Topic: SP-CMC-8 / loud shows / distortion / low sens mod -> ???

[thirtyfour]

I'm hoping this is the right place, and that this hasn't been answered yet (been browsing & searching for quite a while now)...

I've had the Sound Pro "Premium Binaurals" (apparently SP-CMC-8s) + battery box (SP-SPSB-1) for about 10 years now (omni caps), and last year switched from M1 to R-09, since I started actively taping again after a ~6-yr break and was getting sick of paying for tapes (plus, I moved to Tokyo a few years back & apparently failed to bring the 7-pin adapter, which they don't make anymore, so I couldn't transfer anything).  I'm pretty slow (i.e. lazy) w/ editing & actually listening to my shows, but I -have- gone through & tracked a couple shows, and never really been all that impressed with the results, until I got to a couple quieter shows, which sounded great (electric violin/computer/bongos/digeridoo/etc- the kind of show where everyone in the crowd is SILENT during the set).  So, apparently, the REALLY loud shows (i.e. most of the ones I go to) are distorting.

Now, the questions- what exactly is this 'low-sens mod' I keep seeing about?  Is it something I can do myself?  I managed to mod my Wii, adding a separate switch to it, so I can handle a soldering iron, and being in Japan, currently broke, and not having much time between shows (hence the broke ^^;), I'm not too keen on having to ship my gear somewhere else...  How much does it help/what exactly does it do?  Where is the mod located- i.e. if I decide to get an extra set of caps, will it affect those as well?  Is there any way to 'switch' it on/off, and if not, how will it affect taping the quieter shows (i.e. will the battery box be enough, or will I have to buy a pre-amp, too)?  OR, is there anything else I can do to prevent the distortion?

These are all stealth shows, usually the same band (loud, hard rock) in a 700-1300 capacity GA venue, and I'm usually pretty close to the front (about 10-15' from the stage- which is -usually- just enough to not get moshed into).  I'm sure the first suggestion will be to stand further back, but this is usually not an option (I have a very stubborn girlfriend who goes to every show, and I would like to manage a decent recording w/o having to sacrifice the fun of being fairly close up).

Any help would be much appreciated.

[Church-Audio]

This is how you do the mod I came up with it will reduce your output level by 10db and if done properly will reduce your distortion from 10% at 114db to 0.5% at 114db at 1k

Chris

[Belexes]

I had this mod done to my mics and the results this summer, outdoors, with the omni caps have been very good.

[thirtyfour]

This is how you do the mod I came up with it will reduce your output level by 10db and if done properly will reduce your distortion from 10% at 114db to 0.5% at 114db at 1k

Thanks- but what do I do w/ the XLRs?  Is that for another, separate battery box?  Would I still need the SP box (currently running in series between the mics & R09 via 1/8" jacks)?  Or do the XLRs replace the 1/8" jack?

If this mod is sitting between the mic caps and the cable (which I'm thinking it is)- would it be possible to make a tiny self-contained box w/ the resistors and M/F jacks, essentially making the mod a removable "plugin" (pun intended)? :)