Not sure how relevant it is in your case but I remember reading that the carbon in carbon microphones often clumped together from moisture in the air when they were stored in people's garages and caused distortion. Putting them in a bag with desiccants in it for a little while and also tapping on it to break up the clumps was two of the solutions I remember.
I've made a couple of lofi mics from newer (I guess 90s) phones. These use electrets which seem to need about 5 volts. You can use a battery in a similar way to your carbon mic, but the circuits ive seen use a capacitor to block the DC. Maybe you could try that. I expect the transformer adds some mojo though! I also found a circuit that allows you to use phantom power - the voltage gets stepped down by a zener diode. Anyway i love your style and im now on the lookout for some old phones ! 😊
Hi , I believe if your want less noise you might try packing the container with foam or cotton batting to kill the distortion. Also try different but denser garbage to mount your mic in. Those light, thin plastic containers are great finger drums. Also, you might try playing your Kazoo into it and see how that sounds:-) Merry Christmas from Fearless Freddy in the Emerald City
@@musicalmiscellany I'm doing my own project, much simpler than yours haha, just wiring the speaker to a guitar jack like you mentioned in the vid, but I found my wires are screwed into the earpiece and have a kind of 'wrench' end on them. When I cut them I found inside they were thready and cottony as well as the copper, so I don't think they're suitable for soldering to the jack :'( Do you perhaps have any advice as to how to move forward? Could I just solder a regular wire to the screw and connect that to the jack? thank you!
@@AFunkyHypnoCat I can't see it but it sounds like your idea is solid. I'd probably just figure out where the wires connect, snip the old ones, and then solder new wires that are easy to strip.
The transformer I used had equal winds on the primary and secondary sides which would keep the signal at unity gain. You could use a different transformer but if it’s not equal winds it would either be boosting or attenuating the signal (depending on which way you orient the transformer).
Thanks for checking it out. There are a number of different mic preamps on the market. Some of them are very pricey but there are many simple ones like the ART RP-series and Klark Teknik series. These are in the $40-70 range. Note: most mic preamps assume you're using an XLR jack so you might need an adapter or two to make it work. It's worth noting that most mixers (even small ones) include a mic preamp, so that might also be an option. The Mackie Mix5 has a great mic preamp and can be used for other things as well (and it sells for about $70). Of course, something like the Klark is a lot more portable opposed to carrying a mixer with you everywhere, so each option has its ups/downs. Good luck.
Carbon Mic..... I THINK phones only use 4 volts.... so 9v might be over driving it..... Idea.... what if you bypassed the transformer, go straight to the element and use "Phantom Power" from a mixing console and see if that might work.
I'm pretty sure phantom power is +48V so if +9V is overdriving it that would definitely be more than it could handle. You'd have to step the power down with a resistor network or something.
Thanks for checking out the video. I have used these kinds of mics from time to time in videos like this one: ua-cam.com/video/O4uejyrzaIY/v-deo.html They work great when you are looking that lofi tone or just wanting something experimental. As for a Giveaway, I am planning something for 5K which is coming up. 😄
Thanks for checking out the video. That knob style is called a Davies 1900. Do an Internet search for "davies 1900 knob" and you'll get dozens of results in lots of different colors. Good luck.
I want to make a mic like this bro, (the vintage phone) but I was wondering about soldering a xlr cable instead of a 1/4 Jack, of course i want to have a volume pot, is this possible? i mean, using a xlr cable
Thanks for checking out the video. You could definitely do that but remember an XLR jack has 3 contacts where a 1/4" mono jack only has 2 (as does the phone mic). If you used XLR, you would have to either: 1) leave the shield contact unused - which may actually result in audible hum - or 2) add some sort of a shield for that third contact. You could get some copper tape and put some of it inside the handset, then solder a wire to the copper. That should do it and it wouldn't be very difficult. It would be a little more work to wire it up XLR but totally possible. Good luck.
@@by.daekeryyy Pretty much. The XLR has 3 contacts (hot, cold, & shield). You'll wire positive to the hot contact, negative to the cold contact, and the copper shield you create to the shield contact (or just leave it open if you want to try that). Good luck.
Not sure how relevant it is in your case but I remember reading that the carbon in carbon microphones often clumped together from moisture in the air when they were stored in people's garages and caused distortion. Putting them in a bag with desiccants in it for a little while and also tapping on it to break up the clumps was two of the solutions I remember.
That's entirely possible. I will try that. Thanks for the tip and for watching.
I've made a couple of lofi mics from newer (I guess 90s) phones. These use electrets which seem to need about 5 volts. You can use a battery in a similar way to your carbon mic, but the circuits ive seen use a capacitor to block the DC. Maybe you could try that. I expect the transformer adds some mojo though! I also found a circuit that allows you to use phantom power - the voltage gets stepped down by a zener diode. Anyway i love your style and im now on the lookout for some old phones ! 😊
Thanks for checking out the video and also for the suggestion. It's fun to repurpose old electronics. I appreciate the support.
Hi , I believe if your want less noise you might try packing the container with foam or cotton batting to kill the distortion. Also try different but denser garbage to mount your mic in. Those light, thin plastic containers are great finger drums. Also, you might try playing your Kazoo into it and see how that sounds:-) Merry Christmas from Fearless Freddy in the Emerald City
Thanks for the suggestions. I may try some insulation inside the container. That makes a lot of sense.
Nice! Probably the most comprehensive diy telephone mic video I've seen
I appreciate that. Thanks for checking it out.
Have you seen Bob Log III's rig where he has a telephone mic integrated with a motorcycle helmet?
I've not... but that sounds awesome! Thanks for watching the vid.
I always wondered how he drank his Boob Scotch with that setup.
That carbon mic is very Jack White! Nice!
Thanks for checking out the video. I really like lofi mics.
Fun stuff! The telephone hold music playing is a nice touch!
I’m glad somebody caught that. Thanks for watching Drew.
loved it!!
Thanks for checking it out.
@@musicalmiscellany I'm doing my own project, much simpler than yours haha, just wiring the speaker to a guitar jack like you mentioned in the vid, but I found my wires are screwed into the earpiece and have a kind of 'wrench' end on them.
When I cut them I found inside they were thready and cottony as well as the copper, so I don't think they're suitable for soldering to the jack :'(
Do you perhaps have any advice as to how to move forward? Could I just solder a regular wire to the screw and connect that to the jack? thank you!
@@AFunkyHypnoCat I can't see it but it sounds like your idea is solid. I'd probably just figure out where the wires connect, snip the old ones, and then solder new wires that are easy to strip.
fun fun
LoFi mics can definitely be a lot of fun.
Love it!! Thanks for sharin3 the process!
Thanks for checking it out. I always make these vids hoping they're helpful to someone. I appreciate the comment.
Muy genial !
Funciona con cualquier transformador de audio ?
The transformer I used had equal winds on the primary and secondary sides which would keep the signal at unity gain. You could use a different transformer but if it’s not equal winds it would either be boosting or attenuating the signal (depending on which way you orient the transformer).
I really like the sound of passive mic! so i put it in my guitar, but signal is pretty weak. What type of preamp I need to make it more powerful?
Thanks for checking it out. There are a number of different mic preamps on the market. Some of them are very pricey but there are many simple ones like the ART RP-series and Klark Teknik series. These are in the $40-70 range. Note: most mic preamps assume you're using an XLR jack so you might need an adapter or two to make it work. It's worth noting that most mixers (even small ones) include a mic preamp, so that might also be an option. The Mackie Mix5 has a great mic preamp and can be used for other things as well (and it sells for about $70). Of course, something like the Klark is a lot more portable opposed to carrying a mixer with you everywhere, so each option has its ups/downs. Good luck.
Carbon Mic..... I THINK phones only use 4 volts.... so 9v might be over driving it..... Idea.... what if you bypassed the transformer, go straight to the element and use "Phantom Power" from a mixing console and see if that might work.
I'm pretty sure phantom power is +48V so if +9V is overdriving it that would definitely be more than it could handle. You'd have to step the power down with a resistor network or something.
Hello do you use these microphones to produce your music? Or is there a give away in the future?
Thanks for checking out the video. I have used these kinds of mics from time to time in videos like this one: ua-cam.com/video/O4uejyrzaIY/v-deo.html
They work great when you are looking that lofi tone or just wanting something experimental. As for a Giveaway, I am planning something for 5K which is coming up. 😄
Now that's what i call recycling 🤣👍
It's always good when we can turn junk into musical instruments.
this is a little late but where do you get a volume knob like the one you used on the passive mic?
Thanks for checking out the video. That knob style is called a Davies 1900. Do an Internet search for "davies 1900 knob" and you'll get dozens of results in lots of different colors. Good luck.
I want to make a mic like this bro, (the vintage phone) but I was wondering about soldering a xlr cable instead of a 1/4 Jack, of course i want to have a volume pot, is this possible? i mean, using a xlr cable
Thanks for checking out the video. You could definitely do that but remember an XLR jack has 3 contacts where a 1/4" mono jack only has 2 (as does the phone mic). If you used XLR, you would have to either: 1) leave the shield contact unused - which may actually result in audible hum - or 2) add some sort of a shield for that third contact. You could get some copper tape and put some of it inside the handset, then solder a wire to the copper. That should do it and it wouldn't be very difficult. It would be a little more work to wire it up XLR but totally possible. Good luck.
Thanks!!! so following your instructions, im gonna use the same diagram you made BUT the conections from the 1/4 now are the xlr cable wires right?
@@by.daekeryyy Pretty much. The XLR has 3 contacts (hot, cold, & shield). You'll wire positive to the hot contact, negative to the cold contact, and the copper shield you create to the shield contact (or just leave it open if you want to try that). Good luck.
can this work with 3.5 mm jack audio
Yes. It would work exactly the same (as long as the 1/8" jack was mono) just drill a smaller hole in the plastic.
corded drill for a corded phone.
I never really thought about it that way but I guess so. Thanks for watching.