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Gear / Technical Help => Microphones & Setup => Topic started by: F.O.Bean on July 08, 2012, 07:19:44 PM

Title: Busman BSC2 K41 capsule lowend issues???
Post by: F.O.Bean on July 08, 2012, 07:19:44 PM
I ran my Busman BSC2 subcards>LittleBox w/ output transformers at Summer Camp back in May. Well, simply put, there is ZERO LOWEND on those recordings from 5/24/2012. I had to add +12db of lowend in WaveLab 6 w/ its MultiBand Compressor. I had heard a couple other people say they had the same problem ???

Is this affecting just a few of us or is that the way they are ??? They shouldve had MASSIVE amounts of lowend considering theyre subcards and I was FOB/DFC >:D >:D

Anyone else notice this ???

Thanks,
Bean
Title: Re: Busman BSC2 K41 capsule lowend issues???
Post by: acidjack on July 08, 2012, 08:44:36 PM
Possible issues with your pre? Have you run the same combo before?
Title: Re: Busman BSC2 K41 capsule lowend issues???
Post by: F.O.Bean on July 08, 2012, 09:52:29 PM
Possible issues with your pre? Have you run the same combo before?

Its DEFINITELY not the preamp. Its the capsules. Hell, even my hypers have a TON MORE lowend compared to my subcards :(
Title: Re: Busman BSC2 K41 capsule lowend issues???
Post by: Church-Audio on July 09, 2012, 12:50:18 AM
Possible issues with your pre? Have you run the same combo before?

Its DEFINITELY not the preamp. Its the capsules. Hell, even my hypers have a TON MORE lowend compared to my subcards :(

If both sides of the recording are lacking bottom end its not your mic capsules. Its almost impossible to have Two capsules fail at the same time :) I have never seen it in my lifetime.
Title: Re: Busman BSC2 K41 capsule lowend issues???
Post by: ScoobieKW on July 09, 2012, 02:13:49 AM
Bass rolloff?

1) in the BSC2 bodies?
2) Recorder?
3) Less than spec phantom power?

As Church said, the odds of two capsules failing, is very low. I'd look at the parts of your signal chain that they have in common.
Title: Re: Busman BSC2 K41 capsule lowend issues???
Post by: Todd R on July 09, 2012, 11:43:16 AM
I wouldn't think it would be an issue of cap failure either, though perhaps it is just the characteristic of the mics or capsules themselves (i.e., they're working fine, they just don't provide much bass response).  Not saying that is the case since I haven't used the Busman mics or the subcard capsules.  I've owned several pairs of Chinese-sourced mics that I've found to be thin sounding though, without the bass response I prefer.

Also, when it comes to anemic bass response, you should double-check that both channels have the same polarity (are in phase with one another).  Zoom way into the waveform using your DAW and look at a single transient.  Make sure that when one channel goes positive, the other goes positive with it and is not mirrored to the negative side. 
Title: Re: Busman BSC2 K41 capsule lowend issues???
Post by: acidjack on July 09, 2012, 11:49:15 AM
I wouldn't think it would be an issue of cap failure either, though perhaps it is just the characteristic of the mics or capsules themselves (i.e., they're working fine, they just don't provide much bass response).  Not saying that is the case since I haven't used the Busman mics or the subcard capsules.  I've owned several pairs of Chinese-sourced mics that I've found to be thin sounding though, without the bass response I prefer.

Also, when it comes to anemic bass response, you should double-check that both channels have the same polarity (are in phase with one another).  Zoom way into the waveform using your DAW and look at a single transient.  Make sure that when one channel goes positive, the other goes positive with it and is not mirrored to the negative side.

This is an excellent point.  Haven't some of the Busman mics specifically shipped with polarity problems?  I think I recall seeing that in the Team Busman thread...
Title: Re: Busman BSC2 K41 capsule lowend issues???
Post by: ScoobieKW on July 09, 2012, 11:52:29 AM
OK, voice of reason here. Have you asked Chris about this?
Title: Re: Busman BSC2 K41 capsule lowend issues???
Post by: yug du nord on July 09, 2012, 12:21:45 PM
FYI....  my original BSC1-K4 sub-card has a pretty thick low end.
Title: Re: Busman BSC2 K41 capsule lowend issues???
Post by: hi and lo on July 09, 2012, 02:08:15 PM

It could be that the subcards weren't designed for what tapers want a subcard for.  Subcards with poor LF response can be pretty useful for close micing instruments, for example.  I don't see a frequency response chart on Busman's site, so I can't really say.

^

Without a frequency response chart provided by Busman, you have absolutely no way to determine what they are 'supposed' to sound like. Since both capsules are performing similarly, it is entirely plausible that they are performing within normal parameters.
Title: Re: Busman BSC2 K41 capsule lowend issues???
Post by: F.O.Bean on July 09, 2012, 04:52:13 PM
Folks, let me restate this. I have tested ALL of my Busman BSC2 capsules and they are all fine, except the subcards. They are just very lacking in the lowend department. They get fine levels and all, but everytime I have used them[for different sets of music], they are extremely lacking in the lowend. Cannot be my preamp and cannot be anything BUT the capsules. Im going to fire an email to Chris right now. We'll see what he says!!!!

And no, I havent asked chris about it yet :(
Title: Re: Busman BSC2 K41 capsule lowend issues???
Post by: Todd R on July 09, 2012, 04:59:03 PM
If it appears to be limited to the subcard caps and there has been some talk about some capsules having polarity issues, you should check into that.  It might provide the answer you need for your conversations with Chris, or at least eliminate one possible concern.
Title: Re: Busman BSC2 K41 capsule lowend issues???
Post by: davepeck on August 13, 2012, 05:29:25 PM
Bean -

Just saw this post but I mentioned this a while back in one of the other threads. Same deal with mine - zero low-end on the subcards. Cards and Hypers are nice and thick. I've run them a few times thinking it might have just been an isolated issue, but same results every time.

Have you gotten in touch with Chris about it? I've been meaning to...
Title: Re: Busman BSC2 K41 capsule lowend issues???
Post by: bryonsos on August 14, 2012, 01:01:46 AM
Just stop goofing around and run the omnis!  ;D
Title: Re: Busman BSC2 K41 capsule lowend issues???
Post by: acidjack on August 14, 2012, 09:13:10 AM
Bean -

Just saw this post but I mentioned this a while back in one of the other threads. Same deal with mine - zero low-end on the subcards. Cards and Hypers are nice and thick. I've run them a few times thinking it might have just been an isolated issue, but same results every time.

Have you gotten in touch with Chris about it? I've been meaning to...

Todd R is almost certainly on the right track here. I believe I've seen other posts about polarity issues with Busmans, and the whole "no bass" thing sounds exactly like the problem Todd and I had with the same pair of mics.  The good news is, if that's the problem, I think it's a pretty easy fix.
Title: Re: Busman BSC2 K41 capsule lowend issues???
Post by: Busman Audio on October 01, 2012, 08:11:25 PM
So I saw this and wanted to say its not polarity.  It is an actual capsule issue that I have remedied.  It turned out that some of the caps I was using were problematic to begin with in the backplate.  I had a customer email me about it and I have fixed his and will do the same for anyone who has had this problem with their new (converted) K41 caps.  sorry for the issue but the first person to notify should be me so I can get you dialed in I don't have time to get on taperssection much any more so it was thanks to the previous mentioned customer that I knew about this.   

Bean, send them in and I will fix them for you.

If you have a question as a customer it willl always be better to email me.  If you don't get a response in a day email again just to make sure it went through.  I need to switch web hosts as the current one has given me many problems in the email department.

happy taping.