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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! > Suggestions: Modern Harmonica Microphone Elements?
Suggestions: Modern Harmonica Microphone Elements?
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Libertad
165 posts
Oct 19, 2012
4:36 PM
Just a quick question: Are there any modern Microphone elements that are worth looking at for use with Harmonicas (other than the obvious SM57).

Obviously there are a whole load of vintage ones, but I am looking for something that is currently available. Something with a classy tone and smooth predictable overdriven sound when cupped hard.

I have seen iMic suggestions but fancy trying to build something a bit more upmarket.

Thanks

Last Edited by on Oct 19, 2012 4:48 PM
Greg Heumann
1816 posts
Oct 20, 2012
8:26 AM
There are no modern harp mic elements I'm aware of that produce the same kind of tone as vintage elements. Two factors arising from advances in engineering contribute to this:

1) Extended frequency response - it was not uncommon for frequency response of vintage elements to roll off starting at about 6000 Hz. Most modern elements remain linear through much higher frequencies - 10, 12, even 15Khz.

2) Higher headroom: Headroom is the ability to tolerate higher sound pressure levels without distortion. I've never encountered a better example of this than the Audix Fireball. I WANT my mics to respond to higher SPL's (i.e. - cupping) with distortion - because it makes my amp sound good.

People ask "why doesn't someone just reproduce the old elements?" - and the answer is not that it couldn't be done - but that it is prohibitively expensive. The vintage elements we know and love were never made with harmonica players in mind - the market would have been too small even then to justify the investment in tooling required. They were made for the day's best low cost, mass market microphones.

With all that said, some modern elements seem to respond nicely to being overdriven without sounding harsh - and the SM57 is right up there with the best of them.

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/Greg

BlowsMeAway Productions
See my Customer Mics album on Facebook
BlueState - my band
Bluestate on iTunes

Last Edited by on Oct 20, 2012 8:27 AM
Joe_L
2118 posts
Oct 20, 2012
8:32 AM
A 545 is nice. Many older Shure dynamic stick mics rock, too.

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Libertad
167 posts
Oct 20, 2012
10:19 AM
Thanks for your input Greg.....


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