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Gear / Technical Help => Microphones & Setup => Topic started by: eman on October 16, 2005, 05:06:31 PM
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(Bump- c'mon doesn't ANYBODY have the slightest opinion? Marc?)
Well, I couldn't find it in a search here, and MBHO has very little technical info on their website (I get directed to nonexistent webpages when I click on tech specs.)
Simp Dawg and I had a little disagreement about whether there is any difference in the pickup of MBHO's depending on which way you align the little bars in front of the capsule. To me, these probably have some kind of influence on the sound and therfore you would want to have these straight up and down. If they are completely sonically transparent, then obviously the angular symmetry of the diaphragm itself would make it irrelevant. What reinforces my belief that it may be important is that MBHO printed a little symbol with the pickup pattern of the mic directly above the bars. I have always used this as the "up" direction when setting up. Unpleasantly this puts the xlr plugs at random angles (it is difficult to cut threads in the capsules and bodies to produce a repeatable angular outcome), so right angle connectors would look stupid if I pay attention to this orientation, and I'd like to get some right angle connectors.
What gives? Any opinions?
OK, here's a shitty picture but it conveys the gist I think...
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I have no scientific data to back me up, but I dont think the direction of the bars have any effect on the pickup pattern or sound of the mic. While the bars themselves may have some miniscule effect, I dont think the direction the are in does. Just my .02 though which probaby isnt even worth .02.
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The AKG CKxx capsules also have the slots in the front of the capsules. I've actually done tests, like set one vertical and set two horizontal. I haven't noticed a difference.
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FWIW when they are both in the Kwon bar their orientation is vertical by default
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What would be the reasoning behind using the vertical set up? What would the bars being horizontal do to incomming soundwaves?
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Well, I really have no idea, but my thought was that with the bars vertical it would tend to influence the pattern in the xy horizontal plane, which makes more sense than influencing the sound from floor to ceiling. Plus the little icon printed on the mic when oriented up puts the bars vertical.
Thanks for the replies.
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I always try to make sure that both of my caps are lined up with each other. I heard somewhere that if condensers aren't alined vertically there would be slight differences in the way the sound waves were received.
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i tend to think the engineers who designed this stuff know what they are doing, and its not up to the stupid end user (myself) to decide "what sounds better".
:)
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FWIW when they are both in the Kwon bar their orientation is vertical by default
not true. the orientation of the button on the mini-xlr coming out of the actives is situated such that it cannot go anywhere but the groove in the kwonbar unless you want it pushed in and risk unplugging it. on mine at least...
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FWIW when they are both in the Kwon bar their orientation is vertical by default
not true. the orientation of the button on the mini-xlr coming out of the actives is situated such that it cannot go anywhere but the groove in the kwonbar unless you want it pushed in and risk unplugging it. on mine at least...
exactly, with mine it makes both the bars go completely vertical. I thought it was planned?
I'll try and snap some photos tomorrow
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Mike, what, did you did that 4022 in ink to make that?
:)
and the neumann caps are perferated w/small round holes for the sound to squeeze through.
they are all different.
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its a carrot carved as an ink stamp.
hehe, better than a mushroom stamp! :P
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its a carrot carved as an ink stamp.
hehe, better than a mushroom stamp! :P
;)
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Sound waves are round like a ripple from a stone in the water seen in 3d. When directed, such as with a PA, it is conical at the very least. Why would the orientation of a straight bar make a difference at all? This is just my logic, but it seems simple to me.
Matt
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Reflections? Attenuation vs angle? These things are possible, or perhaps the bars could be more or less acoustically transparent and only serve to protect.
Consider a venetian blind- as the sun moves across the sky and you have horizontal venetian blinds, your light changes as the day goes on. You get a varying mix of direct and relected light into the room as the day goes on. If you have vertical blinds, and it is the equinox on your east and west facing windows, the blinds do basically nothing. Stereo sound reverses the effect- vertical blinds would be like putting the bars horizontally and horizontal blinds would be like putting the bars vertical, different time of day corresponding to different angles from the stage.
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the example would be closer if the sun was shining on a wall directly (like a foot away) behind the window, rather than the room itself. The included angle is a lot less than if the light was shining across the room. So as the sun moved, it's reflection on the wall would move much less than if it was shining across the room. My reasoning is that the capsule is fairly close to the bars. The capsule is close enough that the bars are (almost) acoustically transparent, no matter which way they are lined up. I say almost because the fact they are there has to have some affect on the sound, but in this case I would bet it is so small that the difference is negligible. Also light is more directional than sound. While highs and high mids have directional properties, low mids and lows have very little.
(edited for clarity, but Im still probably not making much sense) :P
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Reflections? Attenuation vs angle? These things are possible, or perhaps the bars could be more or less acoustically transparent and only serve to protect.
Consider a venetian blind- as the sun moves across the sky and you have horizontal venetian blinds, your light changes as the day goes on. You get a varying mix of direct and relected light into the room as the day goes on. If you have vertical blinds, and it is the equinox on your east and west facing windows, the blinds do basically nothing. Stereo sound reverses the effect- vertical blinds would be like putting the bars horizontally and horizontal blinds would be like putting the bars vertical, different time of day corresponding to different angles from the stage.
In your light example the source is in motion. In the case of the mic, the source is constant.
However using your example, light is broken up into colors just as sound is broken up into frequencies. With the blinds in place you may be getting slightly less light, but you still get the full spectrum of colors in each bit you get. Sound is the same... you could block 1/2 the cap and you will still get all the frequencies, just maybe not as much. So worse case scenario you need to push your levels up 1/1000th of a db! Once again... my logic.
Matt