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Gear / Technical Help => Battery Boxes, Preamps, Mixers, ADCs, and Processors => Topic started by: yvesz on March 27, 2007, 11:14:52 AM

Title: What b-box between a MZ-NH900 and SP-CMC-4 mics ?
Post by: yvesz on March 27, 2007, 11:14:52 AM
 ;D ;D ;D

Hello folks !

I've got a simple question : I've got a Sony MZ-NH 900 minidisc recorder, and just bought SP-CMC-4 microphones.  Please, what are the best B-box I could connect between them, to tape loud heavy metal shows ?

Title: Re: What b-box between a MZ-NH900 and SP-CMC-4 mics ?
Post by: Church-Audio on March 27, 2007, 11:32:05 AM
;D ;D ;D

Hello folks !

I've got a simple question : I've got a Sony MZ-NH 900 minidisc recorder, and just bought SP-CMC-4 microphones.  Please, what are the best B-box I could connect between them, to tape loud heavy metal shows ?



The first thing you will want to do is get my mod done to them if you are handy with a soldering iron you can do it your self. All you have to do is put a 4.7 k resistor between the Yellow wire from the mic and ground this will lower the distortion of your mics and allow you to tape very loud shows with very little distortion. Any battery box will work with these mics remember you dont need a bass roll off if you do this mod because you will not have the bass distortion problem that these mics seem to have after it. I always like to do my roll off in post anyway. But that's up to you. There are many different types of battery boxes. Some have attenuation, some have high pass filters, some have no features just provide power. There might even be a used one in the yard sale section here.

Let me know if you need help with that mod I charge $10 for it but if you can do it your self its pretty easy.
Title: Re: What b-box between a MZ-NH900 and SP-CMC-4 mics ?
Post by: yvesz on March 27, 2007, 11:48:46 AM
Thanx for the reply.

So, you mean that even if I don't modify my mics, I can get a good result with a bAttery box with bass roll-off ?
Title: Re: What b-box between a MZ-NH900 and SP-CMC-4 mics ?
Post by: stevetoney on March 27, 2007, 12:15:19 PM
Thanx for the reply.

So, you mean that even if I don't modify my mics, I can get a good result with a bAttery box with bass roll-off ?

Yes and no.  I have the exact setup you are asking about...I've used the Sound Professionals battery box with bass roll off.  I can't remember the model number but it's in my TS.com signature.  Set the box at around 107khz.  For the very loudest shows or if you're standing too close to the stack, this setup sounds like crap.  For shows of normal volume in clubs, I've pulled lots of great recordings.  For example, I recently saw Rose Hill Drive at an average size venue and they played quite loud and the recording sounds fine.  To give you a frame of reference, I've recorded maybe 100 shows with my mics, and only three or four shows were too powerful for this setup. 

However, I also just recently made a recommitment to taping and I am no longer relying on this setup as my main rig.  If I were starting over from scratch, I'd DEFINITELY get the mod done to the mics for peace of mind because it's just such a bummer to get home and hear that your mics were distorting and your recording is ruined.  Besides, $10 is nothing in the grand scheme and in my mind it's worth that just to have the peace of mind that you can pretty much record any band, anywhere in the venue without have to worry about it.
Title: Re: What b-box between a MZ-NH900 and SP-CMC-4 mics ?
Post by: SmokinJoe on March 27, 2007, 06:38:23 PM
Chris says: All you have to do is put a 4.7 k resistor between the Yellow wire from the mic and ground this will lower the distortion of your mics and allow you to tape very loud shows with very little distortion.

Does this attenuate a little all the time?   I would like to increase my headroom, but I don't want to drop the overall signal such that I need more preamp in an acoustic setting.
Title: Re: What b-box between a MZ-NH900 and SP-CMC-4 mics ?
Post by: Church-Audio on March 27, 2007, 06:41:42 PM
Chris says: All you have to do is put a 4.7 k resistor between the Yellow wire from the mic and ground this will lower the distortion of your mics and allow you to tape very loud shows with very little distortion.

Does this attenuate a little all the time?   I would like to increase my headroom, but I don't want to drop the overall signal such that I need more preamp in an acoustic setting.
Hi when you do a three wire box for these mics you lose about 10db or so but your distortion does not decrease that much. When you do my mod you lose about 4 more db then three wire but you get much less distortion in the process. If your going to be running three wire you might as well go two wire with my mod the less in level is not that great but you gain so much more in performance in loud situations.

Chris Church
Title: Re: What b-box between a MZ-NH900 and SP-CMC-4 mics ?
Post by: lordbelial on March 30, 2007, 06:14:46 AM

The first thing you will want to do is get my mod done to them if you are handy with a soldering iron you can do it your self. All you have to do is put a 4.7 k resistor between the Yellow wire from the mic and ground this will lower the distortion of your mics and allow you to tape very loud shows with very little distortion. Any battery box will work with these mics remember you dont need a bass roll off if you do this mod because you will not have the bass distortion problem that these mics seem to have after it. I always like to do my roll off in post anyway. But that's up to you. There are many different types of battery boxes. Some have attenuation, some have high pass filters, some have no features just provide power. There might even be a used one in the yard sale section here.

Let me know if you need help with that mod I charge $10 for it but if you can do it your self its pretty easy.


Hi Chris,

Maybe you posted in the past a brief explanation of "how to do" the 4.7 k mod? I could not find anything related while performing a search.
Title: Re: What b-box between a MZ-NH900 and SP-CMC-4 mics ?
Post by: Church-Audio on March 30, 2007, 09:11:36 AM

The first thing you will want to do is get my mod done to them if you are handy with a soldering iron you can do it your self. All you have to do is put a 4.7 k resistor between the Yellow wire from the mic and ground this will lower the distortion of your mics and allow you to tape very loud shows with very little distortion. Any battery box will work with these mics remember you dont need a bass roll off if you do this mod because you will not have the bass distortion problem that these mics seem to have after it. I always like to do my roll off in post anyway. But that's up to you. There are many different types of battery boxes. Some have attenuation, some have high pass filters, some have no features just provide power. There might even be a used one in the yard sale section here.

Let me know if you need help with that mod I charge $10 for it but if you can do it your self its pretty easy.


Hi Chris,

Maybe you posted in the past a brief explanation of "how to do" the 4.7 k mod? I could not find anything related while performing a search.

My two wire mod is very simple when you are making your AT mics two wire your normally short the Yellow wire to ground and use the Red wire for signal/bias you simply take the Yellow wire and insert a 4.7k resistor between the two instead of shorting it out to ground. one end of the resistor connects to the Yellow wire the other end of the resistor connects to ground.

Title: Re: What b-box between a MZ-NH900 and SP-CMC-4 mics ?
Post by: lordbelial on March 30, 2007, 12:02:39 PM

The first thing you will want to do is get my mod done to them if you are handy with a soldering iron you can do it your self. All you have to do is put a 4.7 k resistor between the Yellow wire from the mic and ground this will lower the distortion of your mics and allow you to tape very loud shows with very little distortion. Any battery box will work with these mics remember you dont need a bass roll off if you do this mod because you will not have the bass distortion problem that these mics seem to have after it. I always like to do my roll off in post anyway. But that's up to you. There are many different types of battery boxes. Some have attenuation, some have high pass filters, some have no features just provide power. There might even be a used one in the yard sale section here.

Let me know if you need help with that mod I charge $10 for it but if you can do it your self its pretty easy.


Hi Chris,

Maybe you posted in the past a brief explanation of "how to do" the 4.7 k mod? I could not find anything related while performing a search.

My two wire mod is very simple when you are making your AT mics two wire your normally short the Yellow wire to ground and use the Red wire for signal/bias you simply take the Yellow wire and insert a 4.7k resistor between the two instead of shorting it out to ground. one end of the resistor connects to the Yellow wire the other end of the resistor connects to ground.



Thanks Chris,

You rock  >:D
Title: Re: What b-box between a MZ-NH900 and SP-CMC-4 mics ?
Post by: OOK on March 30, 2007, 05:42:03 PM

The first thing you will want to do is get my mod done to them if you are handy with a soldering iron you can do it your self. All you have to do is put a 4.7 k resistor between the Yellow wire from the mic and ground this will lower the distortion of your mics and allow you to tape very loud shows with very little distortion. Any battery box will work with these mics remember you dont need a bass roll off if you do this mod because you will not have the bass distortion problem that these mics seem to have after it. I always like to do my roll off in post anyway. But that's up to you. There are many different types of battery boxes. Some have attenuation, some have high pass filters, some have no features just provide power. There might even be a used one in the yard sale section here.

Let me know if you need help with that mod I charge $10 for it but if you can do it your self its pretty easy.


Hi Chris,

Maybe you posted in the past a brief explanation of "how to do" the 4.7 k mod? I could not find anything related while performing a search.

My two wire mod is very simple when you are making your AT mics two wire your normally short the Yellow wire to ground and use the Red wire for signal/bias you simply take the Yellow wire and insert a 4.7k resistor between the two instead of shorting it out to ground. one end of the resistor connects to the Yellow wire the other end of the resistor connects to ground.



Hey chris I always wondered if you could do this mod and still send phantom power to the mics if one so desired to run it with a bat box or the phantom adapters?
Title: Re: What b-box between a MZ-NH900 and SP-CMC-4 mics ?
Post by: Church-Audio on March 30, 2007, 05:46:12 PM

The first thing you will want to do is get my mod done to them if you are handy with a soldering iron you can do it your self. All you have to do is put a 4.7 k resistor between the Yellow wire from the mic and ground this will lower the distortion of your mics and allow you to tape very loud shows with very little distortion. Any battery box will work with these mics remember you dont need a bass roll off if you do this mod because you will not have the bass distortion problem that these mics seem to have after it. I always like to do my roll off in post anyway. But that's up to you. There are many different types of battery boxes. Some have attenuation, some have high pass filters, some have no features just provide power. There might even be a used one in the yard sale section here.

Let me know if you need help with that mod I charge $10 for it but if you can do it your self its pretty easy.


Hi Chris,

Maybe you posted in the past a brief explanation of "how to do" the 4.7 k mod? I could not find anything related while performing a search.

My two wire mod is very simple when you are making your AT mics two wire your normally short the Yellow wire to ground and use the Red wire for signal/bias you simply take the Yellow wire and insert a 4.7k resistor between the two instead of shorting it out to ground. one end of the resistor connects to the Yellow wire the other end of the resistor connects to ground.



Hey chris I always wondered if you could do this mod and still send phantom power to the mics if one so desired to run it with a bat box or the phantom adapters?

If you want this mod and still be able to use phantom adaptors I would need to mod the phantom adaptors to run two wire. Not a big deal but the benefits are still huge. Three wire does not allow for this mod to be done.
The other way to do this is the build a Y cable with two mini xlr connectors to 3.5 mm male plug so you can simply use your mics 2 wire when not using the phantom adaptors I would however just get your adaptors modified.

Chris
Title: Re: What b-box between a MZ-NH900 and SP-CMC-4 mics ?
Post by: OOK on March 30, 2007, 07:41:05 PM

The first thing you will want to do is get my mod done to them if you are handy with a soldering iron you can do it your self. All you have to do is put a 4.7 k resistor between the Yellow wire from the mic and ground this will lower the distortion of your mics and allow you to tape very loud shows with very little distortion. Any battery box will work with these mics remember you dont need a bass roll off if you do this mod because you will not have the bass distortion problem that these mics seem to have after it. I always like to do my roll off in post anyway. But that's up to you. There are many different types of battery boxes. Some have attenuation, some have high pass filters, some have no features just provide power. There might even be a used one in the yard sale section here.

Let me know if you need help with that mod I charge $10 for it but if you can do it your self its pretty easy.


Hi Chris,

Maybe you posted in the past a brief explanation of "how to do" the 4.7 k mod? I could not find anything related while performing a search.

My two wire mod is very simple when you are making your AT mics two wire your normally short the Yellow wire to ground and use the Red wire for signal/bias you simply take the Yellow wire and insert a 4.7k resistor between the two instead of shorting it out to ground. one end of the resistor connects to the Yellow wire the other end of the resistor connects to ground.



Hey chris I always wondered if you could do this mod and still send phantom power to the mics if one so desired to run it with a bat box or the phantom adapters?

If you want this mod and still be able to use phantom adaptors I would need to mod the phantom adaptors to run two wire. Not a big deal but the benefits are still huge. Three wire does not allow for this mod to be done.
The other way to do this is the build a Y cable with two mini xlr connectors to 3.5 mm male plug so you can simply use your mics 2 wire when not using the phantom adaptors I would however just get your adaptors modified.

Chris

Hey Chris I am sorry I should have given you a little more background.  I use at853's which are already terminated in to stereo mini plug on each mic.  I was thinking about getting one of your pre's mod'd to use my mic as they are and also having a phantom adapter with a small 6"pigtail with a stereo miniplug input.  Then I could use them with your pre, my sp pre, and as phantom power for more open taping.
Ps I gues this is what they mean by hijacking a thread....sorry yvesz
Title: Re: What b-box between a MZ-NH900 and SP-CMC-4 mics ?
Post by: bonzo71 on March 31, 2007, 11:20:23 AM
I'm am very new to this, so forgive me if this is a stupid question..  I've been using panasonic wm61 caps soldered to a cheapo headphone wires.  Are you saying that all I need to add is a 4.7 k ohn resistor to the negitive side of the cap? 
Title: Re: What b-box between a MZ-NH900 and SP-CMC-4 mics ?
Post by: lordbelial on March 31, 2007, 11:47:47 AM
I'm am very new to this, so forgive me if this is a stupid question..  I've been using panasonic wm61 caps soldered to a cheapo headphone wires.  Are you saying that all I need to add is a 4.7 k ohn resistor to the negitive side of the cap? 

I don't know if the mod is the same for wm61 than for AT caps, but I'd suggest you to do the linkwitz mod in the caps you said.
Title: Re: What b-box between a MZ-NH900 and SP-CMC-4 mics ?
Post by: bonzo71 on March 31, 2007, 03:24:56 PM
I'm am very new to this, so forgive me if this is a stupid question..  I've been using panasonic wm61 caps soldered to a cheapo headphone wires.  Are you saying that all I need to add is a 4.7 k ohn resistor to the negitive side of the cap? 

I don't know if the mod is the same for wm61 than for AT caps, but I'd suggest you to do the linkwitz mod in the caps you said.

Thats what I've been doing, just though this might be a cleaner way of doing it..  Those caps are so small, I've ruined a couple the other way.