Those 2 who play both, those who play the piano only, those who play the flute only.
I was very lucky to learn this by my teacher of Mathematics Babis Pantazatos. He would thoroughly explain the Aristotelian Symbolic Logic, logic, operators, truthy tables, set theory. On few books such as the book of BBC producer Alec Nisbet on microphones the OR operator is used.
All rights of the producer and of the owner of the work reproduced reserved. Unauthorised copying, hiring, lending, public performance and broadcasting of this recording prohibited.
All rights of the producer and of the owner of the work reproduced reserved. Unauthorised copying, hiring, lending, public performance or broadcasting of this recording prohibited.
All rights of the producer or of the owner of the work reproduced reserved. Unauthorised copying, hiring, lending, public performance and broadcasting of this recording prohibited.
At your risk. Take all safety precautions. There may be smoke or fire in case of short circuit until a suitable fuse is used in series with a battery.
Va is 1.3V. A 100mA safety fuse is now used.
Vb is 48V.
1st stage operates with grid at space potential, ie with just a coupling capacitor connected to control grid. 2nd and 3rd stages would not turn on in this way due to the initial transient voltage at turn on from the previous stages. S0 a 10Mohm resistor was connected between grid and ground.
It works and the preamplifier sounds very nice. It is directly feeding the Sennheiser HD580 headphones through the output transformer at a low volume.
It makes sense to use an input transformer even for MM cartridges and and additional input transformer for MC cartridges. So thing to having one transformer inside a ribbon microphone, and then the input transformer of the preamplifier.
Promising results.
There is hiss from the second stage, due possibly from bad electron tube contacts or RF pickup.
If more than one microphone is used even in mono, this can help the listener's brain recognize which is the direct signal and which is the reverberant signal.
If just one microphone is used, the mic has no brain, it picks up the sum of 2 signals. Direct and reverberant. So the information of what is the direct signal is lost forever.
But there are 2 microphones at different distance from the source, hidden in the 2 sums are 2 almost exactly the same direct signals with the only difference a time delay. The extra time direct sound takes to travel to the more distant microphone.
Is it possible that the brain uses this information to recreate the original direct signal from the musical instrument? So thereby making the distinction between sound of instrument and sound or the room?
Could it be that solo piano recordings with just 2 microphones will have an inferior piano sound to a piano concerto where mics are used for the orchestra section. And these microphones pick up the piano too with a meaningful delay?
Apart from the soft playing is this one reason why Largo from concerto in F minor - Bach, pianist: Glen Gould sound so nice and atmospheric but with definition?
Information for this thought was provided by Al Schmitt on Vocal and Instrumental Recording Techniques book explaining the importance of leakage of good acoustics to very good quality microphones to the end sonic soundscape.
For example the guitar microphones picks up also the singer, or the singer's microphone picks up also the guitar>
On he above example the orchestra microphones pick up also the piano which is also captured with the closser to it piano microphones.
This happened almost by chance trying in almost in vain to record a nice sound.
So by instinct this unorthodox way came by.
Stand at the right of the piano by its side.
First mic a Unidyne B Mexico pointing at a angle to the cetre of the piano at 24in distance. Then on the same stand another Shure Unidyne B USA behind the other mic by 24in again. Both at the same line pointing towards the center of the piano. The 1st mic feeding the right channel, the 2nd mic feeding the left channel of Sony TC-D5M.
Interesting and promising result. Maybe the best recording i have done so far of a piano in a small living room.
So far my best piano recording may be one at Napier College church in Edinburg. A large church helps so much doing away the early reflections.
A similar one mic behind the other setup in a bedroom with mics pointing at right angle sounded amazing with a Pleiades oscillator and glockenspiel recording, see previous post. Instruments were on top of of bed with Tempur matresse.
At your risk. Take all safety precautions. A suitable fuse must be in series with any battery.
Another variable resistor can be added in the feedback path instead of the wire link.
This schematic naturally derived from the Pleiades 2N3053 single transistor audio power amplifier operating in class A (electrons flowing all the time).
Most of this plus the original schematic (above) is derived from the electronic construction game with springs Polycyclomatic 1002. Here is how it looks like:
Thank to a discussion on the beach with John and his Xenophon, both studying engineering there was encouragement to just convert one of the Pleiades single transistor prototypes. In just a few seconds a nice oscillator came up. Wago connectors made the modification possible so quickly. The 12V battery powered oscillator was feeding a Philips 8 in woofer. By adjusting the 2 variable resistors a bass sound repeated in tempo was created. The tempo can be changed by touching the cone of the speaker for current unknown reason. So there is much more flexibility as the pitch can also be affected.
2 Shure Unidyne B microphones, one behind the other at 24in were used to record in stereo the oscillator together with a glockenspiel. The result has some kind of magic from the natural reverberation of the glockenspiel together with the antithesis of the electron generated bass with harmonics sound. It was recorded on SONY TC-D5M.
Here it's Glen Gould recording it in the famous orthodox church of 30th street used as a recording studio by CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) engineers:
When we talk about dynamic microphones we really mean a moving coil inside a magnetic field microphone.
A similar mic to the SM57 (God Only Knows - Brian Wilson vocal, possibly uses the Shure Unidyne III which is really the same to SM57) is the SM7. SM stands for Studio Microphone.
Here is London Grammar on a cover using the SM7. Listen for what we were discussing on how humans sing the first few milliseconds of the note flat, and then good singers immediately raise pitch so that it sounds correct to listener's brain.
The singer is very close so the mic will receive spherical waves instead of plane wave fronts so there will be proximity effect, boost of bass and mid. They probably correct bass using a external electrical filter or they might use the filter inside the mic activated by a switch on the side.
It seems we all tend to sing flat as some of us may hear flat (below true pitch, see chapter 6 The Mind Influence, Sound and Hearing - Stevens, Warshofsky).
Do great singers increase the frequency just other attack?
Is this iterative process creating the vibrato itself?
Too much time was spend on choosing microphones, whether digital or analog and so on when there are much more important areas.
For example whether the singer sings out of tune. Most singers seem to sing flat except the exceptional ones. I am humbly currently training myself to increase pitch just after the attack of each note. As I do more of this it seems to me by listening that the great singers also do the same. So recordings of my voice sound so much better no matter which microphone is chosen.
Acoustics or lack of pay a tremendous role. For example recording outdoors where there are very much less early reflections can make almost any microphone sound exceptional. Bass muddiness, prominence, mid confusion, treble hardness, sibilance almost gone. Microphone distance can be increased and still the vocal sounds close and coming out of the speakers. Windshield should be used to protect the microphone.
In general microphones sound so much better at a distance, for example 24in. Most microphones, directional ones are to pick up parallel acoustic waves, not spherical ones. Spherical waves create the bass, mid boost proximity effect. And the closer to the microphone, the worst. The further the best as we increasingly depart from spherical wave front towards straight line wave front. Then frequency response becomes straight, that is even for most frequency bands. High frequency detail shines as there is no masking effect from other frequency bands.
Monitoring is very important, good commercial recordings should sound great.
Experience so far demonstrates that we are not to mic the mouth. Pointing the microphone towards head, or nose produces much better and more natural result.
Repertoire is extremely important. The good song, composition is what drives it all.
Some aspects of good music with commercial capability are covered on a book currently being written or euroelectron titled A Letter to Clive Davies.
A suitable fuse must be used in series with any battery.
On previous posts it can be seen that only the 2nd grid, the nearest one to the direct heated cathode after the control 1st grid, was used as anode.
Yesterday all grids that can be connected together were joined in order to create the anode. Anode current still increased as more electrons could be collected.
For Va=1.3V and Vb=9.3V...
When control grid is at space potential. Ia=20uA to 30uA.
When grid is connected through 8.2M to (-) terminal of Va, Ia=100uA.
When grid is connected through 8.2M to (+) terminal of Va. Ia+140uA!
In this last case if an anode load resistor, Rl=24K is connected Ia=70uA!, Va=7.7V.
This is amazing considering that anode supply comes from just a 9V battery.
Today input and output transformers were connected through coupling capacitors.
The Shure Unidyne B microphone was feeding the input transformer, and the output transformer was feeding the SONY TC-D5M.
Soft singing male voice was at 24in from microphone, microphone higher than head, pointing head at 30 degrees.
The sound quality was very nice, and the preamplifier worked even when grid was at space potential.
Microphony was high and interesting, a loud glass metal sound when the electron tube was gently hit by a finger nail.
Hiss was higher than expected. RF pickup was suspected, as all was constructed with long cables on a table without a chassis. So to prove this the input transformer circuit was removed, and a link cable was connected between minus supply and input capacitor. Hiss almost disappeared!, while the SONY TC-D5 was at full REC level volume.
It all looks promising as a very low noise input amplifier and a diecast aluminum orange box will be used to make the 1st prototype.
Today at about 7am the stand supporting the Shure Unidyne B microphone was bravely placed outside on the balcony.
Acoustic guitar (with thinner strings at tuned higher than 440Hz in order to create slightly higher than times 2 overtones which are more euphonic than x2, that is second harmonic octaves) and male voice were recorded by direct connection of the microphone to the right channel of the SONY TC-D5M.
The microphone was about 24in away from the mouth, 1 foot or so higher than the head.
The recording has some of the amazing sound for example of the 40's to 60's era.
Crisp sound, with detail and no offending bass.
Since every recording sounds more reverberant than real life, a microphone has no brain [reference]. recording outdoors sounds somehow magic.
The birds was a problem! In fact the bird sounded so loud and crispy clear with amazing overtones that it was mistakenly thought not to be in the recording!
Reference: Cinema Engineering (this book was found as reference on Elements of Sound Recording - Frayne, Wolfe)
See also previous post on increasing the distance between soundboard and back wall.
For the time being the upright Pleyel model 9 piano (made in approximately 1921) was very carefully (see previous post on avoiding health or other injury) was separated from back wall at least one more foot from a usual position in a house and placed in a non parallel position.
This has already created some openness to the sound.
The piano was tried in a recording by having the front wooden panel removed which again should create standing waves. This had a very good effect on recording by direct comparison with recording with the piano closed. By comparing the playback the sound was more real, more open, more loud, more easy, less fatiguing.
The front lower wooden panel could also be tried to be removed while recording.
Recording took place by having just one Shure Unidyne B (made in Mexico) at about 60in distance, a bit higher from the piano, at about 30 to 40 degrees in reference to piano line, on the right hand side of the piano. The microphone was connected to the right channel only on the SONY TC-D5M.
The back wall and the soundboard, 2 material surfaces of high area should produce standing waves in air.
Same thing with a grand piano between soundboard and floor. But the distance here is greater, creating a more open sound.
But it this respect the upright piano is more advantageous since the back of soundboard to wall distance can be made much greater than on a grand by for example placing the piano at about 90m degrees to said wall. (An assistance of many people should be used for moving safely the piano and avoiding injury. If there is skill the mechanism and other wooden parts lids etc could be removed in order to make the piano less heavy. using its wheels should help too.
Is it nonsense to have an upright piano close tro the back wall since half of its sound at least is radiated from the back of the huge vibrating soundboard?
See previous posts on how this piano was repaired.
As it settled at around A 446Hz, it was decided to use this reference as octaves plus 3rds sounded very euphonic together with the corresponding low note. For example playing E flat together with a high G. There was corresponding cacophony when the piano had been tuned to higher than 450Hz.
So it seems the 5th overtone of a low note mates almost perfectly with no beats with the corresponding high note fundamental when this piano with apparently the original? Ferminy factory strings was tuned on reference A 446Hz.
Octaves correspond greatly too giving what the human brain wants which is slightly higher than times 2.
The upright piano distance from the back wall has been increased to better effect see nearby post.
For explanation on overtones see Piano Tuning - Reblitz, Musical Acoustics - Hall.
Playing back from SONY TC-D5M. Recording made with Shure Unidyne B and Pleiades K177 1.3V mic booster preamplifier, see previous post. Live singing is taking place with playback while mobile phone records, so voice is really double tracked.
It was used yesterday to record a rough demo of Tactopoetry, see previous post.
The Shure Unidyne B microphone was at 24in or more, and singing was almost breath whispering. So in order to fully modulate the SONY TC-D5M recorder, this mic booster was used. Very nice edge timbre and very low noise level performance. Piano was gently played at the same time.
It would be nice to have a small box of 2 of these preamplifiers for stereo recording.
Going down the street in Varkiza, a city by the sea near Athens, there is a kindergarten.
Yesterday morning a young teacher could be heard singing to the little kids in the garden, μαζευουμε, μαζευουμε, κακτοποιουμε. It means we pick our things, we pick up our thinks, we tidy up.
I realized it was a good idea, came back, played on a Yamaha PS-3, finding that the key is C sharp major, not C.
Below are the interesting notes she used (most black keyboard keys), and the harmony I humbly realized they imply. Her permission was asked to publish this.
It works well as it helps me tidying up better.
(La,Si,Do,Re,Mi,Fa,Sol) is (A,B,C,D,E,F,G)
Bass Melody Harmony Lyrics
#C - #C #G #G #E+#G+#C μα-ζευ-ου
#E #C #G #G με-μα-ζευ-ου
#C #D - - - #F+#G=#C με
#G - #C #G #G #F+#G+#B τα-κτο-ποι
#C #G - E - #E+#G+#C ου - με
Tactopoetry comes etymologically from ταξις=order, ποιω=to make, create, hence ποιηση=poetry.
At your risk. Please take all safety precautions, including protecting your ears from high sound pressure level. Any battery should be in series with a suitable protective fuse to avoid skin burns or fire hazard. For this reason it is out of the question to wear metal jewellery, for example a ring, when working near a voltage.
At your risk. There should be a fuse in series with a battery for fire protection. Batteries as any electric potential source can be lethal too.
For so many years there might have been some kind of battery phobia.
Endless ink for cathode resistor, capacitor in parallel, sometimes complicated biasing procedures.
With just 3 batteries for Va, Vb, Vc, as seen on one of the first amplifier patents by Arnold and 2 transformers an amplifier can be made which sounds so amazing, words can not describe.
In more modern times the Pleiades DL94 sounds very nice, see previous euroelectron posts.
It is only at the threshold of hearing (very small sound intensity) that (objective) frequency and (subjective) pitch become one. At higher intensity the same frequency creates a lower pitch perception [1}. So my recent listening observation is that good musicians, vocalists, violin, flute players,.., may play the first few milliseconds of a note flat but almost immediately raise pitch to make, what they just started to play, match with the backing track. It works even when singing a cappella. In fact it is the first time I can feel myself singing in tune and not flat.
This is how it works for me at the moment. I immediately have in mind, counter to intuition, to raise my pitch just after starting any note. Singing for example a A h, where 'A' is at a higher frequency than 'a' the flat nonsense I thought I should sing. Once you start increasing the note frequency a feedback mechanism tells you when note is perfect. Then you are happy and audience is possibly happy too.
When I was transferred to the military headquarters of Hellenic Airforce while doing my military service someone told me about this and I kind of thought it sounds crazy. I never saw him again but now after many years I would like to thank him.
Here are a few examples:
Reference [1]:
Sound and Hearing - Time Life Encyclopedia - Chapter 4: Mind's Influence - S.S. Stevens (Harvard University), F. Warshofsky
This must had been recorded at Columbia Studios EMI in Athens.
There seem to be varispeed between the video shorts.
So they are also didactic to hear the difference that a change in tape recorder speed does to the vocal timbre.
This is at slower, perhaps original speed, and without reverb. The original reverb, perhaps this too must have been either the EMT plate, or the Columbia Studios Echo Chamber with Leak power amplifier with electronic valves (electron tubes).
Higher speed plus reverberation. The original reverb, perhaps this too must have been either the EMT plate, or the Columbia Studios Echo Chamber with Leak power amplifier with electronic valves (electron tubes).
This microphone sounds very nice connected directly to the preamplifier! The bass sounds correct as this microphone is engineered to start cutting below 200Hz thereby correcting the bass emphasis proximity effect.
Signal Path:
male voice singing When I Fall in Love - Nat King Cole (same key) - Shure 515SD made in Mexico at 24in, 30 degrees above head - Sony TC-D5M - TDK SAX - Sony TC-D5M (reproducing) - Pleiades 2N3053 power amplifier - Celestion Ditton 150 - small room with some panel bass absorbers
Same experiment was repeated outdoors at a noisy environment. Impressive results, voice sounds closer to reproduction speaker/ High frequency definition increases.
This is possibly the first microphone I have bought. And one of the 1st I had is the original Shure 515SB made in U.S.A. which was used for lectures in my family's central branch of Homer schools of English. It sounds amazing.
male voice singing When I Fall in Love - Nat King Cole (same key) - Shure SM58 made in Mexico at 24in, 30 degrees above head - Altec 9014-A EQ - Sony TC-D5M - TDK SAX - Sony TC-D5M (reproducing) - Pleiades 2N3053 power amplifier - Celestion Ditton 150 - small room with some panel bass absorbers
Very promising results were obtained by cutting 7dB at 250Hz and 315Hz. All other controls at 0 dB (no reduction).
An inductor of 100mH was connected in series with a capacitor of 100nF. So both in series between SM58 and preamplifier recorder Sony TC-D5M.
Signal path: male voice singing When I Fall in Love - Nat King Cole in the same key as Nat - Shure SM58 at 24in, 30 degrees above head - 100mH in series with 100nF - Sony TC-D5M - TDK SAX cassette - TC-D5M (reproducing) - Pleiades 2N3053 power amplifier - Celestion Ditton 150
It sounded very nice with no bass emphasis, the capacitor corrects bass emphasis by low cut. The inductor may possibly remove some mid emphasis? and does not seem to cut high frequency content. This is possibly because the core may be a mu-metal one spare from a Coles 4038 internal mic transformer. As frequency increases the permeability decreases. So inductive reactance may not be proportional to frequency.
Other combination that worked fine is 100mH in parallel with 220nF and total in series between microphone and recorder.
Miserere mei, deus - Allegri - Tenebrae conducted by Nigel Short
And this is the first version I heard on a lovely 7'' vinyl record.:
Allegri "Miserere", Roy Goodman, Willcocks
Roy Goodman is the boy hitting effortlessly the high C on this recording just after a rugby match. He describes his experience along others like conducting as a kid along records on this interview:
For example playing Vocalise - Rachmaninoff (orchestra version) at some interval of time together with Nothing Else Matters - Metalica, both written in E minor.
For example hitting play on Nothing Else Matters when Vocalise is at 5:49 and leaving both videos to play together and interact.
Like an online music mush up game.
Playing music with YouTube videos.
Using YouTube as a musical instrument...
For example having 7 videos each with one of the seven notes sung by a choir. And playing notes just by hitting play on a video while say other 2 are already playing. Or creating clusters like the song I'm Not in Love - 10CC, where they played the mixing desk as a musical instrument, each fader adjusting one recorded multiple tracked vocal note [1]:
Or if YouTube video would allow vari-speed for change of pitch, or change of tempo of a drum loop, or quick repeat of selected intervals of a video, so that the video sound can be sampled and used as grain for Granular Synthesis as I think is described by Yiannis Xenakis.
Or looping say 3 videos each with different duration for creating something that repeats after very long time, as described by Brian Eno.
Or if directly recording eg a vocal or sampling on YouTube.
Or if 2 remote users interact by jamming.
Would some part of future music involve listeners being active participants on music creation. For example given the opportunity to mix online.
But having written this, there is nothing like humans interacting or playing music in the same room, beach, square, forest, space etc.
