thank you so much for this . i saw Diy Perks and bought two cardiod electrat condenser microphone capsule but i couldnt find the exact transistor shown in that video when i searched for ulternatives for lack of knowledge i bought bjt transistor then mosfet transistor haha but not jfet and when i bought a j fet to be exact 2n5486 n channel jfet the whole preamp circuit was a mess (way out of my knowledge) but your pre amp design is just much neat and helped me understand the whole structure of Diy Perks preamp circuit . But i still request you to make a diy condenser microphone preamp circuit(full) because its clear you have a better knowledge on this and you know to simplify it. Again thank you so much
@@curious_spectrum it would be wonderful if you build a simplified version of preamp circuit(simpler than Diy Perks haha) for usb version to direct plug in to pc without the need of an audio interface .Big Fan Thank you
Good to normalize the level in the post. The old proven TV industry / UA-cam standard: up to - 6 dB for voice; and up to - 12 for music separately. One can make a simple 48 phantom powered XLR microphone with phantom power from this capsule with a transistor- Just add one of these simple schematics: ua-cam.com/video/-7kOHMWD71w/v-deo.html
Alright I was jiving with this young man until he pulled out a film tube and called it a retro artifact. It wasn't that damn long ago, just because we didn't have mobile phones and wireless earbuds back in my day doesn't mean we were dinosaurs damn it. Love the video man keep it up.
Speak for yourself... I'm a Velociraptor, tyvm! 😂 TBH, we grew up in the best of times...we saw vividly how the world was, and how it will be... and accepted both with open arms. I don't think any other generation in history were or are going to be THAT lucky.
@@BreakerSpaceI agree. I’m 21 myself, and I think the older part of gen z were probably the last generation to experience a childhood in which society wasn’t as…digital and hooked up to the internet. I’m grateful that I grew up not having a phone in my face 24/7, actually getting to live a little during my younger years made a very big impact on me, and my outlook on life.
Thanks for your appreciation, it really means a lot. I guess it's far too niche of a topic for the "algorithm" to understand who to serve it to; but I can see it having a higher than usual satisfaction rate, which means people who are watching it are liking it. Which matters more to me than flat view count (at least at this stage of infancy). I can't control the algorithm, but I can control the quality. So, if you have feedback on that, I'd love to hear from you & work on it to make better videos. And... all the best with your build!
If your JFET has a built in Resistor, adding another one will halve the effective resistance it sees, that resistor is what drains out the DC, while it will work with half the value, it will attenuate lower frequencies worse than if you did not add the resistor.
That's right, I found out about this particular JFET (K596) having integrated resistor after I had already soldered it in. I was checking its datasheet for its ratings, just to ensure it'll be OK for the larger electret capsule (higher capacitance). I was interpreting the effect of lower resistance due to the parallel resistor as lower attenuation for the high-frequencies (i.e. wider bandwidth); but overall result will be similar (flatter response curve). I had thought about desoldering and rebuilding it, but haven't gotten to it yet as it never seemed like an issue (I prefer flatter response curve; and theoretically I can EQ it in software if I really need to, though in practice I don't need to). Thanks for your comment, you clearly know the inner workings of microphones; which is very refreshing and hard to come by!
The input capacitance of the JFET also plays a role in the frequency response. For this purpose, a good JFET must have: - Low input capacitance, for sensitivity. - High transconductance, for low noise. - Low gate leakage current, to allow for a large gate resistor. Keep in mind that the gate leakage current increases fast with higher temperatures.
In The Netherlands, a capacitor is called a "condensator". Just a fun fact! Btw way you do need some circuitry to use phantom power. Which increases it output.
“It won’t increase the output directly; phantom power charges the capsule and powers the internal circuitry. The diaphragm’s movement changes the capacitance, which creates the electrical signal. If it works differently, it’s likely not a ‘true condenser’ mic but another type, like an electret condenser.”
thank you so much for this . i saw Diy Perks and bought two cardiod electrat condenser microphone capsule but i couldnt find the exact transistor shown in that video when i searched for ulternatives for lack of knowledge i bought bjt transistor then mosfet transistor haha but not jfet and when i bought a j fet to be exact 2n5486 n channel jfet the whole preamp circuit was a mess (way out of my knowledge) but your pre amp design is just much neat and helped me understand the whole structure of Diy Perks preamp circuit . But i still request you to make a diy condenser microphone preamp circuit(full) because its clear you have a better knowledge on this and you know to simplify it. Again thank you so much
I'm definitely going to make video on preamp (with a primer on audio signal levels); thanks for the encouragement (but not back to back video on audio equipment... so please stay tuned). Glad that the video helped you realize that DIY mics (especially electret mics like 2555B) don't need to be overcomplicated. Also, in DIY perk's video the pre-amp was unnecessary, as he was feeding it into the USB adapter anyway (which can work with direct mic level audio, doesn't need preamp'd line-level audio). If you're also using USB sound cards, then you can totally skip any preamp circuit... just use the circuit I built on, and feed it into the USB adapter's mic bias and ground (either with TRRS cable, or directly solder on its board).
How can the audio quality sound super clear at 8:08 but be extremely bad, like a gaming headset mic, at 8:24 ? I'm really confused as to what the actual part with the mic demo is, as there's such a large difference in quality
Mean distance of the mic from my mouth has more than doubled at 8.24 (compared to during voice over, which is similar to 8:08). Double distance will make the intensity fall by 4-5x (square law), which is 12-15dB attenuation of the signal. When you normalize the audio and bring it up by 12dB for the voice to sound similarly loud as in other instances, remember, you've also increased the background noise by 12dB which includes echo of the room as well in this case (resembling a cheap, flat mic like the 5mm one). It's absolutely imperative with this mic to use a pop-filter and speak super close up to it (the closer the better the background noise separation). You can see my latest video's (Vicharak Axon) ending section to determine what's the sweet point (I still routinely fail to maintain the distance, but it'll be obvious enough with that). Thanks for being super specific with the question, it helped a lot to understand your gripe with the quality (which is quite fair).
Nice! I've made dozens of mics using electret capsules from 4mm-9mm. Just as easy to wire and use as you show. But I was surprised to see that larger capsule running of of plug-in power. Simple!
Man, idw if your gonna reas this, but this is great. Im little cheap for money, so this is the greatest thing for me right now, dont give up. Youre the best
Could've been true if you did some actual research on the topic instead of demanding other people to do the work for yourself, for free. So purely theoretically, you can, but in reality, I'd never allow you to be closer than a hundred miles to a plugged in soldering iron.
@@alexeypolevoybass I'm sorry to make you feels like I'm lazy, I did search it up after watching this, I'm left this comment because I'm just curious how and what other people would do it, also I'm not from a English speaking country, commenting and replying around UA-cam is a practice for phrasing and grammer for me.
That's just wonderful. you made everything so easy . everywhere i go they say cardiod electrat condenser microphone needs phantom power to be able to pick any sound at all ,Diy perk get rid of the phantom power need but his preamp circuit is kinda hard. your's is just so easy Thank you so much . Btw i have a question 2sk596 jfet is typically used for mini electrat condenser microphone though it's understandable it has integrated resistor that's why you used the scavanged jfet but what will happen if i use 2n4416 or 2n5486 n channel jfet. actually there is a long list of jfet which can be great for vhf and uhf audio signaal so i am kinda confused. and it will be awesome of you build a preamp circuit simpler than diy perks but keeps the sound quality of diy perk's circuit (hihihi ❤) . Thanks
Yeah, simplicity is exactly what I was going for... thanks for watching, glad it helped. BTW, you can you most of those JFETs without much issue (but there'd be case by case variances). Just make sure to use a biasing resistor of higher value if the JFET is a faster one. And by high I mean in the GigaOhm range (higher the better). Don't use a MegaOhm resistor like me (I should have mentioned it). It basically forms a RC filter, where the C is that of the diaphragm & electret plate - higher the R, lower the C required for same time constant - meaning, you get sharper rise/fall of signal waves even with smaller capacitance. As I've said in another comment, I'll come back to the signal levels, level conversion, and amp/preamp circuits, but not with an immediate next video. Please stay tuned ;) meanwhile, if you're really in a rush, look up for a MAX981x module.
Wow, this would be so much easier than the other DIY mic projects I've seen. Just to clarify, do the resistor and the FET's Gate terminal need to connect directly, or is it sufficient that they're both connected to the capsule's positive terminal? The circuit has the transistor's Gate in series with the resistor, so I assume they need to be in contact, rather than simply both connecting individually to the capsule's positive terminal. I ask because I'm trying to estimate how precise the soldering will need to be 😁
It's absolutely fine to ask, and it's a good reminder for me to make the visuals simpler (more intuitive, rather). In the schematics, you can consider a wire (any single wire) as a short circuit... so it doesn't matter which end of it (or in the middle) you connect. You can simply twist the mic positive, JFET gate and the resistor leg together, or connect them with wires... as long as the wire is not too long or too thin, it should be OK. NOTE: if you're using a JFET that has integrated resistor (like the one in the video), then you don't even need the resistor separately.
@@BreakerSpace That makes sense, I'll see what kind of transistors I have lying around, while I wait for the capsule to arrive 😁Thanks for taking the time to reply, it's much appreciated!
what about the 48v phantom power that condenser mics require? Also, somehow your initial test of the large diaphragm mic sounded better than the rest of the voiceover (because of noise reduction perhaps?). Would love a video adding a preamp to the build as well :)
The initial sound was in a small room without echo; the later ones are in a large untreated room (and I chose not to post-process the audio apart from adjusting levels; as that felt might be disingenuous to the audience). You can take the later part as the worst case scenario. BTW, this entire video is just the demo to prove that condenser mics don't "require" 48V; the ecosystem is just built around some of the conventions and lingering equipment since the vacuum tube days (which needed that high voltage); and we're now just carrying it forward without understanding why.
Why does the audio quality get so much worse after you’re talking with your back to the camera into the laptop? It sounds pretty good then goes all telephonic
@ sorry man, I’m not buying that. You are demoing the mic (so you’d think you’d be careful about how far you are), and you can see how close you are to the mic in both shots. There is no mic on the planet where moving back 1” turns a voice from sounding full and professional to sounding like a cheap omni gaming headset. The room reflections were completely absent from one clip, then back for all the others. It’s a head scratcher for sure, but as someone who’s been in audio for decades, your explanation doesn’t make sense.
I used Tip=Left, Sleeve=Mic pinout (i.e. CTIA or Apple pinout). This is good for mono channel biased inputs like phones and headphone+mic combo jacks. If your system has stereo biased pinout for Mic input, then you need to connect the connectors Left and Right channels to the mic's output, ground to ground, and leave sleeve floating (or just use TRS). Hope it made sense to you; give it a try & let me know if it worked. Some of these issues are highly situational & hard to predict without seeing it IRL.
That's correct... this mic will need a biasing voltage to work (which thankfully is handled by most consumer devices where headphone-mic combos work). The biasing voltage & signal out circuit stays with the sound-card section of the computer/laptop; which is basically a load resistor from the bias source and a coupling capacitor towards the signal. If you want to avoid relying on the host for biasing, or want line-level output, then you'll have to add a preamplifier to this mic's output. I prefer MAX446x/MAX9812/MAX9814 etc as preamp in such a case.
Pop filter makes a huge difference; Faraday cage no difference at all (especially if the mic out to JFET gate connector is very small, so it doesn't work as RF antenna). Would make a part 2 some day with the signal connected to an oscilloscope for A/B test. Till then, take my word for it.
"Thinking quickly, Dave constructs a homemade megaphone, using only some string, a squirrel, and a megaphone" But seriously: I was hoping/expecting you'd make the microphone capsule.
sir I have to record my vocals for music purposes , should i go for DIY 25mm diaphragm mic ? Will it be equivalent to those costly mics out there ? Plz help
Those expensive mics are made of these 25-34mm large diaphragm capsules anyways... so, if you're strained for budget, the DIY version can give you good result at very low cost.
It depends on specific use cases. For example, needing balanced analog outputs over longer cable would complicate it, adding filters would complicate it, adding supporting circuits for voltage boosting to polarize a true condenser mic would complicate it etc. This are mostly workflow holdbacks. For anyone setting up a modern studio, they should plan to digitize the signal at source and not carry analog signal long distance, should apply filters & EQ in software instead of tampering the master audio at source etc. If you already have equipment from past few decades, you may feel inertia to change it (and I don't blame you) but most of the complications can be avoided with modern tooling and process.
Google "Soyuz 017 frequency response curve" and then use that to apply equalizer to tune your recording. You may as well need to apply compensation filters for denoise & compression depending on the mic it was recorded on, but otherwise, it should sound like a Soyuz 017.
@@BreakerSpace I'm not sure EQ imparts harmonic distortion a transformer in the amplification circuit would. Cool video, you should try to build something like the 017 fet with a transformer. Seems like one of the older designs with all through hole components.
The overtones are dampened or cut by the aggressive attenuation of the higher frequency. So, I don't think the effect of harmonic distortions is in any way significant here. But, if you're trying to account for it, then analyze the ideal and distorted waveforms with an oscilloscope > run fourier transformation to split the distortion waveform profile > use a DSP to apply the same profile as a filter on ideal input from a flat frequency response source. I am not sure if you're asking this as a technical challenge or just as a worship of that particular mic you like. If it's the former, I'm sure there are enough ways to "solve" it (and I can help with that), but if it's the later, then no "technical solution" would ever be enough (and I can't help with that).
bro are there any future scope for drones, rc cars and other techs like covering latest tech then please do that, you can even pick me up for those videos i'll help, btw keep it up. we'll(my team) support you
As an appreciation, let me tell you that this work of you Sir is very useful, informative and educational. The presentation is easy to understand due to clear explanations. You really exerted your best efforts to put things as comprehensive as possible for your viewers. Thanks...KUDOS!!!
Can we just simply replace the microphone's small electric mic with a large diaphragm to attain better sound quality without revising the existing circuit?
Hello, I had a question. A few months ago, I bought a condenser microphone from AliExpress and wanted to know if soldering the capsule you use in the video to the circuit would work well (I have no previous knowledge of electronics).
If you can give link or model number then I can say with more confidence, but at the end of the day, all condenser mics work on the same principle. You might need a high polarizing voltage for true condenser mics (i.e. non-electret ones). Otherwise it's all the same (multi-stage signal buffering/amp).
Please tell me if I can make a microphone that won't capture background noise. What sensor and from where do I order it? The JBL lavalier mic you get on Amazon captures a small child playing in the distance as well as traffic horn.
As I mentioned this in the last part: smaller the mic, higher the chance of it recording unwanted noise (because, smaller diaphragm = higher sensitivity). Larger the mic, closer the sound sources that are captured in it... eliminating noises at a distance.
Mic circuit are mostly here for pre amplifying, equalizing, impedance matching and balancing the outputs (look up symmetric signals). All of those are called 'Signal Conditioning' in electronic engineering. Why are we doing this? Well, in the pro sound world, you don't want your mic to work in some circumstances, you want it to work ALWAYS, even with 100m of cable between it and the preamp. The mics hacked together in this video will just disintegrate as soon as you sneeze on them, and sound awful anyway.
@@MrPureBasic digitize the analog signal at source, carry it over a protocol that doesn't disintegrate if you sneeze on it. All these complexities of audio ecosystems (from circuits to cables) are self-imposed masochism. USB adapters exist.
@@BreakerSpace How do you plug 36 mics in USB? Yes, you gather them in analog and then make a mass conversion. Here are some downsides of USB for pro audio use: - You need signal amps on a USB cable if you want more than 10m of cable run. USB connectors fail when you sneeze on them. - Most cheap integrated Mic preamp USB direct converters sound reaaally bad. - If you don't use an electret, you will still need more voltage for the backplate than the 5V offered by the USB port, meaning you need at least a boost converter (noisy, complex...). - You cannot sync the clocks of different USB interfaces converters, meaning you will have to pass through multiple ASRCs. - If you have 36 mics, who is the master clock? How do you feed the converter clocks to the other mics? - How do you deal with latency in a live, monitoring critical situation? - Etc... etc. Meanwhile, a well balanced mic or impedance balanced output will carry signals over more than 100m of microphone cable without noise or loss, instantly. Conversion at the mic for pro studio and live use was done by Neumann with their now discontinued numeric line. But again, that's a clock distributed system, with premium preamps embedded in the mic and premium A/D conversion, and all of this is passing through dedicated interface and is outed on AES lines. They sound fantastic. Nevertheless, we still got back to good old analog mics. It's cheaper yet offers about the same quality while being more sturdy to deploy on stage. Also, we could get that much AES lines to interface well with digital desks. It was becoming very complicated to get the sound of a large number of those mics without passing through some bridging, meaning more potential failure points. If you only want one mic for streaming contents, you don't need any of that, for sure. A single USB mic will work. But that fact doesn't make your microphone anymore high end and doesn't mean that no one need real high end mics. Anyone can plug shit in a laptop mic in and get some sound. Don't be a fool. We don't do all of what we do for nothing.
@@MrPureBasic I meant to do it eventually, but if you can fund the project now, I can show how it can be done in next 6 months. I'll need no more than $1M to forklift that entire industry & my GitHub has sponsorship options link. It's pretty easy to write why humans can't ever fly over Atlantic, why AI can't play chess, why rockets can't be reusable, until someone shows how it's done. If you've tried to do this and failed 50 times, then I have massive respect for you, and I'm interested about the iteration details from those trial runs. Otherwise not.
the video with the yellow themed DIY microphone, do you think somebody like me, who knows absolutely NOTHING about soldering, let alone electrical circuits, absolutely 0 knowledge, and with barely any proper tools, can follow that tutorial step by step and make the same microphone?
i mean, really interessing however i'll go and make one with more stuff because yeah, i like the diy stuff even if its unecessary, its more for hobby but yeah, thanks for the video, and yeah i didnt expected to eletrical interference to interfeer with t he quality, and yeah, i was correct
@@klofisch 1M, but as explained in the video better to go even larger (and not necessary if the JFET already has it integrated, which it does, that I later found out).
Not your fault friend; I heard the same lie... this is a very old ghost of the past since vacuum tube days. Will take time to get out of people's mind.
@@XscudX no condenser microphone capsule with modern JFET/buffer needs that kinda biasing voltage. Mic level signal is ~10 millivolt peak to peak, and even the pre-amp'd line level signal is 1Vpp. You can even use a coin-cell to bias electret mics (and most low-cost self-biased mics do). In fact, the 48V isn't even used. Take a look at any modern mic schematic. It's brought down to 2-10V (with a zener diodes), and rest of it is discarded (unused).
@@BreakerSpace Tube mics have dedicated PSUs. P48 standard is mostly used for solid state mics. Also, this voltage ensure a correct backplate polarisation (if needed, not needed in an electret) and sufficient headroom. It's not a myth, it's a solution to problems. It's not a ghost of the past, it's still widely used in pro audio.
Audio totally unconditioned, regardless of where I recorded it. As I said in other comments, I didn't want to post-process the audio in anyway (aside from level adjustments), and intentionally chose large echoy rooms, without pop-filters etc as acid test for the mic. So you can consider it as the worst case scenarios. The mic does actually sounds pretty good (in my subjective opinion) in general.
dunno what happened, but the voiceover is considerably worse than the actual tests with the same microphone. Seeing as you're using obs, I'm gonna go out on a whim and say you put the audio bitrate really low or forgot to set it at a proper level
I didn't do any "controlled" or "proper" recording for the voiceover. I did a draft pass, as the project got along, and by the end, it was good enough to make the point of the video. I want people to try and get better results than I did. So, setting a high bar of super polished audio wasn't the goal (at least for this video).
Thanks for the video! What do you think about using Phantom Power for the entire system? Should I add a voltage regulator circuit and that will solve everything? Are you only using the USB power like 3-5v?
This is a part one of a series of videos I have planned; and I will come to polarizing voltage for true condenser mics, the utility of phantom power to that end, its better alternatives & the tech-debt of carrying analog signal over long distance etc. But as a sneak peak... I prefer to digitize my analog signal as close to the source as possible, and carry the digital signal to destination cause order or magnitude more effective that way (as you've mentioned, USB audio adapters... use that for signal and you can source power from it as well). So, unless you have an entire ecosystem of equipment already built around phantom powered XLR cables, in general, I'd not recommend picking them up for a modern setup. I'd rather recommend retiring them gradually.
@@BreakerSpace Ok, maybe that makes sense, especially in studio environments and similar setups, but perhaps not so much for live stages and events. Either way, I understand your point. Regarding my question, I was mainly trying to understand what voltage you used to polarize the capsule. I want to test 26mm and 34mm capsules, but I haven’t been able to get them to work due to the voltage. I’m never sure if I really need the full 48V or if a specific and lower voltage would be enough. I’ve subscribed to your channel for updates
@@Bunny-gv1fe An ECM is internally polarized at the time of manufacturing (by use of the charged electret plate). A TCM (True Condenser Mic) needs external polarization. The polarization voltage is analogous to the "tug of the string" in a stringed instrument. You want it to be taut, without braking apart. Every 2x polarizing voltage will give you +20dB of SNR. There isn't an upper limit for what the voltage should be - it depends on the material property of the diaphragm, and the separation between the plates (how far can it be stretched in, without touching the other surface). Around 60-80V is most commonly used for most TCM capsules (they commonly use some form of voltage boosting to get there). You can go higher at your own risk. But you can just as well use half that voltage (i.e. well under 48V) for a quality that's virtually indistinguishable by human ears. Even ~5-10V can work, but at that point the quality difference may become perceivable. Keep an eye out for my upcoming video on TCM. I can't promise to go very deep (as most people skip over if the content goes too deep), but I will touch on these points. Thanks for being curious!
@@BreakerSpace Thank you very much for the clarifications. I'll continue being curious here, testing new capsules and so on. I'll keep an eye on your updates.
Audio level came out 6dB lower than it'd have been optimal (oh the irony)... Oh well, something to improve on the next video, I guess!
Personally I didn't find the audio level low. It's quite all right. Nice work. 👍
thank you so much for this . i saw Diy Perks and bought two cardiod electrat condenser microphone capsule but i couldnt find the exact transistor shown in that video when i searched for ulternatives for lack of knowledge i bought bjt transistor then mosfet transistor haha but not jfet and when i bought a j fet to be exact 2n5486 n channel jfet the whole preamp circuit was a mess (way out of my knowledge) but your pre amp design is just much neat and helped me understand the whole structure of Diy Perks preamp circuit . But i still request you to make a diy condenser microphone preamp circuit(full) because its clear you have a better knowledge on this and you know to simplify it. Again thank you so much
@@curious_spectrum it would be wonderful if you build a simplified version of preamp circuit(simpler than Diy Perks haha) for usb version to direct plug in to pc without the need of an audio interface .Big Fan Thank you
Good to normalize the level in the post. The old proven TV industry / UA-cam standard: up to - 6 dB for voice;
and up to - 12 for music separately.
One can make a simple 48 phantom powered XLR microphone with phantom power from this capsule with a transistor-
Just add one of these simple schematics:
ua-cam.com/video/-7kOHMWD71w/v-deo.html
@@bbjib No-one reading this speaks Russian so at least have the video you link have cc of the language of the thread your commenting in.
Alright I was jiving with this young man until he pulled out a film tube and called it a retro artifact. It wasn't that damn long ago, just because we didn't have mobile phones and wireless earbuds back in my day doesn't mean we were dinosaurs damn it. Love the video man keep it up.
Speak for yourself... I'm a Velociraptor, tyvm! 😂
TBH, we grew up in the best of times...we saw vividly how the world was, and how it will be... and accepted both with open arms. I don't think any other generation in history were or are going to be THAT lucky.
😂
@@BreakerSpaceI agree. I’m 21 myself, and I think the older part of gen z were probably the last generation to experience a childhood in which society wasn’t as…digital and hooked up to the internet. I’m grateful that I grew up not having a phone in my face 24/7, actually getting to live a little during my younger years made a very big impact on me, and my outlook on life.
I'm a trilobite 😅
This video deserves far more views than it's so far getting. Great content! Working towards my own DIY build right now.
Thanks for your appreciation, it really means a lot.
I guess it's far too niche of a topic for the "algorithm" to understand who to serve it to; but I can see it having a higher than usual satisfaction rate, which means people who are watching it are liking it. Which matters more to me than flat view count (at least at this stage of infancy).
I can't control the algorithm, but I can control the quality. So, if you have feedback on that, I'd love to hear from you & work on it to make better videos.
And... all the best with your build!
If your JFET has a built in Resistor, adding another one will halve the effective resistance it sees, that resistor is what drains out the DC, while it will work with half the value, it will attenuate lower frequencies worse than if you did not add the resistor.
That's right, I found out about this particular JFET (K596) having integrated resistor after I had already soldered it in. I was checking its datasheet for its ratings, just to ensure it'll be OK for the larger electret capsule (higher capacitance).
I was interpreting the effect of lower resistance due to the parallel resistor as lower attenuation for the high-frequencies (i.e. wider bandwidth); but overall result will be similar (flatter response curve). I had thought about desoldering and rebuilding it, but haven't gotten to it yet as it never seemed like an issue (I prefer flatter response curve; and theoretically I can EQ it in software if I really need to, though in practice I don't need to).
Thanks for your comment, you clearly know the inner workings of microphones; which is very refreshing and hard to come by!
The input capacitance of the JFET also plays a role in the frequency response.
For this purpose, a good JFET must have:
- Low input capacitance, for sensitivity.
- High transconductance, for low noise.
- Low gate leakage current, to allow for a large gate resistor.
Keep in mind that the gate leakage current increases fast with higher temperatures.
In The Netherlands, a capacitor is called a "condensator". Just a fun fact! Btw way you do need some circuitry to use phantom power. Which increases it output.
Good to know!
Increases output in what way?
“It won’t increase the output directly; phantom power charges the capsule and powers the internal circuitry. The diaphragm’s movement changes the capacitance, which creates the electrical signal. If it works differently, it’s likely not a ‘true condenser’ mic but another type, like an electret condenser.”
thank you so much for this . i saw Diy Perks and bought two cardiod electrat condenser microphone capsule but i couldnt find the exact transistor shown in that video when i searched for ulternatives for lack of knowledge i bought bjt transistor then mosfet transistor haha but not jfet and when i bought a j fet to be exact 2n5486 n channel jfet the whole preamp circuit was a mess (way out of my knowledge) but your pre amp design is just much neat and helped me understand the whole structure of Diy Perks preamp circuit . But i still request you to make a diy condenser microphone preamp circuit(full) because its clear you have a better knowledge on this and you know to simplify it. Again thank you so much
I'm definitely going to make video on preamp (with a primer on audio signal levels); thanks for the encouragement (but not back to back video on audio equipment... so please stay tuned).
Glad that the video helped you realize that DIY mics (especially electret mics like 2555B) don't need to be overcomplicated.
Also, in DIY perk's video the pre-amp was unnecessary, as he was feeding it into the USB adapter anyway (which can work with direct mic level audio, doesn't need preamp'd line-level audio). If you're also using USB sound cards, then you can totally skip any preamp circuit... just use the circuit I built on, and feed it into the USB adapter's mic bias and ground (either with TRRS cable, or directly solder on its board).
@@BreakerSpace yeah that's understandable
take your time brother (i hope not more than a month 🥹) i already subscribed😊
How can the audio quality sound super clear at 8:08 but be extremely bad, like a gaming headset mic, at 8:24 ? I'm really confused as to what the actual part with the mic demo is, as there's such a large difference in quality
Mean distance of the mic from my mouth has more than doubled at 8.24 (compared to during voice over, which is similar to 8:08). Double distance will make the intensity fall by 4-5x (square law), which is 12-15dB attenuation of the signal. When you normalize the audio and bring it up by 12dB for the voice to sound similarly loud as in other instances, remember, you've also increased the background noise by 12dB which includes echo of the room as well in this case (resembling a cheap, flat mic like the 5mm one).
It's absolutely imperative with this mic to use a pop-filter and speak super close up to it (the closer the better the background noise separation). You can see my latest video's (Vicharak Axon) ending section to determine what's the sweet point (I still routinely fail to maintain the distance, but it'll be obvious enough with that).
Thanks for being super specific with the question, it helped a lot to understand your gripe with the quality (which is quite fair).
Nice! I've made dozens of mics using electret capsules from 4mm-9mm. Just as easy to wire and use as you show. But I was surprised to see that larger capsule running of of plug-in power. Simple!
Absolutely... they're brilliant little things, but not as high-maintenance as we often expect them to be!
Give it a shot, and all the best!
was surprised too, didnt think plug in o=power would be enough
Man, idw if your gonna reas this, but this is great. Im little cheap for money, so this is the greatest thing for me right now, dont give up. Youre the best
Thank you, and or course I'm gonna read this!
All the best with your build... would love to know how it goes.
I was waiting for a such video that recap this topic once for all,
Honestly I had same reaction at 6:45
One of those times, when you totally expect the experiment to fail... but left with a pleasant surprise that you didn't!
can i do that with a existing condenser mic? just swapping the capsule to a better one
Could've been true if you did some actual research on the topic instead of demanding other people to do the work for yourself, for free. So purely theoretically, you can, but in reality, I'd never allow you to be closer than a hundred miles to a plugged in soldering iron.
@@alexeypolevoybass I'm sorry to make you feels like I'm lazy, I did search it up after watching this, I'm left this comment because I'm just curious how and what other people would do it, also I'm not from a English speaking country, commenting and replying around UA-cam is a practice for phrasing and grammer for me.
@@RainKvks if you're swapping in and out electret condenser capsules (regardless of their sizes) then the answer is grossly YES.
That's just wonderful. you made everything so easy . everywhere i go they say cardiod electrat condenser microphone needs phantom power to be able to pick any sound at all ,Diy perk get rid of the phantom power need but his preamp circuit is kinda hard. your's is just so easy Thank you so much . Btw i have a question 2sk596 jfet is typically used for mini electrat condenser microphone though it's understandable it has integrated resistor that's why you used the scavanged jfet but what will happen if i use 2n4416 or 2n5486 n channel jfet. actually there is a long list of jfet which can be great for vhf and uhf audio signaal so i am kinda confused. and it will be awesome of you build a preamp circuit simpler than diy perks but keeps the sound quality of diy perk's circuit (hihihi ❤) . Thanks
Yeah, simplicity is exactly what I was going for... thanks for watching, glad it helped.
BTW, you can you most of those JFETs without much issue (but there'd be case by case variances). Just make sure to use a biasing resistor of higher value if the JFET is a faster one. And by high I mean in the GigaOhm range (higher the better). Don't use a MegaOhm resistor like me (I should have mentioned it). It basically forms a RC filter, where the C is that of the diaphragm & electret plate - higher the R, lower the C required for same time constant - meaning, you get sharper rise/fall of signal waves even with smaller capacitance.
As I've said in another comment, I'll come back to the signal levels, level conversion, and amp/preamp circuits, but not with an immediate next video. Please stay tuned ;) meanwhile, if you're really in a rush, look up for a MAX981x module.
Nice content keep doing the good work
Thank you!
Never knew that a mic is this simple to DIY. Great video!
The retro artifact is that a case for 35mm photography films?
That's right! 😎
I was not expecting a film tube!
Haha... had this one in the pile for decades!
Wow, this would be so much easier than the other DIY mic projects I've seen. Just to clarify, do the resistor and the FET's Gate terminal need to connect directly, or is it sufficient that they're both connected to the capsule's positive terminal? The circuit has the transistor's Gate in series with the resistor, so I assume they need to be in contact, rather than simply both connecting individually to the capsule's positive terminal. I ask because I'm trying to estimate how precise the soldering will need to be 😁
It's absolutely fine to ask, and it's a good reminder for me to make the visuals simpler (more intuitive, rather).
In the schematics, you can consider a wire (any single wire) as a short circuit... so it doesn't matter which end of it (or in the middle) you connect. You can simply twist the mic positive, JFET gate and the resistor leg together, or connect them with wires... as long as the wire is not too long or too thin, it should be OK.
NOTE: if you're using a JFET that has integrated resistor (like the one in the video), then you don't even need the resistor separately.
@@BreakerSpace That makes sense, I'll see what kind of transistors I have lying around, while I wait for the capsule to arrive 😁Thanks for taking the time to reply, it's much appreciated!
Great video--I'm going to build one of these as soon as I get a chance.
Thanks & all the best!
what about the 48v phantom power that condenser mics require? Also, somehow your initial test of the large diaphragm mic sounded better than the rest of the voiceover (because of noise reduction perhaps?). Would love a video adding a preamp to the build as well :)
The initial sound was in a small room without echo; the later ones are in a large untreated room (and I chose not to post-process the audio apart from adjusting levels; as that felt might be disingenuous to the audience). You can take the later part as the worst case scenario.
BTW, this entire video is just the demo to prove that condenser mics don't "require" 48V; the ecosystem is just built around some of the conventions and lingering equipment since the vacuum tube days (which needed that high voltage); and we're now just carrying it forward without understanding why.
@BreakerSpace we may not need the voltage, but we do need a preamp correct? In the video, the mics are just using the preamp built into your laptop
7:25 it's the container in which 35mm film cartridges come, from analog photography
That's right!
Bada bing bada boom, haha. Artifact held for 25 years (Hoarder detected), It was used to store the camera films (negatives).
Yup, that's correct... Congrats, fellow millennial 😂
Why does the audio quality get so much worse after you’re talking with your back to the camera into the laptop? It sounds pretty good then goes all telephonic
The pick-up proximity matters a lot... also 10:30
@ sorry man, I’m not buying that. You are demoing the mic (so you’d think you’d be careful about how far you are), and you can see how close you are to the mic in both shots.
There is no mic on the planet where moving back 1” turns a voice from sounding full and professional to sounding like a cheap omni gaming headset. The room reflections were completely absent from one clip, then back for all the others. It’s a head scratcher for sure, but as someone who’s been in audio for decades, your explanation doesn’t make sense.
This was a great video! I'd love to see a simple amp and dac videos from you
Thank you! And yeah... soon™
can you make a pop filter from scratch or as in DIY as well?
Will do when I make the part two.
Very high quality youtube content
Thanks!
Hey, how did you wire the capsule up to the TRRS cable, I can't get this to work
I used Tip=Left, Sleeve=Mic pinout (i.e. CTIA or Apple pinout). This is good for mono channel biased inputs like phones and headphone+mic combo jacks.
If your system has stereo biased pinout for Mic input, then you need to connect the connectors Left and Right channels to the mic's output, ground to ground, and leave sleeve floating (or just use TRS).
Hope it made sense to you; give it a try & let me know if it worked. Some of these issues are highly situational & hard to predict without seeing it IRL.
Wauw, i actually spend a few moths building the Microphone form DIY Perks just to discover this XD haha
How did it turn out? If you ever wanna build another one, you can try this simpler way!
Plugging the modified mic. in a laptop means you are also applying a certain voltage to it (Plug in power, 3-5V)?
That's correct... this mic will need a biasing voltage to work (which thankfully is handled by most consumer devices where headphone-mic combos work). The biasing voltage & signal out circuit stays with the sound-card section of the computer/laptop; which is basically a load resistor from the bias source and a coupling capacitor towards the signal.
If you want to avoid relying on the host for biasing, or want line-level output, then you'll have to add a preamplifier to this mic's output. I prefer MAX446x/MAX9812/MAX9814 etc as preamp in such a case.
Nice video! Now I'm curious to see how much difference a faraday cage and a pop filter would make!
Pop filter makes a huge difference; Faraday cage no difference at all (especially if the mic out to JFET gate connector is very small, so it doesn't work as RF antenna).
Would make a part 2 some day with the signal connected to an oscilloscope for A/B test. Till then, take my word for it.
"Thinking quickly, Dave constructs a homemade megaphone, using only some string, a squirrel, and a megaphone"
But seriously: I was hoping/expecting you'd make the microphone capsule.
Someday... ;)
sir I have to record my vocals for music purposes , should i go for DIY 25mm diaphragm mic ? Will it be equivalent to those costly mics out there ? Plz help
Those expensive mics are made of these 25-34mm large diaphragm capsules anyways... so, if you're strained for budget, the DIY version can give you good result at very low cost.
@@BreakerSpace tnx sir
How important could the rest of the eletronics and structure of the microphone be for quality ?
It depends on specific use cases. For example, needing balanced analog outputs over longer cable would complicate it, adding filters would complicate it, adding supporting circuits for voltage boosting to polarize a true condenser mic would complicate it etc.
This are mostly workflow holdbacks. For anyone setting up a modern studio, they should plan to digitize the signal at source and not carry analog signal long distance, should apply filters & EQ in software instead of tampering the master audio at source etc.
If you already have equipment from past few decades, you may feel inertia to change it (and I don't blame you) but most of the complications can be avoided with modern tooling and process.
How can you make that sound like a Soyuz 017 FET?
Google "Soyuz 017 frequency response curve" and then use that to apply equalizer to tune your recording.
You may as well need to apply compensation filters for denoise & compression depending on the mic it was recorded on, but otherwise, it should sound like a Soyuz 017.
@@BreakerSpace I'm not sure EQ imparts harmonic distortion a transformer in the amplification circuit would. Cool video, you should try to build something like the 017 fet with a transformer. Seems like one of the older designs with all through hole components.
The overtones are dampened or cut by the aggressive attenuation of the higher frequency. So, I don't think the effect of harmonic distortions is in any way significant here.
But, if you're trying to account for it, then analyze the ideal and distorted waveforms with an oscilloscope > run fourier transformation to split the distortion waveform profile > use a DSP to apply the same profile as a filter on ideal input from a flat frequency response source.
I am not sure if you're asking this as a technical challenge or just as a worship of that particular mic you like. If it's the former, I'm sure there are enough ways to "solve" it (and I can help with that), but if it's the later, then no "technical solution" would ever be enough (and I can't help with that).
@@BreakerSpace well it doesn't have to be that mic, just something of that quality.
Will do sir (but it will take time to get through the WIP projects... need more hands haha)
bro are there any future scope for drones, rc cars and other techs like covering latest tech then please do that, you can even pick me up for those videos i'll help, btw keep it up. we'll(my team) support you
Interesting... Can you send me an email or message on twitter?
Awesome video. Would love to hear it in a quieter room
Thanks... and are you talking about any specific noisy part or the entire video?
As an appreciation, let me tell you that this work of you Sir is very useful, informative and educational. The presentation is easy to understand due to clear explanations. You really exerted your best efforts to put things as comprehensive as possible for your viewers. Thanks...KUDOS!!!
Thank you very much for your kind words... it really means a lot! 🙏
In my opinion, microphone you mate, sounds the best.
Thank you!
Can we just simply replace the microphone's small electric mic with a large diaphragm to attain better sound quality without revising the existing circuit?
Yes, you can!
Make sure the large diaphragm mic you're planning to use is pre-polarized kind (i.e. electret one, as the one in this video).
Hello, I had a question. A few months ago, I bought a condenser microphone from AliExpress and wanted to know if soldering the capsule you use in the video to the circuit would work well (I have no previous knowledge of electronics).
If you can give link or model number then I can say with more confidence, but at the end of the day, all condenser mics work on the same principle. You might need a high polarizing voltage for true condenser mics (i.e. non-electret ones). Otherwise it's all the same (multi-stage signal buffering/amp).
can you use i phone camera as a security camera
Yes, I am going to show how to use old phones as cheap cameras (should work on both android & iOS devices).
Please tell me if I can make a microphone that won't capture background noise. What sensor and from where do I order it? The JBL lavalier mic you get on Amazon captures a small child playing in the distance as well as traffic horn.
As I mentioned this in the last part: smaller the mic, higher the chance of it recording unwanted noise (because, smaller diaphragm = higher sensitivity). Larger the mic, closer the sound sources that are captured in it... eliminating noises at a distance.
@@BreakerSpace which Sensor or diaphragm should I buy?
@@bhushan9066 you can buy the same one I've used in this video. It'll already give you more than 20dB of noise separation, compared to lav mics.
@@BreakerSpace thanks 🙏
Well made and clear
Thank you! 🙏
19:10 you can hear and see the clipping.
And if you're real careful at the timestamp you mentioned (19:10) you can smell and touch it too! 😂
@BreakerSpace like 'just woke up, noisy and voluminous, but not that smelly farts' with a touch of parmesan cheese
Will be making this!
All the best... go for it!
Dont add that extra resistor & see the better result
Yeah, you're right... it'll be better at cutting off higher frequencies.
A good effort to make people understand a condenser mic. But why a big circuit is used when it is so simple.
Asking the right question!
Mic circuit are mostly here for pre amplifying, equalizing, impedance matching and balancing the outputs (look up symmetric signals). All of those are called 'Signal Conditioning' in electronic engineering.
Why are we doing this? Well, in the pro sound world, you don't want your mic to work in some circumstances, you want it to work ALWAYS, even with 100m of cable between it and the preamp. The mics hacked together in this video will just disintegrate as soon as you sneeze on them, and sound awful anyway.
@@MrPureBasic digitize the analog signal at source, carry it over a protocol that doesn't disintegrate if you sneeze on it.
All these complexities of audio ecosystems (from circuits to cables) are self-imposed masochism. USB adapters exist.
@@BreakerSpace How do you plug 36 mics in USB? Yes, you gather them in analog and then make a mass conversion.
Here are some downsides of USB for pro audio use:
- You need signal amps on a USB cable if you want more than 10m of cable run. USB connectors fail when you sneeze on them.
- Most cheap integrated Mic preamp USB direct converters sound reaaally bad.
- If you don't use an electret, you will still need more voltage for the backplate than the 5V offered by the USB port, meaning you need at least a boost converter (noisy, complex...).
- You cannot sync the clocks of different USB interfaces converters, meaning you will have to pass through multiple ASRCs.
- If you have 36 mics, who is the master clock? How do you feed the converter clocks to the other mics?
- How do you deal with latency in a live, monitoring critical situation?
- Etc... etc.
Meanwhile, a well balanced mic or impedance balanced output will carry signals over more than 100m of microphone cable without noise or loss, instantly.
Conversion at the mic for pro studio and live use was done by Neumann with their now discontinued numeric line. But again, that's a clock distributed system, with premium preamps embedded in the mic and premium A/D conversion, and all of this is passing through dedicated interface and is outed on AES lines. They sound fantastic.
Nevertheless, we still got back to good old analog mics. It's cheaper yet offers about the same quality while being more sturdy to deploy on stage. Also, we could get that much AES lines to interface well with digital desks. It was becoming very complicated to get the sound of a large number of those mics without passing through some bridging, meaning more potential failure points.
If you only want one mic for streaming contents, you don't need any of that, for sure. A single USB mic will work. But that fact doesn't make your microphone anymore high end and doesn't mean that no one need real high end mics.
Anyone can plug shit in a laptop mic in and get some sound. Don't be a fool. We don't do all of what we do for nothing.
@@MrPureBasic I meant to do it eventually, but if you can fund the project now, I can show how it can be done in next 6 months. I'll need no more than $1M to forklift that entire industry & my GitHub has sponsorship options link.
It's pretty easy to write why humans can't ever fly over Atlantic, why AI can't play chess, why rockets can't be reusable, until someone shows how it's done.
If you've tried to do this and failed 50 times, then I have massive respect for you, and I'm interested about the iteration details from those trial runs. Otherwise not.
bro can you make a bluetooth microphone like rode wirless and dji
On my bucket-list... that's all I can say for now! 😉
What is are you using in your laptop?
he is using ubuntu i guess with the default gnome DE
@ oh thanks
It's Fedora, but with gnome DE, yes.
great video!
Thanks!
the video with the yellow themed DIY microphone, do you think somebody like me, who knows absolutely NOTHING about soldering, let alone electrical circuits, absolutely 0 knowledge, and with barely any proper tools, can follow that tutorial step by step and make the same microphone?
With some genuine effort, enough of time and a lot of power of will, anyone can do anything.
All the best.
This was a great video!
Thanks, glad you liked it! 🙏
i mean, really interessing however i'll go and make one with more stuff because yeah, i like the diy stuff even if its unecessary, its more for hobby but yeah, thanks for the video, and yeah i didnt expected to eletrical interference to interfeer with t he quality, and yeah, i was correct
i am shooting 30 rolls of film per year,.....cant make that many mics :D. Thanks for the video!
"Hello darkroom my old friend...."
@@BreakerSpace :D Can you tell me what value the Resistor has? 10k?
@@klofisch 1M, but as explained in the video better to go even larger (and not necessary if the JFET already has it integrated, which it does, that I later found out).
7:21 My father used to give me those after reloading film into his camera
Seems like a man of culture... hat tip to him and thanks to you for watching!
Bruh you are underrated fr.
Thanks man, appreciate it!
great work man
Thank you! 😄
its a capsule to hold old film rolls or cameras...
Yup!
A vanished artifact in today's world's convenient instant gratification of digital cameras!
Great video!
Thanks, glad you liked it!
Cam reel holder
Yup!
use a pop filter
bro can you give me a circet diagram
nice video bro
Thank you! :D
Wooow, man, you are good
Thank you! 🙏
I thought condenser mics needed 48v
Not your fault friend; I heard the same lie... this is a very old ghost of the past since vacuum tube days. Will take time to get out of people's mind.
@BreakerSpace so how do you know if one needs 48v or not?
@@XscudX no condenser microphone capsule with modern JFET/buffer needs that kinda biasing voltage. Mic level signal is ~10 millivolt peak to peak, and even the pre-amp'd line level signal is 1Vpp. You can even use a coin-cell to bias electret mics (and most low-cost self-biased mics do).
In fact, the 48V isn't even used. Take a look at any modern mic schematic. It's brought down to 2-10V (with a zener diodes), and rest of it is discarded (unused).
@@BreakerSpace Tube mics have dedicated PSUs. P48 standard is mostly used for solid state mics. Also, this voltage ensure a correct backplate polarisation (if needed, not needed in an electret) and sufficient headroom. It's not a myth, it's a solution to problems. It's not a ghost of the past, it's still widely used in pro audio.
It is used. Look at a Schoeps mic output and how it works before making blind claims.
Are you bengali ?....just curious
I am so lost why does it sound terrible at certain points but amazing at others
Audio totally unconditioned, regardless of where I recorded it. As I said in other comments, I didn't want to post-process the audio in anyway (aside from level adjustments), and intentionally chose large echoy rooms, without pop-filters etc as acid test for the mic. So you can consider it as the worst case scenarios.
The mic does actually sounds pretty good (in my subjective opinion) in general.
it sounds really bad at times
dunno what happened, but the voiceover is considerably worse than the actual tests with the same microphone. Seeing as you're using obs, I'm gonna go out on a whim and say you put the audio bitrate really low or forgot to set it at a proper level
I didn't do any "controlled" or "proper" recording for the voiceover. I did a draft pass, as the project got along, and by the end, it was good enough to make the point of the video.
I want people to try and get better results than I did. So, setting a high bar of super polished audio wasn't the goal (at least for this video).
@@BreakerSpace fair enough, you made it work, not much more needed to it
it sounds worse than 15$ microphone
all your audio sounds extremely bad
The point is that they "sound" at all, without needing an A3 page full of schematics, and thousands of dollars of amps, interfaces & XLR connectors.
@@BreakerSpace they sound bad because you added noise reduction which ruined the audio even if the mic is good
Thanks for the video! What do you think about using Phantom Power for the entire system? Should I add a voltage regulator circuit and that will solve everything? Are you only using the USB power like 3-5v?
This is a part one of a series of videos I have planned; and I will come to polarizing voltage for true condenser mics, the utility of phantom power to that end, its better alternatives & the tech-debt of carrying analog signal over long distance etc.
But as a sneak peak... I prefer to digitize my analog signal as close to the source as possible, and carry the digital signal to destination cause order or magnitude more effective that way (as you've mentioned, USB audio adapters... use that for signal and you can source power from it as well).
So, unless you have an entire ecosystem of equipment already built around phantom powered XLR cables, in general, I'd not recommend picking them up for a modern setup. I'd rather recommend retiring them gradually.
@@BreakerSpace Ok, maybe that makes sense, especially in studio environments and similar setups, but perhaps not so much for live stages and events. Either way, I understand your point.
Regarding my question, I was mainly trying to understand what voltage you used to polarize the capsule. I want to test 26mm and 34mm capsules, but I haven’t been able to get them to work due to the voltage. I’m never sure if I really need the full 48V or if a specific and lower voltage would be enough. I’ve subscribed to your channel for updates
@@Bunny-gv1fe An ECM is internally polarized at the time of manufacturing (by use of the charged electret plate).
A TCM (True Condenser Mic) needs external polarization. The polarization voltage is analogous to the "tug of the string" in a stringed instrument. You want it to be taut, without braking apart. Every 2x polarizing voltage will give you +20dB of SNR. There isn't an upper limit for what the voltage should be - it depends on the material property of the diaphragm, and the separation between the plates (how far can it be stretched in, without touching the other surface).
Around 60-80V is most commonly used for most TCM capsules (they commonly use some form of voltage boosting to get there). You can go higher at your own risk. But you can just as well use half that voltage (i.e. well under 48V) for a quality that's virtually indistinguishable by human ears. Even ~5-10V can work, but at that point the quality difference may become perceivable.
Keep an eye out for my upcoming video on TCM. I can't promise to go very deep (as most people skip over if the content goes too deep), but I will touch on these points.
Thanks for being curious!
@@BreakerSpace Thank you very much for the clarifications. I'll continue being curious here, testing new capsules and so on. I'll keep an eye on your updates.