- MICROPHONES -

Started by online prowler, October 21, 2013, 09:08:52 PM

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kettu

I got a little monacor mixer, works with a battery. it now part of my live setup as well as more complicated field recordings, meaning contact mics and regulars going on at the same time.

http://www.monacor.co.uk/products/prosound-mixermisc/

Cementimental

My cheapo acoustic guitar preamp arrived, reworked it slightly to be more conducive to my purposes (removed tuner circuit which obviously I don't need and caused hiss if accidentally turned on, added 1/4" input)



Seems to work nicely in that it preamplifies and EQs a contact mic :) Yet to seriously test it in a noise setup

SNR

Does anyway recorded vocals with a handheld condenser microphone? How much constant - not high gained, just constant - feedback hurts them? Because condensers are much more sensitive everything, and I think feedback is also a main factor... I don't have one yet, that's why I asking. Any experience?

l.b.

did Tim Drage or anyone else end up building/buying a pre amp for their contact mic (and maybe also have sound samples)?? That sounds very promising and I would be excited to hear the sonic results

Cementimental

The picture has vanished but I did get one of the afforementioned acoustic guitar pickup sets and modify it to accept a contact mic via 1/4" jack. It worked, provides some extra boost/eq but i've not done any scientific tests as to whether it expecially improves the frequency range etc vs a plain pickup into pedals.

online prowler

#20
Oi!

Just returning w a small recommendation of equipment for field recording and junk mayhem - contact mic (transducer) + pre amp. Check companies:

Trance Audio - http://www.tranceaudio.com/
Barcus Berry - http://barcusberry.com/

Both companies handles package solutions, but note.... one have to fork up a few hundered dollars for the high audio...

online prowler

FULL BANDWITH CONTACT MIC - CHEAP TO MIDRANGE

Cortado Balanced Buffered Contact Mic

The Cortado Balanced Buffered Contact Mic contains a phantom-powered circuit that balances the signal from a piezo transducer and matches its high output impedance to the low input impedance typical of consoles and recorders. Cortado comes as a Kit or Ready-to-Use.

Piezo sensors are quite incredible little things.  They can be used to detect the slightest variation in pressure, force, or strain and convert that energy into a voltage.  Over the past several decades they've been used in numerous applications in several fields including the audio industry.  Unfortunately, they've developed a bad reputation for sounding "harsh" and "brittle" when used as contact microphones in acoustic instruments.  This is due to improper impedance matching and the inadequate driving circuits that are mostly used with these sensors in audio applications.  Piezo sensors in themselves are capable of a very wide bandwidth, and when used properly, can achieve excellent results.  So with the intention to get the most out of a piezo sensor, we are offering the Cortado Balanced Piezo Contact Mic.  This mic contains a phantom powered circuit that properly matches the piezo sensor input impedance and drives the signal via a balanced output, which allows for wide bandwidth (~20Hz-30kHz), low signal losses, and high signal to noise ratio.  The Cortado's circuit was originally designed by Alex Rice for use in his contact mic hydrophone, but it can be used in countless more applications with excellent results. In the recording studio or on stage it can be used on pianos, guitars and other stringed instruments, or even percussion.  It can be used as a plate reverb pickup or wooden stomp box mic.  We even created this Tin Can Microphone out of stuff we found in the trash (as illustrated in the product photos).
The Cortado is also the perfect accessory for a low-fi geek or a field recording enthusiast.  Let your imagination run wild... discover the sounds inside the pipes in your apartment building, or in bridge suspension cables, even in melting ice.  Anything that vibrates or resonates with an audible frequency can be captured by this contact mic.  


https://zeppelindesignlabs.com/product/cortado-balanced-piezo-contact-mic/

pentd

got this from MK9

https://zeppelindesignlabs.com/product/cortado-balanced-piezo-contact-mic/

needs phantom power but is loud and fat! gain pot was at 9 o clock while my own build was at 14 o clock for same loudness

so maybe time to start building preamps next? obviously not a problem in noise use, where you just plug in and turn it up on the pedal/mixer, but still quite a difference.....

Cementimental

Yeah I built a piezo preamp,  it's not essential if you are just using your contact mic for harsh feedback thru multiple DOD pedals or whatever but it does make a difference in many situations especially for relatively clean amplified metal junk and the like

pentd

#24
tim what's your cheapo guitar preamp kit?

Dan J : where did you score that MP-1?

Cementimental

#25
I just built it from scratch, using info from these sites:
http://www.megalithia.com/sounds/tech/piezo/fetamp.html
http://www.scotthelmke.com/Mint-box-buffer.html - based it on this one mostly, if I remember right

this has useful ideas about using contact mics too: http://www.musicofsound.co.nz/blog/the-first-rule-of-contact-mic-club

planning to build two or more in one box soon, they're tiny circuits and it'd be handy :)

cosmonaut

Sorry for reviving an old thread...any suggestion on where to buy a contact mic preamp in Europe? Battery operated preferred, but not a dealbreaker...

BTR

Perhaps you have already found one, and to be honest I don't know that these ship to Europe, but:

http://pulplogic.com/product/ctact-box/


Quote from: cosmonaut on July 04, 2017, 11:37:39 PM
Sorry for reviving an old thread...any suggestion on where to buy a contact mic preamp in Europe? Battery operated preferred, but not a dealbreaker...

cosmonaut

Quote from: BTR on July 21, 2017, 08:54:46 PM
Perhaps you have already found one, and to be honest I don't know that these ship to Europe, but:

http://pulplogic.com/product/ctact-box/



Thanks for the pointer. I can envision the hell Italian customs are gonna give me if I order one (they do ship to EU) but it seems there are no alternatives. I'll give it a shot and see what happens. Overpriced Cortado were available in Europe months ago,  iirc, but no longer it seems.

online prowler

The cortado will most likely be a cheaper investment as one have to buy the additional contact mic along w P Logic - that is if one doesn't have a spare.