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Gear / Technical Help => Microphones & Setup => Topic started by: down2earthlandscaper on May 04, 2018, 01:07:09 AM

Title: V-Tel Omni Question - how to extract the AT853 Omni Cap contained within?
Post by: down2earthlandscaper on May 04, 2018, 01:07:09 AM
So I found a pair of these V-Tel Omni's and they do indeed contain the AT 853 Omni Capsule inside!

Looks like there may be some surgery required to remove these so I could use them with my 853 bodies? I see the threading so I don't doubt that they would screw right on to the bodies, however the wires coming out are what concern me.
Has anyone ever extracted these omni caps from the V-Tel housing?
Any advice / instruction would be appreciated!
Title: Re: V-Tel Omni Question - how to extract the AT853 Omni Cap contained within?
Post by: illconditioned on May 04, 2018, 01:37:52 AM
You found them!

Take out the Phillips screws on either side of the capsule.
The "bodies" are just the metal parts (no plastic case), with bare wires coming out.
The capsules will unscrew.

You can use the "bodies" if you want but you'll have to solder a proper cable onto them.


Have fun!
Title: Re: V-Tel Omni Question - how to extract the AT853 Omni Cap contained within?
Post by: down2earthlandscaper on May 04, 2018, 01:52:57 AM
You found them!

Take out the Phillips screws on either side of the capsule.
The "bodies" are just the metal parts (no plastic case), with bare wires coming out.
The capsules will unscrew.

You can use the "bodies" if you want but you'll have to solder a proper cable onto them.


Have fun!

I was hoping to remove the caps and use them with my regular AT 853 bodies that I purchased in Yardsale (either from Ted or Darktrain - don't remember which at the moment). (Wasn't really thinking to use any of the guts inside that V-Tel)
Do I have to cut those wires to get the omni cap off?
Title: Re: V-Tel Omni Question - how to extract the AT853 Omni Cap contained within?
Post by: Gutbucket on May 04, 2018, 09:22:06 AM
You don't need to cut the wires, the caps should screw off of the short body which has the wires exiting it to the circuit board.  Remove the phillips head screws securing the strap holding the short body section down, then lift and unscrew the capsule from the short body.  You might need to remove a few other screws holding the circuit board in place so that you can lift the board/microphone enough to unscrew the cap, but it doesn't look like that would be necessary.

You can easily replace the cap at any time to use it in this boundary mic housing if you want.
Title: Re: V-Tel Omni Question - how to extract the AT853 Omni Cap contained within?
Post by: down2earthlandscaper on May 04, 2018, 01:08:16 PM
You don't need to cut the wires, the caps should screw off of the short body which has the wires exiting it to the circuit board.  Remove the phillips head screws securing the strap holding the short body section down, then lift and unscrew the capsule from the short body.  You might need to remove a few other screws holding the circuit board in place so that you can lift the board/microphone enough to unscrew the cap, but it doesn't look like that would be necessary.

You can easily replace the cap at any time to use it in this boundary mic housing if you want.

Great. Thanks so much for the info. Seeing the internals of this V-Tel has gotten me curious... I wonder how the circuitry and components differ from the standard AT phantom power modules? I wonder if the V-Tel is just a flattened out version and whether either one is better than the other...sonically.

I can see doing a lot of experimentation.  The whole “boundary” mic thing is kind of fascinating to me. I plugged these in when I got them and listened through headphones as I rotated them around and changed up the direction, spacing, orientation etc.
they seem to have very directional properties for an “Omni”
Title: Re: V-Tel Omni Question - how to extract the AT853 Omni Cap contained within?
Post by: Gutbucket on May 04, 2018, 05:15:55 PM
They aren't omni anymore once mounted on a baffle.  They'll be more or less hemispherically directional in the higher frequencies mounted in that flat plate housing, and become similarly hemispherical directional to lower and lower frequencies as the surface on which the housing is set against is increased in size.  Boundarly mounting does a few other cool things, but that's the most basic effect.
Title: Re: V-Tel Omni Question - how to extract the AT853 Omni Cap contained within?
Post by: illconditioned on May 04, 2018, 08:08:59 PM
You don't need to cut the wires, the caps should screw off of the short body which has the wires exiting it to the circuit board.  Remove the phillips head screws securing the strap holding the short body section down, then lift and unscrew the capsule from the short body.  You might need to remove a few other screws holding the circuit board in place so that you can lift the board/microphone enough to unscrew the cap, but it doesn't look like that would be necessary.

You can easily replace the cap at any time to use it in this boundary mic housing if you want.

 I wonder how the circuitry and components differ from the standard AT phantom power modules? I wonder if the V-Tel is just a flattened out version and whether either one is better than the other...sonically.
Exactly.  That circuitry you see is the standard P48 circuit.  AT uses a transformer.  The FET is inside the metal microphone body.  The leads connect it to the board which has FET power supply, low cut filter, line driver, etc.