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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! > Can this mic be fitted with an sm57 cartridge?
Can this mic be fitted with an sm57 cartridge?
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FreeWilly
277 posts
Jul 18, 2012
2:05 AM
I have a very cool mic from '68 (national WM-312) with a very nice shape to hold. I like it's tone, but it's a bit limited and the output is rather low, and I think I might get tired of it one day. Question: is it possible to retrofit a sm57 cartridge in this shell? The shape of the mic is like a RE-10 (with vents), just a bit bigger and without the curvature (it has a grill much like a bullet, surrounded by metal). This site contains a picture of it.

http://www.google.nl/imgres?hl=nl&client=opera&hs=zyl&sa=X&rls=de&channel=suggest&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=eOcWEGg8YMRnDM:&imgrefurl=http://www.speurders.nl/overzicht/muziekinstrumenten/microfoons/microfoon-national-wm-312-101586594.html&docid=giWDXX-diun1DM&itg=1&imgurl=http://images4.images-speurders.nl/images/10/1015/101586594_1.jpg&w=320&h=320&ei=0XoGUJSAMIjZsgaFwr2VBg&zoom=1&biw=1109&bih=676


I would be interested somewhere down the line to have this thing with a sm 57 cartridge, an xlr and a volume pot. It now has a fixed cable with a possibility to switch 'hi' or low Z at the phone-plug by changing a screw.

So in conclusion, I have four questions:
1) can this be fitted with a sm 57 cartridge?
2) do you get a distortion from cupping that without covering the vents in the head?
3) could that be made to be xlr (with volume pot or inline-volume)?
4) what $$$ would I be looking at?

Advantage over a sm ultimate would be that this won't rattle and is easier to cup because of the thicker head! And it looks killer in person. Nice stirdy metal with a cool color.

Thanks so much in advance for any answers/tips!
jbone
1003 posts
Jul 18, 2012
3:57 AM
Greg Heumann is the man to talk to on this.

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Last Edited by on Jul 18, 2012 3:58 AM
Greg Heumann
1703 posts
Jul 18, 2012
8:41 AM
Hi - microphones are engineered with precision - and clearances between parts measured in thousandths of inches. Could this conversion be done? I doubt it but the only way to know for sure is to have access to both mics and potentially destroy each in the engineering process. No matter what it would be very expensive in terms of time and would likely be very expensive.

I don't understand your comment "Advantage over a sm ultimate would be that this won't rattle and is easier to cup because of the thicker head!"

I have solutions for the SM57 head rattle - I no longer push the "grill lock" option (which works but has some downsides) - instead I use a trick I learned more recently which is simply to shove some tiny pieces of foam up under the grill. No rattle. And if you want a bigger head size, that's what the Bulletizer is for.

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/Greg

BlowsMeAway Productions
See my Customer Mics album on Facebook
BlueState - my band
Bluestate on iTunes
FreeWilly
278 posts
Jul 18, 2012
9:26 AM
Ok, so much for that idea :) Thanks for the answer mr. Heumann.

I would have one more question if you would be so nice to answer it: do the mentioned difficulties pertain to the option of converting to xlr as well? The mic can be switched to low-z already, so am I right in assuming that that would be a relatively 'easy' thing (as in: sawing the end of of the mic, soldering the right wires and somehow fixing a xlr-thing onto it)? One problem I can think of is converting to a balanced signal, but does that take up too much space for a small mic-barrel?

I know literally nothing about mics, and I understand that this would require a lot of improvisation and skill, which I would appreciate very much. This in combination with an in-line VC and a Z adapter would however make the mic almost perfect, which would be pretty cool.
atty1chgo
404 posts
Jul 18, 2012
9:50 AM
There are also Electrovoice elements which may fit. Perhaps from an EV 660 which has much the same specs (size of element as well as performance) as an RE-10 and much cheaper to buy the whole mic and cannibalize. The sizes of the EV 660 as well as the EV631 elements are comparable, but Greg is right. One needs to really size them side by side and measure well prior to destroying it with nothing to show for it.
Greg Heumann
1704 posts
Jul 18, 2012
10:15 AM
@Freewilly:

You'r spending SO much energy on a mic that will end up longer, heavier and more expensive than an Ultimate 57!

"and somehow fixing a xlr-thing onto it" - means carefully machining off the end - you can't possibly saw straight enough to get a perfect edge - then potentially machining the inside of the bore to a very round, known diameter and finally machining down an XLR connector for a tight fit into that end. I do that stuff all the time, but it isn't trivial (and I charge $55 in most cases to do it. )

Add an inline volume control and now it is very long. The length is as important or more so than the weight in terms of holding comfort - the longer the lever, the more torque there is on your grip.

I'm assuming when you say that mic is switchable between high and low impedance that both signals are present in the cable and therefore changing to a stereo 1/4" plug is the way you get balanced low impedance signal. If that is so, then wiring up the connector is no big deal. Note that with an Ultimate mic it is NOT field convertible from high to low impedance, as the volume control circuit is entirely different for one or the other. Seriously (and I'm not just saying this because its my product) - what you WANT is an Ultimate 57!

$30? Your mic
95 donor SM57
39 build 57 guts into mic (MINIMUM, I'm being kind here)
55 convert to XLR connector
65 XLR volume control
----
$284

$219 Ultimate 57

Will be shorter, lighter and have better resale value.


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/Greg

BlowsMeAway Productions
See my Customer Mics album on Facebook
BlueState - my band
Bluestate on iTunes
FreeWilly
280 posts
Jul 18, 2012
10:30 AM
Thanks for the input atty1chgo.

And thanks for investing the energy in answering my question mr. Heumann. You even gave me an idea of costs. Pretty much 120 dollars plus shipping across the pond twice for only the xlr thing.. That is indeed a lot of money (sounds like a totally fair price though, not meaning to say it's expensive). And if the element dies..

Nice to know it would theoretically be possible though. Thanks. I'll reset my goal towards the ultimate side of things. Need to save up the $$ though. Speak to you then ;)

Last Edited by on Jul 18, 2012 10:32 AM


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