jnorem
565 posts
Sep 27, 2014
4:41 PM
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One of my harp mics is extremely sensitive to touching or handling. Even the cable connected to it makes noise when its touched or moved about the floor. When the cable hits the floor a loud click sound comes through the speakers. Just breathing on the mic makes a wind noise through the amp.
I've ruled out the cable, so that leaves two components: the mic and the amp. If the same cable connected to a different mic doesn't cause any problems then I think it's clear that it's the mic causing the unwanted noise. It's a microphonic mic!
Has anyone here encountered this before, and if so, what did you do to correct it?
I should add that the microphone isn't ringing at a certain pitch, instead it seems to be amplifying any touching or handling on the body or the cable.
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Call me J
Last Edited by jnorem on Sep 27, 2014 4:42 PM
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atty1chgo
1152 posts
Sep 27, 2014
4:45 PM
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Is the question as to what make and model of microphone you are complaining about irrelevant? Please tell us who the culprit is, and the amp if you please? Thanks.
Last Edited by atty1chgo on Sep 27, 2014 4:52 PM
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jnorem
566 posts
Sep 27, 2014
4:49 PM
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I'm sorry, atty, it's an Astatic T3 with a Shure CM element. It's a lovely thing to look at and hold, and it sounds great, but the slightest touch on it is broadcast through the speakers.
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Call me J
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didjcripey
823 posts
Sep 28, 2014
6:26 AM
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Was it like that when you first got it, or is it something that has just happened?
Sounds like its just a sensitive mic, except for your reference to the cable making a click when it touches the floor. Never heard of that before.
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Lucky Lester
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Barley Nectar
534 posts
Sep 28, 2014
12:23 PM
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Well, you said it's not the cable but I had a Shure 520DX that was the same. On those the cable is hard wired. The cable was a cheep POS so I replaced it with good mic cable. Noise GONE!
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jnorem
567 posts
Sep 28, 2014
1:12 PM
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It's the mic, alright, it does the same thing with different cables and different amplifiers. I've never seen anything like it.
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Call me J
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Harpaholic
542 posts
Sep 28, 2014
7:31 PM
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J, it seems your T3 may not have enough mass for your overly sensitive CM. Is the correct gasket for a CM in a T3 installed? Properly?
Does the mic have a grille cloth/silk?
Do you have a JT or Shure bullet you can try that CM in?
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1847
2263 posts
Sep 28, 2014
7:59 PM
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its more like a liver transplant
where the body rejects the organ
it is the mic's way of saying no!
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jnorem
570 posts
Sep 28, 2014
9:08 PM
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@Harpaholic: the person who put the element in is a highly regarded mic mechanic. And he's baffled too.
It's weird. Just looking at this mic causes noise, almost. I've never seen anything this hot and sensitive.
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Call me J
Last Edited by jnorem on Sep 28, 2014 9:08 PM
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Harpaholic
545 posts
Sep 29, 2014
7:26 AM
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Still sounds like the gasket to me? What you describe is the CM is not isolated from the shell, kind of like using a gasket made out of wood.
Last Edited by Harpaholic on Sep 29, 2014 7:27 AM
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Bilzharp
25 posts
Sep 29, 2014
7:40 AM
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Does this mic have a volume pot? Perhaps the back of the CM element is touching the volume pot, acoustically coupling it to the shell.
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barbequebob
2720 posts
Sep 29, 2014
11:26 AM
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Here's something you may not have considered. If the volume you've set the mic or the amp at is too loud, it will be prone to things like that and doesn't matter what kind of mic you're using because I've had that happen to me when either the amp or the volume control is set too high to begin with.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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Greg Heumann
2842 posts
Sep 29, 2014
1:37 PM
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I built the mic. Harpaholic's guess is about as good as I can come up with. Jnorem is trying a few things I suggested and then he will send the mic back to me if those don't work. We'll get it. There's precious little room inside a T3 with a proper gasket (which it has) - but it is possible on assembly the element got tilted in the gasket and it leaning on something. Also - some CM's are just extremely mechanically conductive - if that's the case I will replace the element.
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***************************************************
/Greg
BlowsMeAway Productions
See my Customer Mics album on Facebook
Bluestate on iTunes
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jnorem
573 posts
Sep 29, 2014
7:53 PM
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Greg's been great throughout this process, and I highly recommend it to everyone. I didn't mention him because I didn't think it was my place to, but for the record he upgraded my JT30 and it's now the next-to-the-greatest-sounding harp mic I've ever had. The greatest sounding is the T3, which also happens to be microphonic.
I was going to take it to my amp tech today, but I seem to have caught something so I stayed in all day.
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Call me J
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