Hey, awesome build! Looking into designing a cardioid ribbon mic was wondering where you found the formula for labyrinth. You mentioned in the video that it took some time to find a working plan, so any help would be appreciated. Thanks so much!
Thanks! Hmm, I don't recall using any particular plan. I also don't have any specs at hand. I studied lots of photos and checked specs for size and shape and made some estimates. Countant dot org was a good resource for photos and specs, as I recall. I also do a bit of measuring in photoshop, so once I have a good photo I can get a good idea of ratios between parts. Everything in mic building is a tradeoff, so I believe there's no "magic" number for specific labyrinth specs. For example, the first RCA 77A was enormous, with a large coiled copper tube labyrinth and it was known to be a great sounding mic. If you get the body and holes it in the ballpark of size and shape, you'll have a mic you can hone into what you want.
This is brilliant! Great job. Question for the build: the output of the labyrinth just goes into the bottom cap of the mic? And what were the dimensions you used for the labyrinth (height/diameter)?
Hey, thanks! I don't recall the exact dimensions- I want to say something like 3" tall and 2.5 wide. The width probably isn't critical as long as you get the correct number of holes drilled. And yep, just like the original, the labyrinth output goes right into the bottom cap.
@@FrankOlsonTwins thanks for the reply. Im going to try and do a 3D printed labyrinth and more of a ku3a style. Great inspiration here. Thanks so much!
Having trouble understanding the bass 4 ft of traveling sound. Is it basically catching the resident frequencies so it does not come back to the microphone. What does a really expensive companies do to the reduced the reduce the noise of the ribbon microphone?
Yes, that is concept. The sound travels past the ribbon through the labyrinth and comes out at a different point of phase, keeping the sound from cancelling itself out in the ribbon motor. In some ways, this is the pinnacle of ribbon microphone technology. The technology was researched extensively by RCA engineers at great expense. The final iteration was implemented in the RCA KU3A. You could consider that mic the final evolution of the 77 series. Generally speaking, ribbon mics were basically abandoned after that point for approximately 30 years or more. Most companies do not trouble themselves with unidirectional ribbon mics(AEA is the exception). Most ribbon mics are figure-of-8 pattern, and they catch whatever reflected frequencies that come back to the ribbon. So you usually take the bad with good there, it's inherent in the design. In a good sounding room with certain instruments it's not a problem, and often it is a benefit. Generally for dialog on television and movie stages, you'd be looking for something directional, which is where these small unidirectional ribbons excel(BK-5, 77, KU3). So in short, most of the companies do nothing to reduce figure 8 polar pattern. They just sell them as a figure-8 mic and give you pointers on how to best use it.
This one was a labor of love. I designed the entire thing around the ribbon, since the magnet technology has changed so much since the 60's. I decided not to post the files(for a variety of reasons), but if you take notes in the video you can pretty much recreate one with photoshop and the cricut software. I don't recall the exact ribbon size, but it's about 1" long. Design a ribbon motor around a thin ribbon like that and just put together a mic body like in the video. As long as you get remotely close to the sizes and shapes, it will sound great. Nothing has to be critically sized, except that the ribbon you cut should exactly match the gap of the motor.
Yes, exactly. By giving the sound somewhere else to travel to , it keeps it from bouncing back to the ribbon and either cancelling itself out(phase-cancelling) or creating a "pressure diaphram"(omni-directional). The original 77DX had an omni-directional setting, by blocking off the pipe directly behind the ribbon. Without the pipe, sound would bounce off from walls and be picked up by the ribbon again. Not necessarily a bad thing, most ribbon mics are designed with no back side. They pick up equally from both sides(figure-of-8).
Thanks! Oh wow, I don't know, maybe like 50 hours? Not including research, testing and video taping of course! Reverse engineering that labyrinth from photographs was a (fun) challenge!
Efforts well placed. I’m so impressed. Well done Frank!
Thanks dude! This one was a labor of love. It has a real vibe anywhere around a drum kit, I'll send you a sound sample sometime!
@@FrankOlsonTwins make a song with it!
I used it for vocals on an up coming track, should be out by July!
this dude just made a microphone by hand?? out of WOOD?? this is pure genius, incredible work
Thanks
Much appreciated!
Awesome job on this looks and sounds great.
Thank you! Cheers!
Hey, awesome build! Looking into designing a cardioid ribbon mic was wondering where you found the formula for labyrinth. You mentioned in the video that it took some time to find a working plan, so any help would be appreciated. Thanks so much!
Thanks! Hmm, I don't recall using any particular plan. I also don't have any specs at hand. I studied lots of photos and checked specs for size and shape and made some estimates. Countant dot org was a good resource for photos and specs, as I recall. I also do a bit of measuring in photoshop, so once I have a good photo I can get a good idea of ratios between parts. Everything in mic building is a tradeoff, so I believe there's no "magic" number for specific labyrinth specs. For example, the first RCA 77A was enormous, with a large coiled copper tube labyrinth and it was known to be a great sounding mic. If you get the body and holes it in the ballpark of size and shape, you'll have a mic you can hone into what you want.
@@FrankOlsonTwins awesome, will do. I designed something in openSCAD last night, I’ll 3d print it sometime next week and see how it works
so incredible, Frank!
Thanks dude! Hope yr. well!
This is brilliant! Great job.
Question for the build: the output of the labyrinth just goes into the bottom cap of the mic? And what were the dimensions you used for the labyrinth (height/diameter)?
Hey, thanks! I don't recall the exact dimensions- I want to say something like 3" tall and 2.5 wide. The width probably isn't critical as long as you get the correct number of holes drilled. And yep, just like the original, the labyrinth output goes right into the bottom cap.
@@FrankOlsonTwins thanks for the reply. Im going to try and do a 3D printed labyrinth and more of a ku3a style. Great inspiration here. Thanks so much!
Cool! Yeah, the Ku3 style was the next design I started making, but I haven't finished the project. Let me know how it turns out!
Very nice work. I'm amazed at the level of detail you're capable of nowadays.
Thanks! This one was tricky... It definitely took a while to finish!
HI, Can I know what microphone transformer you are using?
Shinhom(?) 1:35 ribbon mic transformer, b-stock from a cascade fathead
Having trouble understanding the bass 4 ft of traveling sound. Is it basically catching the resident frequencies so it does not come back to the microphone. What does a really expensive companies do to the reduced the reduce the noise of the ribbon microphone?
Yes, that is concept. The sound travels past the ribbon through the labyrinth and comes out at a different point of phase, keeping the sound from cancelling itself out in the ribbon motor. In some ways, this is the pinnacle of ribbon microphone technology. The technology was researched extensively by RCA engineers at great expense. The final iteration was implemented in the RCA KU3A. You could consider that mic the final evolution of the 77 series. Generally speaking, ribbon mics were basically abandoned after that point for approximately 30 years or more.
Most companies do not trouble themselves with unidirectional ribbon mics(AEA is the exception). Most ribbon mics are figure-of-8 pattern, and they catch whatever reflected frequencies that come back to the ribbon. So you usually take the bad with good there, it's inherent in the design. In a good sounding room with certain instruments it's not a problem, and often it is a benefit. Generally for dialog on television and movie stages, you'd be looking for something directional, which is where these small unidirectional ribbons excel(BK-5, 77, KU3).
So in short, most of the companies do nothing to reduce figure 8 polar pattern. They just sell them as a figure-8 mic and give you pointers on how to best use it.
Where are the cricut files and assembly drawings?
This one was a labor of love. I designed the entire thing around the ribbon, since the magnet technology has changed so much since the 60's. I decided not to post the files(for a variety of reasons), but if you take notes in the video you can pretty much recreate one with photoshop and the cricut software. I don't recall the exact ribbon size, but it's about 1" long. Design a ribbon motor around a thin ribbon like that and just put together a mic body like in the video. As long as you get remotely close to the sizes and shapes, it will sound great. Nothing has to be critically sized, except that the ribbon you cut should exactly match the gap of the motor.
This is an “exhaust pipe” to bleed off extra sound or reflective sound…?
Yes, exactly. By giving the sound somewhere else to travel to , it keeps it from bouncing back to the ribbon and either cancelling itself out(phase-cancelling) or creating a "pressure diaphram"(omni-directional). The original 77DX had an omni-directional setting, by blocking off the pipe directly behind the ribbon.
Without the pipe, sound would bounce off from walls and be picked up by the ribbon again. Not necessarily a bad thing, most ribbon mics are designed with no back side. They pick up equally from both sides(figure-of-8).
What kind of labyrinth have you created? Certainly not the magic kind with puppets and macho rock stars.
😆😆 Community Represent!
Great build! How many hours do you think it took?
Thanks! Oh wow, I don't know, maybe like 50 hours? Not including research, testing and video taping of course! Reverse engineering that labyrinth from photographs was a (fun) challenge!
DIY trypophobia
yeah, actually i need to change that thumbnail!
@@FrankOlsonTwins yep :D but the video is great nonetheless!