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Gear / Technical Help => Ask The Tapers => Topic started by: lushka on August 27, 2018, 11:09:02 AM
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Hi!
Anyone know what are the specs SPL-wise for a legacy line of Sonic Studios mics manufactured back in the 90s designated as DSM-3s?
Thanks.
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Never head of Sonic Studios DSM-3 series microphone, however Guy did produce a PA-3SX preamp.
The Sonic Studio microphone series I'm aware of were/are:
DSM-1
DSM-6
DSM-9
DSM-16
DSM-6 of various sensitivities is what most tapers were/are using.
Link to WaybackMachine archived Sonic Studios webpage with info on the various microphone ranges- https://web.archive.org/web/20171229122859/http://www.sonicstudios.com:80/dsm.htm (https://web.archive.org/web/20171229122859/http://www.sonicstudios.com:80/dsm.htm)
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Hi,
Thanks for your feedback. See mic photo enclosed. Additionally see following taping info in the below. The DSM-3 mic was a mic customized for use together with a TCD-D3 DAT machine.
https://hardtoimagine.org/pj/concert/1994-03-13/
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I have recently acquired a pair of Sonic Studios DSM-3 microphones. They belonged to a very famous English bootlegger who passed away at the beginning of 2018. This forum post was the only mention that I could find of them. He also had a pair of DSM-6 mikes, which I bought from him many years ago. I also have the glasses that he wore when recording concerts. Photos are attached. The material covering each microphone has largely perished (tried to show this in one of the photos), is there a recommened way of repairing them, and using what material please? I was initially a bit thrown by the recorder connector end of these mikes, with the big black rubberised connection. But on looking at the two jacks, one is for a mono signal and the other for stereo? As I have switched to solid stae recorders now, hopefully the stereo jack goes into a Sony PCM-M10 and will get its power from this recorder. Would be great to record a concert some time in honour of his memory.
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Great looking set! Albeit the background not so. RIP, taper brother!
I tried using my mics a few days back. Seems that DSM-3s are way more sensitive than DSM-6S/Ls, bass filter module is a must. Regarding the repair material. Honestly, no idea. Mine also need some refurb overhaul.
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I tried using my mics a few days back. Seems that DSM-3s are way more sensitive than DSM-6S/Ls, bass filter module is a must. Regarding the repair material. Honestly, no idea. Mine also need some refurb overhaul.
Increased sensitivity has no direct correlation with bass filtering. You simply need to use less gain with a more sensitive microphone to achieve the same recording levels. All of the DSM microphones are omnis and presumably have quite similar frequency responses. If you need to use bass filtering with your more sensitive DSM microphones in order to achieve a well-balanced response, you'll also need to use it with your less sensitive microphones. If you are using bass filtering simply as an ad-hoc attenuation method to lower levels enough to prevent clipping, there are much better ways to go about recording.
The material over the aperture is a small bit of windscreen foam. It's not necessary if recording indoors in still-air situations. I suggest removing all remaining remnants of the degrading foam before it goes gooey so that bits of it do not contaminate the diaphragm of the microphone. If you need wind protection, you can put a small foam windscreen over the entire microphone. If you want to restore it, carefully cut and glue a small piece of new windscreen over the aperture, being careful to adhere it fully around its circumference without obstructing the opening.
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Great,many thanks for the advice re covering the two mikes.
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Sure, this thread has been stale awhile, but in the interest of adding some historical/technical trivia, the funky connector on the DSM-3 was custom designed by Leonard Lombardo in order to securely mate the microphone to a Sony TCD-D3 DAT recorder.
One plug went into a Mic DC out jack on the D3 (in order to draw power the DSM-3 pair), and the other plug went into the Mic/line in on the D3
(https://static.wixstatic.com/media/962f63_4d234a574e934d26b8159c90f3ad8ed2~mv2_d_4032_3024_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_925,h_694,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/962f63_4d234a574e934d26b8159c90f3ad8ed2~mv2_d_4032_3024_s_4_2.webp)
In this pic, the mic/line in is at front bottom corner, the DC out is barely visible, lower, and to the back.
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Many thanks, I do have a Sony TCD-D3 but as the battery is shot I no longer use it for live recordings.
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Not this?