Building a quality USB-C microphone
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- čas přidán 9. 05. 2024
- Quality audio for cheap? Sounds good to me! Also, don't forget you can get one free share valued up to £200 by creating a Freetrade account at: freetrade.io/diyperks
Official forum for further development/help/discussion: forum.diyperks.com/microphone...
Parts list:
Disclosure: These are affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase from the various merchants they link to, DIY Perks may earn a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to the eBay Partner Network and Amazon Associates.
PDF template and schematic: drive.google.com/drive/folder...
Want to build an XLR version? Try one of these: www.jlielectronics.com/diy-ac...
Microphone capsule UK/EU/Global: micbooster.com/jli-microphone...
Micropone USA: www.jlielectronics.com/microp...
eBay UK: ebay.us/AZW5xw
Transistor US: ebay.us/3m3kyV
Transistor UK: ebay.us/KYIbZB
THAT1512: ebay.us/wvJUzJ
USB Audio interface: amzn.to/3k43hy7
USB C breakout board: amzn.to/3EJa0Fs
7mm brass tube Amazon: amzn.to/3BFJ086
7mm brass tube eBay: ebay.us/pZfjF7
6mm brass rod Amazon: amzn.to/3mEPDDr
6mm brass rod eBay: ebay.us/LAdYfs
3mm brass rods Amazon: amzn.to/3bCP9Hu
3mm brass rods eBay: ebay.us/32ofym
72mm 1.5mm nitrile o-rings Amazon: amzn.to/3q6fvtV
72mm 1.5mm nitrile o-rings eBay: ebay.us/y37Lmz
Brass mesh: amzn.to/3mG1Zet
15v +- isolator: ebay.us/YIIMNe
Cheaper version (but should work): ebay.us/Bwgafo or uk.rs-online.com/web/p/isolat...
For the resistors, capacitors, wire, stripboard etc: www.bitsbox.co.uk/
USB C info: • Converting devices to ...
Please email any comments about the circuit here: DIYPerks at gmail.com
Audio Tests: currently recording them, check back later
I've had may folk ask if I hold the design copyright to this, so I'd just like to clarify that yes, I do. This is targeted squarely at companies: you'll need to get in touch if you intend to copy my design to sell. For individuals reading this, making one for yourself (or a couple of friends) is fine of course, and encouraged! I just want to let companies know that they can't steal my design for profit without prior arrangement... it's happened before 😄
OFFICIAL LINKS:
Support me on Patreon: / diyperks
Official Website: www.diyperks.com/
Discord: diyperks.com/discord-server/
Forums: diyperks.com/community/
Twitter: / diyperks - Jak na to + styl
5 Minute crafts: _gluing pipe cleaners to a tin can_
DIY Perks: Here's the 10th free tutorial for a literal market beating product this year
Mega flip reset master watching DIY perks? Swweeeeettt.
Also unlike 5 Minute Crafts if you follow this tutorial properly it will A) Work and B) Not kill you.
When does 5 min crafts ever have actual crafts? It's all just "here's a product on Amazon for this extremely specific scenario that you will probably never find yourself in or is very easy to deal with"
I still love the beamer I build with one of his video's seriously this guy saves money around the world.
Should be called 5min craps lol but they get their views which is sad.
This channel feels like if Leonardo da Vinci had a CZcams channel
he didnt invent something so far
Maybe not da Vinci, but Eiffel or Van Gogh maybe.
Da Vinci? More like Macgyver! =P
It do be like that
Nope, that’s URI Tuchman’s channel. This is Michelangelo quality refinement.
I came here expecting to see someone assembling a microphone kit.
I did not expect to be taught how to build an entire microphone almost completely from scratch, while learning valuable info about electrical and audio interference and how to mitigate them.
This is brilliant.
Some issues though like being harsh.
@MLGJoeisback yeah it would be very bright and likely tinny. Almost like a piezo mic, very harsh n brittle sounding.
@@tomi-jon8798 Any tips to reduce it?
right , we need more of this type of content but across many more categories
A kit would be handy for those of us who aren't good with the metalworking.
Pro Tip: Don't cut off the Bulk connector (2:14) leaving this pin floating will definitely worsen sound quality. Instead, connect it to the ground of the circuit. Otherwise the microphone performed is heavily influenced by EMV and room conditions
I can tell that has something to do with the harshness of the mic.
you can notice in the comparison at the end that yeah there is a slight little bit of room noise in the microphone along with a little harshness. Very good advice!
If you want to get really fancy about minimizing noise you’d also keep the digital conversion away from analog preamp circuit (not hot glued right next to it) and shielded. Also the grounds & shields should avoid forming loops and instead be tree shaped (going back to a central point of grounding ie the Audio ground)
…and this thread, to me, is why to buy a microphone. There’s a tremendous amount of experience built into a commercial mic beyond just making the electrical connections. Audio and RF is a whole different world than digital logic!
@@joshcarter-com but these types of videos will help make the DIY version better with comment sections exactly like these.
This is beyond impressive - as a voice actor and microphone enthusiast this is the first project I am interested in actually giving a shot! - Thank you for all your hard work, Matt.
i love your vids man.
Ayyy
Same tho
I didn’t expect to find the voice of dr. Millar here of all places.
Hope you’re having a great day.
Think you'll be doing some narration with something like this? Might want to shout it out in the description if you do so we can compare :P
Can we all just appreciate Matt for a second: he's spent who knows how many man hours researching, designing, and testing all of these builds, and then puts it out there for free when he could easily just sell them. He's not even selling the plans when they do truly belong to him. Matt, you're a super guy and I hope I can learn how to be more generous because of your example.
I imagine he makes a fair bit of revenue from his videos about it. But yeah, anyone else would've made you pay for the template
Agreed 100%
@@johnfran3218 :/
@@johnfran3218 Were talking about a DIY Microphone, that has nothing to do with this.
Could not agree more! Such a great chap consistently putting out excellent quality videos and brilliant projects that genuinely anyone could do with enough time!
That's actually crazy how the DIY mic is actually kinda on the same level as the 3000 dollar mic. And you could make sound similar if wanted too which is insane. He got my respect and probably everyone in the comments for making this. nice video and super educational.
Not even close to same level. He only tests voice and the expensive microphone can pick up much more dynamic range than the diy.
@@FuIIDiveVR Well, As a DIY person, maybe you won't need that quality. So, being able to almost replicate the sound of a professional mic is more than enough.
(Just a comment. If you have headset, you can hear a clearly difference. It's like the DIY one is more "aggressive".)
@@FuIIDiveVR obviously its more expensive but the DIY which is, in my opinion, sounds like its on the same level. you can agree that even though its cheaper it sounds great with no filter or add-ons.
DIY sounds cleaner. Other microphone sounded muddy. DIY wins.
@@honestpolicy5031 headphone issue lol
damn he actually teach us how to build an entire high quality microphone from scratch, while also explaining the reason behind those parts that he used. What a rare gem on youtube nowadays.
god, that's a depressing thought. I remember when practises like that were the norm, this platform really has gone to shit
@@Sillimant_it's just that the ass videos are more popular now, there's still PLENTY of brilliant content - more than before, it's just flooded out sadly
@@Sillimant_ there are plenty of these types of channels, just need to sort through the shite
You can't make everything with brass, Matt.
Matt: And I took that personally.
🤣 👍🏼
I feel for the aluminium
Don't you know, he has a child entirely made of brass
@@kaushalsuvarna5156 when matt plans to builds big gadgets, aluminum cries in fear.
Matt: hold my artificial sun lol
I hope jlielectronics is ready for the traffic. This is a great build
Already ordered one 😂😂😂
Out of stock in 3 2 1...
@@tf_d You ordered a U87 Ai!
@@CarbonPanther Mate. There is no such thing as a Scalper to buy stock and parts
A few hundred individual orders over the thousands they would get from commercial suppliers... I think they'll be fine lol.
Dude, if this mic was available without the DIY aspect, I would definitely pick one up. It's a work of art.
Fr I’m looking for someone to build this for me 😅😅
@@dericmedley8800build it yourself
@@dericmedley8800 Someone already did most of the work you just need to unbox it and screw in a couple screws its pretty cheap too
@@MoonlessSolace any more info on this ? don't post link because its gonna get deleted by youtube .
@@MoonlessSolaceshare link pls
I feel like with the right eq you could make those mics sound almost identical. They didn't sound too different to begin with, and with more low frequency and a little less high frequency they may be indescernable to the *untrained* ear.
And you have this ear?
I would also add some a wind screen to the diy mic because the breath noises are significantly louder
Yes, DIY mimcrophone is brighter than U87 Ai, but not too harsh.
how do you train an ear
@@spongebobfunnyy listen with an intention.
This guy really has a keen eye for industrial design, would love a coffee table book with blueprints, schematics, building & product photos.
Yes please!
Same, I'd definitely buy that
With a brass cover right 😆😅
Would buy it
I would buy that!!
This man just allowed people with time on their hands and passion in their hearts to corner an entire market lmao, love this
How many people do you think will actually make this?
@@Rig0r_M0rtis toddlers obviously
@@Rig0r_M0rtis At least one; me.
Tbh im thinking of making it. I'll save it. But I'm living abroad now, without any tools so I can do it at home.
@@kookaburra574 exact situation here my guy
take a shot every time he says brass
The amount of in depth knowledge you have of components, and what defines the winning characteristics of said components, makes every sentence rich with learnings.
Very happy to have found your channel if nothing more than for the motivation to pursue in some diy projects I’ve been putting off.
Cheers
i was waiting for "youve been listening with the DIY mic"
bro literally just before he was bout to test it I said to myself "I have been listening to it, haven’t I?"
@@vader567 lmao same
mic drop moment
edit: it has an arm so it wouldn't drop, i see now my folly.
Your comment had 777 likes on my screen)
19:05 - Lol.
I was waiting for the reveal of the audio to be utterly garbage.
*SURPRISE. YOU'VE BEEN LISTENING TO IT THIS ENTIRE TIME*
What an OJ comment with 5 likes
The crossover we never expected
Same wtf.
I knew it wasn't going to be garbage but the reveal was a clever twist.
I actually expected that from the beginning.
I think the diy microphone sounds sharper, whereas the VERY expensive one sounds softer. For different things, one may be more preferable, but I still think paying 100 times less is a very good deal, for a similar quality. Congratulations!
You're right and With a single Vst plugin knob they can both sounds same
The way I think of them is with the DIY setup, it sounds like you're talking into the mic at a really high quality -whereas with the very expensive mic, it sounds like you're actually talking directly to the person listening to what the mic pics up.
Wow wow wow!!!
This is one of the best builds I’ve seen on CZcams.
Well done. You should be proud.
"Well you've been listening to it the entire time."
I figured you'd say that! It sounds amazing!
Me halfway through the video: "I'm surprised he doesn't show us how to build the amp too"
DIY Perks: "unfortunately this is going to mean we have to build this from scratch"
hahhahahahah🤣😂
He didn't have to at all... Better served buying your own preamp.
What a great build! This is truely my favorite project on this channel so far.
One of the most unique builds I've seen. Fantastic!
I WAS 100% WAITING FOR THE "I've been talking into this the whole time" AND I WAS EXACTLY RIGHT. Love this video!
Same here!
He literally showed it at the beginning though....
yep, i knew it! but this is Matt, of course he did it that way
Saaaaame.
When you said: "And because this is a DIY Perks video..."
I thought you were going to say: "We will be water cooling it..."
LTT moment
Mind blown. Design and engineering. Well done many times over!
This 100% got my subscribe
Showing people in detail, how to build thoughtful, cheap, quality designs
With more than competitive performance
It's the kind of attitude that genuinely pushes society forward
The neumann definitely has a really deep thick calming sound to it. But the DIY one is very clear and crisp.
I think I prefer the diy one for voice but the Neumann sounds like how I like my eq for music. That little mic is extremely impressive!
I definitely prefered the Neumann, but I suspect that his voice in person would sound more like it does from the microphone he built.
So I suppose it depends if you want to sound like a normal person or like a radio voice.
I watched this video with ok earphones but I could ear a slight noise on the DIY mic that wasn't present in the Neumann, so if you compare the cost/quality ratio, the DIY mic wins by a substantial margin, but in terms of raw quality, Neumann stays king
Thou like for 30 dollars that's like black blacker blackity market😂😂
@@TibiHell absolutely, the DIY one had a little pitched drone that it was probably picking up from the room, in a properly treated room, with some EQ and processing I think it could even be great to record vocals for a song. The neumann mic picks up a larger range of bass and sounds boomier compared to the crisp high end of the DIY one, I hear.
I would love to see a whole DIY streaming setup done by Matt. Imagine all the brass and having that antique feel
full steampunk stream setup
This
100% agreed
This comment. Yes.
Yeah that would be great!
This is by far the most elegant microphone built i ever seen. Congrats it really worth multiple times what you spend
I am blown away, WOW. Have seen majority of your designs, this one is just another level
I used to be a marketing director. We had a "guy" that did all our voice over work cash. We used him for years and the quality was amazing. The radio ingest guys were always complimenting us on finding this guy. When I left the job we went for beers. He confessed that the entire time he was using the onboard mic on his iPhone hung by a coat hanger in his wardrobe. He was literally tweaking the levels in phone with some app, and dropping the wav straight onto our cloud. Didn't even touch a cable.
Interested in the tweaking though
It's amazing how much quality is gained more in room conditioning over what microphone you use.
To be fair Apple does know how to make those tiny shitty mics sound great lol
Exactly why its more about voice, room and some tricks than expensive tech.
The channel Booth Junkie (he makes videos about mics and voiceover) has demonstrated this as well. Most people don't realize how important your environment (that guy's wardrobe as opposed to his living room) really is, and how similar microphones really are when it comes to sound quality!
This man is single-handedly reviving the retro-futurism aesthetic
Lol yeah, like steampunk hasn't been all the rage since even before this channel was created.
@@rondonkulus steampunk and retrofuturism are waaaaaay different things.
@@formdoggie5 Steampunk IS retro-futurism, the latter is a superordinate term with many subcategories. Don't know what you're on about.
Steampunk, that's the term.
@@rondonkulus right, but you literally just said all squares are rectangles while attempting to correct me for pointing out you're identifying one of many squares for the term defining all of them, which doesnt even apply as there isn't any steam. Additionally, the rectangle containing all those squares can be applied individually while referencing none of them.
The fact you're lacking that much self-awareness is even worse than your original comment.
Ur channel is so high level. There's no other place u can find creativity and style mixed with great videography.
i jusst come back for this, watched it again, still amazing experience of seeing such project, the final result is SICK!!! Love the design!!
This man is the definition of quality over quantity
Every video he releases is an epic discovery
So is the mic!
Both.
Not without that brass knob
@@LetoZeth typical cringe edgelord
The 3000 dollar mic is definetly better in quality of sound, but it is no 100 times better, with a little tuning of the DIY mic the average person would not hear much of a difference at all. This is amazing work Matt glad to see this project!
They're like on par with each other
At least listening through my cheap phone dac and bassy PortaPros, I totally agree with you. The Neumann sounds like it's massaging my eardrums and like it had an integrated de-esser or something. No annoying frequencies at all. It's a beauty.
The DIY has a really good sound, quite bright and with a nice low end as well, though it desperately needs a compressor and a couple of filters but it still sounds really good, especially considering that it's self-contained, cheap and with a DIY preamp.
to me the only difference is that the diy mic is more raw sounding, I think adding a very thinn tensed cloth in front of the brass mesh could go a long way softening that rawness.
the law of diminishing returns. its the same in headphones where a $1000 set will sound better than a $100 set, but not 10 times better. the 3 grand mic is a solid 1% (based on my very scientific calculations) better than the $30 one. in some situations that 1% is important.
@@iris657 any mildly decent mic that wasn't taken from the Alibaba trashcan will be competitive when it comes to human voice.
The Neumann mic is meant for recording acoustic instruments, which is a much more challenging proposition due to the wider register and the resonances caused by the instrument on the mic's armature.
So, I would say the unprocessed audio from the U87 definitely sounds better, but once they're both processed you could make them sound damn near identical. The DIY mic had pretty much the same level of low end as the U87 but had a lot more presence in the high end, which honestly unprocessed sounds a bit harsh, however it has more sonic information that you can play with in post. With the U87 you'd probably throw a boost on the high end to give it more of the air that the DIY mic already has, and with the DIY I would do some cutting in the high end to make it less shrill. In the end they'd sound pretty much identical though, which is incredibly impressive.
Dude ive seen this almost 5 times and yet every time im amazed with how cool this is
Just prefacing this with the fact I'm a professional audio engineer, with a Masters degree in microphone preamp design. For the price and required skills, this is AMAZING! such a cool build idea! I'm currently out on tour so don't have access to my workshop, but will be attempting to replicate this as soon as I get back home, with a few minor tweaks.
1) really simple, you even touched on it in the video. The rear porting for that capsule is compromised by the brass casing. Instead of using a brass ring with holes drilled into it I would suggest soldering the two brass grills together directly. A little bit of thought will have to go into shock-mount mounting rings but it will be worth it. You're effectively making the Mic HyperCardiod in its current format.
2) this will sound really stupid, but placing a stretched piece of thin breathable fabric such as a pair of low denin tights (stocking for my American readers) will really really help. As it stands the microphone is slightly more simple and than I would like it to be and I found myself noticing S's and the odd plosive here and there.
the next two are completely optional but could be really cool additions to the project and help the sound quality.
3) whilst I can see you are using basic filtering in the preamp stage I would suggest adding an R/C C/R EQ filter to roll off everything below 30 Hz and everything above 18 kHz as the capsule will struggle to reproduce anything outside of this frequency range however the preamp will still be wasting energy amplifying noise you can't hear. These are a few of the additional components found on a lot of pro microphone circuit boards. a really simple step, massive quality difference.
4) sorry the audiophile in me had to... Try and use film capacitors where you can. Basically anything other than electrolytic as they start to introduce undesirable noise into the signal chain. On something like this, it wouldn't be the end of the world but when you get a few going into each other the effect really starts to add up.
5) I'd love to see this with the Texas Instruments INA217 mic preamp integrated circuit. It's quite possibly the best budget preamp circuit you can find, period.
6) I love your idea about using a simple premade USB to audio adapter, why don't you integrate the headphone output as well with simple passive volume control this would turn the unit into an amazing audio interface.
I'll drop you an email with these comments and a few other really nerdy ones as well for you to use or ignore at your own call haha. But overall, I can't say how cooll this project really is! I'm going to try it out with the weeks mentioned above and see if it's worth it. Would you be interested in doing a comparison video? I have a couple of Neaumanns & AKGs in my touring kit and would love to do an A/B.
All the best, Arran.
P.S. If anyone else wants a list of the nerdy stuff just drop me an email: info@ArranHeaton.com
Great write-up, thanks. I'm learning quite a bit here. I'd love to see a proper audio engineer optimise the design and do some scientific comparisons vs $1000+ off-the-shelf mics.
wasn't the THAT512 built to *replace* the INA217? why would you want to get the less refined version of the same product? why not an SSM2019?
Will be following this thread for build updates. :D
I see you are good in this topic.
Therefore, I would like to clarify about USB Audio interface.
Is it just an adapter ?
If not, then what function does this thing perform ?
Thank you very much in advance.
dudee you should remake this video with your suggestions once you have access to your workshop again. Im def gonna watch that
Pretty much everything you build looks like a piece of art.
Exactly.
a practical mic withhout compromising quality and one that looks beautiful, you earned a sub and i'm going to try and build this
Hell! I love your mic. Super super clear. I can't believe that's raw sound!
You are no longer a DIY guy. You’re literally a product designer at this point.
I love the aesthetics of these new projects !!
I guess that's just a diy "perk"!
Ok I'll see myself out now.
It's still diy tho
If he made another identical mic there's no way it would characteristically sound the same. Everything from all the variables in his making and assembly to the characteristics of the preamp and DAC components. Real mic designers are picky about these things and even profile and hand pick, or bin, capsules and FET's for their ideal sound.
@@_BangDroid_ unless you're able to create two and demonstrate that there's drastic differences between the two then is just speculation, regardless of manufacturing method there's always going to be some measure of error, however with The complete isolation of the capsule It's entirely possible that the majority of differences between multiple manufacturing runs would be insignificant enough to be near unnoticeable aside from simultaneous side by side testing. Until you can demonstrate this difference is drastic enough to become a problem then it's just speculation. Very important speculation that should definitely be considered, but still just speculation.
@@platinumsky845 Explain to me what the statement "Microphone design is more of an art than an exact science" means. If what you're saying is true, then designing microphones would be simple as can be and in fact the entire industry would be a scam. It's only speculation to you because you evidently have no experience in manufacturing, electronics or audio.
every other DIY channel: "buy all these modules and stick them in a box lol"
DIY Perks: "hold my brass"
LMAO
I've seen other videos by you, but this one finally got my like and sub. Fantastic as always
This is *incredibly* cool, and as a person who already has the audio interface and no need for the USB bit, seems like something that would be totally doable with an XLR connection.
It seems like it's prone to picking up plosives - you can hear some of those almost getting through even at the distance you're using it at - but maybe it could be modified to integrate a pop filter as well.
Brass: exists
Matt: "I'll take your entire stock!"
How much brass would you like?
Matt: YES
Bravo! As an audio professional and microphone designer, I was really scared as I saw this video's title. You did a great job here. Your research seems do be at the highest level. No "Audio-Bush*t" found here. I really enjoy your overall quality, so it would have been a shame to see this video fail, but it didn't. Have a nice day and greetings from Germany :)
Thoose caps are just too big for the mic transients, probably with 470uF on both sides and 2 in parallel on the USB in would be better.
I would have put some smaller ceramic cap parallel to the main bulk ones to filter out the DC DC converter noise.
For the decoupling caps i would have choosen a polyester type one. But this is just a preference.
(I try to avoid as much as possible electrolitics ones)
@@tuttocrafting Cool to hear from some actual audio experts and glad to see you aren't totally rubbishing Matt's efforts here 🙂
@@tuttocrafting I'm wondering is there any particular reason for avoiding electrolytic caps? Is it because they're generally more fragile/prone to blowing out like the ones on old pc mobos or is there another reason?
@@pigpiggig I'm not aware of the reason for avoiding them in audo gear, but the reason cheap capicators had a habit of failing in the past is due to industrial espianage gone wrong - a researcher from Japan defected to China with a design for long-life caps, who was paranoid about his lab assistants defecting in turn. To prevent this, he gave the assistants misleading designs, who then passed the designs on to Tiawan, who in turn gave it to their businesses to mass produce - end result was a flood of capacitors on the market that were designed to fail after a short period of time; this is also why there was a period when "Japanese capacitors" were considered better quality.
@@pigpiggig each capacitor kind have different characteristics. Electrolytic one are less precise than other types. They depends a lot by temperature and they al bulky. On signal paths it not necessarily at all to use hi grade electrolitic capacitors.
Probably over there also a good ceramic one might have been enough.
Generally electrolitic caps degrades more than others over time, especially if they are cheap.
Anyway there is a great article on Altium websites that explain a bit the difference between capacitors types.
I did not realize all the effort that you put in to maintain yourself for the videos. You are amazing
The one build of yours I think I might actually try out, this could prove to be wildly useful in my life
This man is a wizard
You’re a wizard hairy
Hi mr verifcation check
He is Dwemer. Dwemer love their brass. Plus I’ve never seen him stand. He’s probably really short.
He just proved that everyone claiming you can't get professional results with a usb microphones have no idea what they're talking about. The industry is going to get interesting.
l literally thought of you... Some work came in & left the video halfway. Today you're already here...
Tech Angels are hearing my voices.. 😇
"Next time on DIY Perks, I'll be making an exquisite mechanical keyboard using only 104 brass pipes, two dead cats and Carol Vorderman. I'm sure you'll agree it really is !"
You're actually not that far off! I've been working on my own little project for all the controls in MechWarrior, KSP, so on, by using the logic board out of a broken and dirt cheap keyboard. Just had to wire up leads onto the individual pads, bout mechanical keys that have LEDs built in, and a plastic cover that can be easily removed for a label to be inserted underneath. Now I just have to figure out the key mount and how to power the LEDs, otherwise I now have a no-programming space ship module that can be modified easily. My computer just sees it as a keyboard, meaning no compatibility issues with any game at all, even windows function keys work right away.
On the topic of extraordinarily wrinkled brains and keyboards: Here's a guy that invented a magnetically levitating switch for keyboards.
czcams.com/video/H_Ym9528awM/video.html
Wow, i listened to this on the best headphones I have and am absolutely blown away with the quality. I'm 100% going to build one
I got f++king excited watching this! Great design, tutorial and video composition in general. Thank you!
Dayummm! What a piece of design! Can't believe that cost you $30 to make.
Cheers James! Going to have a full brass PC setup soon xD
Don't forget the several man hours invested in designing and making it.
@@vishalpranav9490 an the pre-owning of soldering iron and consumable, drill, tap sets , the various other tools .. and talent and experience
@@TheOneAndOnlySame those tools are cheap though. However his talent is definitely the coolest
Spoiler alert!
I have no need for a quality USB-C microphone, but I will watch any video of DYI Perks building anything. This man passion & skills are inspiring (and a great watch)!
@AB Best course of action is to find other likeminded individuals in Brazil and find alternatives. Watching DIY videos from the UK is not how I would tackle this issue.
@AB Maybe use earphones mic? Usually they record sound better than built in mic. Also important, FORA BOLSONARO! ;)
your builds are really cool but they also have a polished look that is finished model quality. I would buy this!
Just fantastic and beautiful! Your are a great DIYer!
Blown away by this, looks like the result of years of research. Can't imagine the number of prototypes there must have been, and you graciously only showed us exactly what works. Thank you ☺️
@Laura Brown scammer
He is the diy Jedi. He just knows how to do it bacause of the force
@Laura Brown bro stop messing with people's lives
Love that you go out of your way to identify tools that are "good enough" as lots of DIY builds are like "$5 microphone using only $2500 worth of tools!"
It's like jimmy rigging it... except Jimmy is a genuis
@Miles Doyle Thanks, can you post the whole Bible next time? King James Version and English Standard Version should suffice. Maybe throw in the Old Testament in Hebrew as well for those who prefer a more retro vibe.
@@adygombos4469 I think he did
@Miles Doyle I could not be bothered to read all that, so I'm just gonna assume you said "this is a really nice microphone"
@Miles Doyle thankfully, one of the few Hebrew words I know is perfect for my reaction to this. ?מה
Wow, I’m going have a very exciting break. Can’t wait to see all of your other impressive work!!
Absolutely beautiful build! Sounds great too!
Before I say anything else, I just want to say that I respect Matt and this video so much more than many youtube project videos. My mans actually did a ton of documentation for this and made it really easy to recreate. This is probably one of the best diy mics I have ever seen in terms of quality and feasibility to build.
So, I built it.
And yeah, totally sounds like he said. I’ll gas it up as much as he says, it’s really nice. I have been thinking about this project for three straight weeks now and I really do feel like the payoff was worth it. 90% of this project was waiting on parts and existing in a sunken cost fallacy purgatory, but overall, if you plan on doing this, most of the parts here take a good amount of time to get here (especially if you order from china, which is necessary for price efficiency).
And that’s all I can really say about this. It’s a good mic, I rate what Matt is doing and the amount of time and research he put in. But there’s one big thing that bothered me about this project. The cost for all of these components is not ~$30. Not a chance.
As you can see in my spreadsheet below, not 30, not even 100 dollars (accounting for possible currency conversions). If you don’t have a ton of brass, wood, and the proper capacitors lying around, you will be spending more. That as well as the fact that some components are just not available in the states. I traded the THAT1512 for a INA217 because of this. The INA217 has different resistances for gain but other then that it is largely the same (not really, I would still like a THAT1512 but they take 4 months to get here it seems). The finish of brass and wood is cool, but completely impossible for people that don’t have tools to work with them (also there’s no specs listed so I’m not sure how you would do that anyway), so I 3d printed everything (box and module holder) so I didn’t have to buy anything else. The cost I listed accounts for these even more budget considerations, so all in all I would call this a budget mic, but with a hard asterisk.
I want to stress again, this project is so cool and I’m really happy I did it. Just do your own budgeting before hand and make sure you can sweat $150+.
I included some pictures of my build and all the stls (as well as a fader knob I stole from thingiverse I cannot find the original link I will update if I find it))
Definitely worth the time put in.
Here are some resources from my build:
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ax8V7ID-nKL7wJXj9A7RIaR2wb1TqigN?usp=sharing
Direct Link to my spreadsheet:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pQlkRerO5geoDNLEWXTUVbyJalM7nESn/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=114689008105602245905&rtpof=true&sd=true
Edit: Here's a quick write-up I did on this with some sort of instructions-not-really that might be helpful: github.com/TrojanPinata/DIY-Mic
Edit: As of writing this, t's been a little over a month now since I made this mic, and honestly it still holds up. I finally have a THAT1512 coming so I think that will fix some of my gain issues. Overall, I definitely still like this mic. I use it pretty regularly and get compliments on the quality. If I used it more then I do currently I'd suck it up and buy something really nice, but this will do for now.
As for this project, I still really respect the original build. For those complaining about me saying I with there were more verbose instructions, I think you're missing my point. I just kind of with I had a better idea of some of the specifics. That being said, I'm probably never going to do this again, what with the posting my version of a project online. Some of you all are great, but the number of armchair engineers here is wild and I really would rather make things because I like them and not have to deal with people nit picking a writeup I did one morning before work. I mean, I don't know what I expected from the youtube comment section. Anyway, I'm done, enjoy your mic if you're building it, and if you aren't then I really don't care what you have to say about the way I did things. Later.
This should be pinned tbh
Yeah, it's great that he's doing this but i feel like it could be a bit more open
Thanks for sharing!
Also in the process of making it, and yeah, totally agree - I'd like to add that as a video this is a great, easy to watch and share bit of content. But as a tutorial?
The circuit diagram and the circuit in the video doesn't match - some capacitors appear to have changed direction?,
the parts list only consists of what he had to buy not what he used - and there are measurements missing like the length of the brass rods,
the difficulty and process of each step didn't come off well - maybe I'm just supposed to know how to solder brass but he made it look easy so I didn't bother looking anything up and screwed it up a couple times,
he skipped over the wiring for the analogue to digital converter,
and to top it off there's an advert smack in the middle of it.
I'm being really picky but having to follow the video has made these bits stand out
Honestly I would love to see people remaking this with whatever they have at their disposal. You have a 3D Printer, he has apparently access to a ton of brass and some wood, someone else might only have access to wood or plastic... It would be really fun to compare and contrast every version of this project. Also, great job with the "proof study" of sorts, this is what DIY builds should always have!
You're basically Colin Furze's calm and practical brother. Both are genius DIY builders, but extreme opposites in regards to aesthetics and build subjects
Love and appreciate both of you!
They should both work on a project together! I wonder what they would build...
@@chilio94 A water cooled computer powered by a jet engine... Likely also somehow in the form factor of either a lawn mower or a bicycle... But then covered in wood and brass... 🤔
I think matt should help colin to finish his tunnel.
Long time due now
Love it! Love the look! The sound! I would take the diy mic over any other any day! Hopefully one day soon I can follow your build!
Professional electrical engineer here:
-Twisting the 2 wires between the JFET and the PCB costs literally nothing and gives an additional protection against electromagnetic interference (emi).
-Beautiful work on the soldering, are the grills also soldered to the brass ring and connected to ground? With corrosion, you could get some emi problems in the long run.
-Circuit: You need additional 100nF Caps on your supply rails. Those electrolytic caps have a large series resistance, making your supply more noisy for higher frequencies.
How would one add a mute button this design? I would assume just adding a locking button of sorts to the audio output but I know very little basics of electronics. Also question about the additional 110nF caps on the supply rails. Are you talking about the +/- 15v rails? if so where and how do you add the caps? inline? does it matter if they are polarized?
@@robertsnyder4480 just in parallel with the 2200u caps. Use ceramic, or better foil type
@DIY Perks - a follow up with the above additions would be neat, perhaps make a 2nd one so you don't need to borrow the 3K mic
By “2 wires”, did you mean the thin enamelled wires?
@@pk_xiv2856 yes
Professional Audio Guy here: The comparison from 21:57 pretty much knocked me out of the ballpark. Obviously the U87 sounds better. It has a bit more natural compression in the highs and it doesn't sound so harsh with the s-consonants. Also the resolution in the mids is much more articulated - this is very important for the character of a voice. With the DIY-Mic you have a bit less natural compression and a bump in the highs, which you would have to process in post. BUT! The resolution of the DIY is superb. I tried to make out a noise floor, which is impossible with the youtube compression and that is a very good sign. It also has a very smooth and buttery low-end which would make it perfect for other use cases.
Investing a bit more time and much less money and making this Mic? Definitely worth it!!!
Great Video through and through!
As a Professional Normal Guy here: I beg to differ. The U87 has much more mid to low range and makes his voice sound quite muddy for my taste. Now the $3000 microphone may pick up more and “cleaner” information which may be eq’ed/edited or whatsoever in post, but the space and higher end frequencies that the DIY mic picks up sound really good, and are much easier for me as a listener to enjoy.
This is completely subjective to this video and I’m in no way a better professional audio guy than you haha. Have a good day :)
@@madoba8717 The u87 is definitively better. As he said, the highs aren't near as harsh and it's not as sibilant. Sounds less compressed and clippy in the high than the DIY, though I wonder if that's due to the pre-amp.
@@madoba8717 I've never watched a video from DIY Perks before. Hearing his voice through the whole video with the custom mic made the U87 sound muddy and not as clear as well. Perhaps its the sudden change in audio from listening to the same mic for 20 minutes and then hearing the U87.
@@jonasguthrie6129 me as well, i find the u87 a bit muddy and weird. Besides, the other one is only 30 dollars lol so its definitely better for the pricing
@@jonasguthrie6129 as he shows, u87 isn't his regularly mic but one he borrowed.
Bro could just literally start selling those yet still shows us how it's done in detail... You're the best!!
What a great build you have done. I will surely be looking forward to building my own microphone and as an amateur radio operator, I will enjoy building more. Great build
This guy is Michael Reeves except he took his meds as a kid, paid attention in school, and can express self control.
Love your works, insanely impressive as per usual.
Should we commission michael to make a taser mic that will tase you if you stopped talking?
And both of them are just as entertaining!
@@rhaven090 the perfect podcast mic
Dont shittalk matt like that.
Michael Reeves is just some "inventor" on ADHD, nothing to compare to DIYPerks.
@@xcruell I mean Michael started in software dev and programming so it's not exactly a fair comparison with Matt's technical skills
I was so surprised by the "you've been listening to it this whole time" that it put a great smile on my face. I truly love the elegance of the result and its quality. Well done mate!
I saw that twist coming a mile off 😂
it is nice dont get me wrong, but it was clear to me from the start of the vid that this will be the demo the mic gets.
Well... It being a surprise to some of us was a great thing. I’m glad some of you saw it coming, but I just don’t see the benefit of pointing it out as an obvious thing
@@CristobalFuenzalidaMarin theres no benefit, just an observation ;)
I thought all along that a plot twist like this will come
Could’ve been really cool to add some kind of “pop stopper” using that same brass mesh further in front of the capsule to minimize the blow of air across the capsule during plosive sounds. I’d also recommend running a de-esser in your audio program to minimalist sibilance from your “s” sounds.
This build is really beautiful and functional, and I am really blown away by the craftsmanship. Been binging your videos recently am now a proud follower. Look forward to seeing more!
Yeah the plosives and sibilance is pretty bad.
Yeah, I could hear it in his voice a lot. @@biscuit715
i genuinely think the one you made sounds better, that is actually amazing considering the price of the bought one, kudos!
Next week: Matt rebuilds the hydraulic system from London’s Tower Bridge in miniature with brass and I somehow convince myself that I can do it too.
Great vid as always 👍
Out of brass
Using the braided de-soldering wire in the way you have is a masterstroke. Incredible.
I was stunned and overwhelmed by ideas.
how does it not short the circuit?
@@Pe721 The wires inside are enameled.
@@oddvoid just noticed him sayin it. Ups my english just aint good enought. Thx a lot. Gonna post here once i build this thing myself.
@Mr. Rich B.O.B That braid itself is conductive. It's made of copper after all. It has to be conductive in order to work as an RF shield. Also, the wires that go inside are enameled, so that is no issue at all.
Well this is pure passion! Wow Matt. You are a nex gen genius.
im learning SOOOO much on this channel. I LOVE IT
I really wish there would be something like "behind the scenes" for your episodes. This is a masterpiece. I cant even imagine how much effort you put in each episode.
Great job Matt, as always.
I just posted a comment saying pretty much the same thing!
I mean, I love the format of these videos, the way all the unnecessary stuff is cut out and everything looks pristine, but I know if I was doing a project like this there'd be messes and tools everywhere!
Particularly in this one he made a lot of effort to make it accessible to people. For once I think I might actually try following this build. Shows he has been reading comments and takin feedback. Its so nice to see someone with so much knowledge doing things so diligently.
@@kanishcktewatia597 ye
He is the bridge between art and technology
@@tantra9844 BEGONE THBOT
What an awesome build quality. Incredible work.
I've never seen someone so enthusiastic about a sponsorship. Such professionalism
What a MASTERPIECE
Sorry, did you say BRASSTERPIECE?
@@TheLegendOfLem lmaoooo
MATTsterpiece :)
This genius actually used solder sponge around the wire.
And omfg he's so good at making this seem like the easiest thing that he finished in only like an hour lol
Haha right? Just bending one nof those pieces of brass into the right shape probably would have taken me several hours of trial and error and reshaping until it's smooth
Amazing build!!! Super impressive and sleek design, I like it a lot!
I really wish there was more footage at 4:31, glosses over how exactly you got the feeble wires to attach well to the audio cable wires of a much greater gauge... Brilliant video so far, never thought i wanted to build a mic until now and this is captivating for me from the first second.
The Neumann has a beautiful soft sound but the DIY one sounds stunning, especially considering the price difference. The only thing I'd possibly do is add a sort of those spongy or mesh things in front to reduce the plosives and the hissing from letters like 's'. All in all tho, I'm just surprised at the production quality of these videos as well as builds themselves.
A pop filter?
Matt should make his own pop filter with vinyl pantyhose.
Yer it just needs a pop filter and a bit of gain control and it would be golden. Like for the price you can't really complain at that. Though CZcams doesn't do the Neumann any justice 😔
@@watchingtheworlduk5253 While yes, CZcams has a limited bitrate, creators get to upload content for free and we consume it for... well free, excluding time, so in that sense it's amazing that we're getting even this quality of both video and sound. The amount of storage and processing power that would be needed for high bitrate stuff just isn't feasible. A lot of people also don't use/have studio headphones and say a 4k TV/monitor to reap the benefits of such content.
@@dudo626 CZcams doesn’t do the Neumann any justice 😔
Such a sweet build, almost like a mini microphone ballista :O I'd love to see your take on a DIY ribbon mic some day, always wanted to try make one from scratch! EDIT: To me the neumann sound fuller on studio monitors, but those bass frequencies can make audio muddy on tiny phone speakers, so the DIY one wins for 90% of CZcams consumption!
I think a lot of that would be the pop screen or lack therof in the DIY one
@@DnBastard could mount one to one of the arms and articulated in front of it. Or even make a hinged version from the main arm.
A ribbon mic has been on my list for a while actually!
@@DIYPerks keen!
If Joerg Sprave ever needed a new mic, this would be it!
That is a piece of art! And the voice gives "how it's made" vibes 💪🏽
One of the only creators I've seen to include only accurate information as well as potential pitfalls of a sponsor in the middle of a sponsor spot.
VPN and investment app talking points are almost always misleading or straight up incorrect so it's refreshing to see someone make sure their viewers are more properly informed. Good video too.
I swear, your DIYing skills are getting noticeably better with each project.
At this point this guy can compete with premium manufacturers
I hope its not a case of "my next video MUST be better than the last" cause Ive heard youtubers who've been through that say it leads to burnout
I love that he keeps his methods accessible though, not going pricey.
@@raedjameel9899 He can compete on quality but not on volume. He cannot make dozens of it a day, 5 days a week, for months. A manufacturer can.
They really are! His videos also teach me things I’d never know. Like, who else cared how a braided cable was made until you watched this?
Audio manufacturers after selling the parts to this guy: "Impossible..."
If this was being sold as a product, he'd have to charge for the man hours going into this project. The cost would be way, way higher than $30
@@AAARREUUUGHHHH yea that's why it's a DIY project and not an actual product he's selling, it's only that low of a cost if you yourself do it obviously (which might be worth it depends on the person and their circumstances or needs, etc.)
@@AAARREUUUGHHHH Not really, they can easily produce the same quality products but they choose not to because profits.
@@timestimesx7535 You see it like a problem with the industry. Why can't you see it as a chance to win a lil bit extra money building microphones?
@@timestimesx7535 Not really my man. A friend of mine makes wooden bows and was going to try making it his job because of how good he was. He realized that with the man hours he was putting in he'd have to charge an absurd amount of money to make it match his 9-5 job.
Quality products that are good are often times marked up only a little bit so that the company can make a profit. Profits are not evil. You have to make a profit to live comfortably. IT's when we get into companies like Amazon that are marking up products 3000 % and are paying their workers pennies.
I just bought a nice guitar from a small company. Every worker there makes a living wage and based on what I could tell they were only making a 100 or 200 dollar profit on the actual product.
I love you program... I've only see a few but I subscribed because your videos are fantastic !! I'm starting a broadcast of my own and good microphones are unaffordable... on top of all the other expenses. So I thank you so much ❤. The things you create our perfect for person who is relatively intelligent and willing to go the extra mile... but may have limitations on available funds.
What an amazing looking microphone, I really like the design. I wish I had the technical knowledge capable of doing this myself lol, even though you step by step I'm sure I'd mess it up somehow
Matt when he was buying brass:
"So, how much brass do you want?"
"Yes"
next video, diy brass, 30x cheaper than buying brass!
imagine the models of the brass as a 3d file, so people can 3d print it.... lmao
How to cultivate brass grass.
I bought shares in brass and thanks to Matt, I'm now a trillionaire.
This comment needs more recognition
Apart from the excellent sound quality - this looks like art. It is astonishingly beautiful. I'm amazed by how many things you are able to make - and do them with exceptional quality and attention to detail.
It's an old design. Those mics were common in 50m in variety of applications were voice of speaker needed amplification of relaying over wire. Credit should be given there, he reproduces suspension harness (the purpose of which is stop vibrations to be carried through the stand to the mic) quite well.
Awesome build and video! Thank you so much for sharing this!
This honestly makes me feel the same as when I would watch Art Attack.
"I could totally do this! I won't, but I really could."
Some day I will... Right?
More like "I really want to do that, but I don't have any glue at home..."
all the brass isn't too pricey... if you buy it in bulk or know it'll be useful at some point like him (I can't find brass wire/rods, mesh or sheet in small amounts and I'll likely not have any use for it for many years, I'm not happy paying in college money for something I *might* need in years when I'll likely have a well payed job)
you need access and will to get all the electronics, potentially patience to order some from china and with this many components deal with inevitable refunds and more months of waiting for orders from new sellers after some never arrive
measuring, marking, soldering, drilling, filing, sanding, polishing and bending, all take time, at least some skill and tools
it's really cool to make cool stuff, but unless I have a good reason to make it, it's hard to open my mind and wallet to the idea of actually making it. I'm pretty sure that's true to the vast majority of the over 2mil people who've seen this video
@@bahadirm Never once have I ever seriously considered buying PVA glue. Even as an 8 year old.
@@AmorDeae It's the exact same thing, really. Except for adults and engineering based. Swap out brass for PVA glue.
You can remedy that out of place silver knob pretty easily with a classic blacksmith's trick. Heat up the part and brush it with a brass wire brush. The brass leaches onto the part, giving it a brassy finish for no real cost. Super useful for detail pieces. The channel "Pask Makes" has a good video on it if you want a visual demonstration.
Old hot rod trick also
Everything Pask Makes is excellent!
Those knobs usually have a plastic insert, but shouldn't it be possible to electroplate it but brass is difficult, perhaps copper?
Well time to get the lathe hummin..😚
@@rumbust7793 You could electroplate it with copper, then again with zinc and heat it up afterwards with a small (!) blowtorch so they fuse together. Tried that once, it works, but the problem is to get the heat just right and evenly. I think the youtuber "Cody's Lab" did that with chainmail once, he used an oven to fuse the platings. But that's not possible with a plastic insert. I think the best way is to machine a knob out of brass and maybe 3d print an insert if needed.