Ribbon Microphone DIY RCA 44 made of wood - Episode TWO
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- čas přidán 23. 03. 2021
- This is a DIY RCA R44 ribbon microphone made of wood! I used wood, glue, alminum foil and magnets to create a RCA 44 replica. ➤Please subscribe to my channel!! goo.gl/p1xmZJ
The narration was also recorded using this microphone! Don't forget to check out part one of this series to see how the wood motor was made. SOUND SAMPLES: • Video
By request, here are some affiliate links(I make a small commission when you purchase) to some items to make your own ribbon mic:
🧲Magnets: amzn.to/2Fn658s Be careful, they are fragile!
🔩Neutrik Male Connector: amzn.to/2DUpnBr
🪒Ribbon foil: amzn.to/2LCErHP Select the thickest, heaviest sheets from the pad for ribbon use
🔧Tools: amzn.to/3RTsCMw Xacto amzn.to/2PBobZi
🎄Wood Veneer, Single Ply: amzn.to/3RBWhse Took about 3 5x8 sheets of walnut
🖨Cricut Maker: amzn.to/4atwjQr
Ribbon mic and mixer:
🎙 amzn.to/41xQKre
🎛 amzn.to/31mii4H 👈This is the one I used to narrate the video.
To begin, I mocked up the designs in photoshop and made a paper prototype. From there, I tweaked the design to make the body a little smaller, because my measurements didn't account well enough for material thickness, and the first one was too big. I spent an entire day cutting parts on the cricut maker, and carefully weeding, and lightly sanding the edges of the parts. The parts fit neatly in gallon ziplock bag, stored that way to keep them flat and away from moisture. Most of that is not shown, because frankly everyone would skip past it anyway. But I tried to keep a little in there just to show the concept. If there's interest, I'll do another video about cutting wood on the cricut. It's more complicated than they describe in the manual, but it's possible to make some pretty complex cuts in the wood veneer. If you follow the cricut maker instructions, you'll likely find it to be an exercise in frustration. It took about a year to really get a feel for how to properly keep the wood attached to the mat, but also not stick so much that it splits when being removed.
The first bit of assembly was to make the box for the body of the mic. This was pretty simple by just making plywood for the top and bottom, and wrapping the veneer around the outside to form a box. A hot iron made it easier to bend the wood(with the grain) to keep it from splitting.
Next, I made a banding strip to hold the grills. This is 2 ply affair, and also bent gently on a hot iron. I made it in 2 sections, cutting it in the middle to make the final fitment and glue in.
Grills were coated in glue on one side and allowed to dry. Draping the speaker grill cloth and then using a hot iron with steam sealed them together. After they dried again, I used the hot iron to bend the grills into shape. They then get test fitted and trimmed. One side gets glued into place.
Motor mounts, also made of bent wood and CA glue, get glued into place. They've been trimmed to act as hooks.
The base is made of single ply veneer, but I used 2 plies for every piece to make it stronger. I also made x braces to keep the veneer from warping too much. Don't skimp on the glue here.
The yoke is made just like the grills, but is mostly 2 plies, with a third ply added to the bottom for strength. The Yoke is assemble to the body.
The motor is mounted with 4 rubber bands, which keep the microphone from picking up rumble.
The other half of the grill, which has been lightly stabilized by veneer strips on the end, fits neatly in the body, and the wood strips fit under half of the top motor mounts.
Now the mic can be fitted to the base using the knobs, which are built up from single ply veneers. I sanded them by chucking them up in a drill(screw mounted in the hole) and sanding them smooth. They have a CA finish.
The only thing missing, was a replica RCA logo...
The mic works quite well. I used it to narrate the entire video. The most important thing to note is that, like all ribbon mics, this one also uses plenty of gain- about 60db. It also has a good amount of bass, so expect to roll off a bit in post production.
I used an inexpensive($99 US) Mackie VLZ4 mixer, which had just enough gain for my voice.
For louder sources like guitar or drums, I think you wouldn't need quite that much. Also, a better transformer might make a difference in the top end, but this one sounds quite good, I think.
Hope you enjoyed the video, and let me know if you make a microphone of your own! - Věda a technologie
There are some really nice construction techniques in this one! Reactivating dried glue with steam is one I'll have to add to my repertoire for sure.
Thanks!! Yeah, the grills were definitely satisfying to finish, but I think the knobs were the most fun to make!
so awesome holy shizt. that mic deserves a nice preamp tho!
Next level: Make one out of Popsicle sticks
Narration audio is clear. A lot of expensive microphones seem to make it all too bassy.
I did a side by side comparison with a friends 44BX: czcams.com/video/uVVMnpHqIrc/video.html
Well done. I wish I had even a portion your creative abilities and patience. Thank you for this.
Thanks Lawrence! Speaking of patience, I made the first prototype over a year ago!
I wish I had an iron
This absolutely blew my mind. Amazing stuff
Thank you!
It sound great for diy ribbon microphone, I do hear some high freqencies in you voice which as you said was added in post production, I wished I could hear the mic as recorded and on a guitar combo. I think if you would get a 3d printer you could make the parts and have a even nicer en result, you can then use putty and paint to even out and get a finished end result.
I upgraded the transformer and made some samples comparing them to a real rca 44: czcams.com/video/uVVMnpHqIrc/video.html
Beautiful work. I would be gluing myself to the project. But, you sir, are a master with CA glue.
Lol, thank you! Not gonna lie, it still happens to me!
Looks amazing.
Thanks! I've been meaning to make this video for quite a while...
Really Cool, I designed the KU5A while I was at AEA.
Neat! Nice job on the KU5A, I've used one on snare and it was pretty sweet!
I'm finishing up an RCA KU3 design, including a labyrinth. Any tips? You think rca used Signwriters leaf, or something closer to the 1.8u or even 2.5u foil? I'm guessing they sorted through signwriters leaf for the perfect thickness for that model, because they are so sensitive. I can't imagine a stage mic getting so much output from a thicker foil.
Obviously I'm a fan of the 84 ;) Any idea how wide the magnets are? I'm guessing 1/4" like mine but perhaps they are 3/8"? Just curious
Anyway, all the best!
@@FrankOlsonTwins AEA uses 1.8u for everything, not sure if RCA went to any other thicknesses for the KU3A. Getting directionality over a larger bandwidth is very difficult. And leaks between the labyrinth and the plates with effect the polar pattern. Use synthetic wool in the first tube into the labyrinth, we used high density Huber glass panels in the rest of the labyrinth, not sure what you will be able to get “off the shelf” that would be similar. The head basket of the KU3A has a lot to do with the sonics. The R84 uses a .150X.095X2.5 magnet.
Great, thanks for the reply!
Love your work sir🖤
Thanks dude!
amazing, would love to try something like this, thanks for the inspiration
Thanks! If you ever have questions, let me know!
awesome work
Thanks for the visit! We tried your liquid parathas, they were a hit!!
Dear friend
Thank you for uploading a wonderful video. I watched it in full and received high praise.
I love your channel! Twice
I will come again. 🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒
Very nice thanks for sharing...Can you tell me the thickness of your aluminum strip...and the properties of the transformer?
Sure! The Aluminum is 2.5 microns thick. You can find something similar by sorting through a book of signwriters leaf(imitation silver foil). The thickest ones will be about 2 microns thick, which is perfect. Be warned though, the thinnest ones in the book are approximately .5 microns thick, which is very difficult to work with. Or you can buy aluminum foil from various vendors online. Just do a search for "ribbon mic foil."
The transformer is a b-stock unit from a cascade microphone- probably a cascade fathead. I believe the turns ratio is 1:35. I think it's made by the manufacturer Shinhom. There are many ribbon mic transformers available from manufacturers such as Cinemag, Lundahl, and Edcor. There are others online as well.
Thanks for watching!
@@FrankOlsonTwins thank you for this great and perfect explanation. And of course your gold Info...kindly regard sir ❤❤🙏🏻
No problem. Good luck!
Absolutely beautiful. There's quite a high noise floor. Wondering if that's a result of the gain on the mixer being pushed or just a characteristic of the mic. If the latter, is there anything you would do differently a second time around to combat the heavy noise floor?
Cheers, love your work.
Thanks! Now I just need to make another one for stereo :)
Regarding the noise floor, a couple things happened. First, I used a software compressor which pulled the noise up a bit. Normally, I'd also use a gate for narration tracks, but I didn't here because I wanted the natural sound of the mic to come through without being misleading. Some light gating would have cleaned it right up.
In general, these mics (RCA 44, 77, R84, R44) require a fair amount of gain, especially on relatively quiet sources like voice over work. Unless you're using a "fet booster" or "lifter" you're likely going to be maxing out your preamp. At this point, most pro studios just use lifters on every ribbon mic, unless they are active ribbon mics. It lets your preamp relax a bit and gives you a bit of wiggle room when setting the gain on your source. The R121 is a possible exception, but even Royer makes active ribbon mics for that very reason.
And we haven't even talked about impedance yet! Luckily, the Mackie Onyx preamp I used has been designed to accept low impedance mics like this one(I'm guessing it's around 50 ohms). The Onyx pre was designed for such tasks, and is a good match. It gave no trouble amplifying at max, aside from a bit of self noise. Again, a bit of gating would have worked, but in the context of any music mix, it wouldn't be an issue. I tried this mic with my focusrite interface, and honestly, it sounded bad. Very "woolly." I don't think the preamps are designed for such a low impedance input.
I will be upgrading the transformer to the Cinemag 44 equivalent soon, but I don't expect that to do much but extend the top end of the mic. However, I'll keep you updated if you're interested!
Best!
@@FrankOlsonTwins that is a fantastic reply, thank you! Yeah I'd love to stay updated on this and have definitely subscribed for any possible updates.
I have a Mackie Onyx Blackbird and a focusrite and I do prefer the quality of the onyx pre more but I've never tried a ribbon mic in either.
Yeah I appreciate the nakedness of the vocal recording you've done to show us the true quality. I think a lifter would almost definitely give us space to reduce the pre amp hiss but because I have no experience with ribbons I didn't know if you could use a lifter or not. Meaning, I didn't know if the phantom power to the lifter would have potential to go through and damage the ribbon. In experience I tell you!
Thanks for engaging, sir. Have a beautiful day and I look forward to seeing more from you :)
Haha, glad my reply didn't bore you! Sometimes on YT it's hit or miss that people might appreciate it. Ooh, I was looking at the blackbird a few years back, but ended up with the focusrite 18i20 for I/O options. Since I still wanted the Onyx preamp, I decided to get a 402VLZ4, which is lacking in eq options, but I try not to push too much eq anyway. I've used a number of ribbon mics(44, 77, Ku4, 88, 92 and even 121's) through cloudlifters at studios, and in my experience they are worthwhile for that use. Most(all?) lifters are phantom powered, which sort of protects the ribbon by re-routing the voltage to the lifter circuitry and keeps it off the pins(as I understand it). So, they are actually recommended for ribbon mics. Still best to keep the phantom power off while you plug/unplug your mics though, as a matter of good practice.
Thanks for watching!
@@FrankOlsonTwins well I certainly appreciate the in depth sharing of your knowledge.
The Blackbird was a great purchase for me but it is firewire so its connected via multiple adapters now and may (hopefully not) become obsolete. I'm hoping one day to get a Clarett in my set up but I need to research a bit more first. It would be nice if I can connect the Blackbird to a clarett through ADAT. Also hoping to follow your build one day too. Maybe not to the amazing precision you've achieved though haha.
Cheers!
@@FrankOlsonTwins next, a wooden boost box for ribbons! WL-1? ;)
Can you share the template you made in photoshop?
Direct msg me on instagram @frankolsontwins
This is so cool! (as is the rest of your channel) - is this a transformerless mic?
Thanks! This mic has a transformer. It's the little yellow thing attached to the ribbon motor assembly. You get a better idea from part one: czcams.com/video/1DsqWRe4nMc/video.html.
@@FrankOlsonTwins thank you for these awesome videos! I am very ham-fisted by I am hoping to be able to get into some DIY :D
Hey thanks, I dig your channel, really great sounds. New sub here!
Looks like a transformer from an MXL 144
Cool. Do you have any recordings of instruments?
Yes, editing a video of drums and bass for next week!
@@FrankOlsonTwins new video is private only?
select thickness or thinness foil? i found 15 micron foil. can use 15 micron?
the foil is about 2.5 micron. 1.8-2.5 micron is preferred, 15 micron is very thick and will sound dull or muffled.
ok sir, now i have question, how to connect the mic to laptop ?
You only need to plug it into a recording interface, which usually plugs into your computer with usb. Or, you can use an external preamp to plug into your computer- see moment 9:36s in the video.
Good luck!
@@FrankOlsonTwins how about mic jack ?i mean can we use a headset jack directly to laptop ?
It depends on a few factors.
1. What kind of mic? The mic shown in the video will not work well if plugged straight into a laptop. You'd need any type of preamplifier or booster to make it sound good. Other types of mics will be easier, if they are designed for a laptop(gaming mics/headsets for example).
2. What kind of jack does your laptop have? Does it have a dedicated mic jack, or a combination mic/headphone jack like a tablet or phone. If you have a mic with an XLR plug, and you have a dedicated mic jack, you'll need an XLR to 1/8" adapter. If it has a combination Mic/headphone jack, then you will also need one of these: czcams.com/video/M0B6iDdbZPY/video.html.
@@FrankOlsonTwins ah, finally, thank you sir. that's why i always fail to connect this ribbon mic directly to my laptop using combination mic/ headphone jack
I tried it today, plugged directly into the mic jack and it did not sound good. The connection is not adequate, and there's not enough gain. I currently use a little mic booster (KT CM-2) to plug my ribbons into my audio interface. I just did a narration for my latest video with the wood 44 ribbon.
Did you make one?
Frankkkkk! I've slapped the subscribe, liked some vids, and now I wanna send you some $$$ so I can get my hands on this thaaang! Pls pls pls
Oh man, If I had a second one I'd def send it your way. These are so labor intensive, they just turned out to be un-affordable! However, the Golden Age R1 MKII would get you in the ballpark. I think the ribbon thickness is about the same. Nice productions, btw- and I subbed you back!
@@FrankOlsonTwins Naw you didn't have to do that! Thank you for the kind words, I've always had a love hate relationship with ribbons but I think the 44 made me really switch it up. I owned a stereo cascade x15 that came broken years ago and they refused to fix it. I ended up getting one capsule working in the end but i digress.