You could easily extend this to 8 capsules ? You would need to redo the design for the capsule mounts ? I would probably go to 16mm capsules if I were to do that to keep them closer.? Best Regards,
Jules Ryckebusch?
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On Mar 4, 2024, at 09:36, Mark Day <neowalla@...> wrote:
?Jules devised the AmbiAlice for his Instructable so he can advise, but I suppose since his design uses the "Simple P48" circuit, I suppose you could use 8 conductor tube microphone cable, maybe? You would never be able to fit all those resistors and capacitors into an XLR though so you would have to make a little break out box. Also of course you would have to design your own capsule holder to hold the 8 capsules in whatever configuration they are for 2nd order ambisonics. Pretty much entirely new design from the ground up!
On a side note, I inquired here recently about utilizing dual diaphragm LDC capsules into some form of LDC ambisonic microphone. Maybe you can get 2nd order ambisonic with 4 capsules?
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Jules devised the AmbiAlice for his Instructable so he can advise, but I suppose since his design uses the "Simple P48" circuit, I suppose you could use 8 conductor tube microphone cable, maybe? You would never be able to fit all those resistors and capacitors into an XLR though so you would have to make a little break out box. Also of course you would have to design your own capsule holder to hold the 8 capsules in whatever configuration they are for 2nd order ambisonics. Pretty much entirely new design from the ground up!
On a side note, I inquired here recently about utilizing dual diaphragm LDC capsules into some form of LDC ambisonic microphone. Maybe you can get 2nd order ambisonic with 4 capsules?
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Re: Top secret Earthworks M50 capsule, or the Thunder Capsule!
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Re: Bamboo housing for nature recordings
Thanks, Jules! Before ordering, I searched the Micbuilder Group on this topic and found a lot of useful information on capsule soldering. Many thanks!
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On Sat, Mar 2, 2024 at 10:00 PM, Jules Ryckebusch wrote:
That is good solder. I use the same except water based flux.
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Re: Top secret Earthworks M50 capsule, or the Thunder Capsule!
Of late I have been recording all my nature ambience in surround or ambisonic
What Ambisonic mike are you using?
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Re: Bamboo housing for nature recordings
That is good solder. I use the same except water based flux.
On Sat, Mar 2, 2024 at 04:44 PM, underwood wrote:
There is also low temperature solder, that avoids themal?stress.
Many thanks for your advice!
For soldering I used a No-Clean Flux Core Solder, 63/37 with a melting point/range of 184 C (363 F). Do you think this is OK or would it be better to use a different one?
-- Best Regards,
Jules Ryckebusch
214 399 0931
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Re: Bamboo housing for nature recordings
On Sat, Mar 2, 2024 at 04:44 PM, underwood wrote:
There is also low temperature solder, that avoids themal?stress.
Many thanks for your advice! For soldering I used a No-Clean Flux Core Solder, 63/37 with a melting point/range of 184 C (363 F). Do you think this is OK or would it be better to use a different one?
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Re: Bamboo housing for nature recordings
There is also low temperature solder, that avoids themal?stress.
On Sat, Mar 2, 2024 at 02:12 AM, kennjava wrote:
yeah... with most electret capsules, you really have to avoid any kind of physical stress on those tiny solder-pads. It doesn't take much force at all to tear the metal pads off.?
Many thanks for your advice! I think my soldering technique lacks better preparation and more professional execution. Next time I'll be more careful. To avoid thermal damage of the capsule a friend of mine milled a heatsink out of aluminum. Many thanks! I hope it will help!?
Nice bamboo housings!
If one has access to bamboo, making the housing isn't all that difficult.
The housings are made from bamboo roots that I collected from a grove that was cut down at a nearby riverbed two years ago.
To remove the oil from the roots and to make it less susceptible to insects and mold, I did a heat treatment and sanded the roots at the ends. That¡¯s why they are looking slightly burned, which I like. The roots are very strong. I drilled a hole the size of the microphone cable on one side and another the size of the capsule on the other. Then I pushed the cable through, soldered the capsule and pulled the capsule slowly back into the prepared hole. Even without gluing, the microphone cable sits quite tight. The capsule is also not glued to the housing for the time being. But I glued the cable ends to the capsule surface, as described in .
Now I'm looking forward to taking some test recordings. :-)
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Re: Bamboo housing for nature recordings
On Sat, Mar 2, 2024 at 02:12 AM, kennjava wrote:
yeah... with most electret capsules, you really have to avoid any kind of physical stress on those tiny solder-pads. It doesn't take much force at all to tear the metal pads off.?
Many thanks for your advice! I think my soldering technique lacks better preparation and more professional execution. Next time I'll be more careful. To avoid thermal damage of the capsule a friend of mine milled a heatsink out of aluminum. Many thanks! I hope it will help!?
Nice bamboo housings!
If one has access to bamboo, making the housing isn't all that difficult.
The housings are made from bamboo roots that I collected from a grove that was cut down at a nearby riverbed two years ago.
To remove the oil from the roots and to make it less susceptible to insects and mold, I did a heat treatment and sanded the roots at the ends. That¡¯s why they are looking slightly burned, which I like. The roots are very strong. I drilled a hole the size of the microphone cable on one side and another the size of the capsule on the other. Then I pushed the cable through, soldered the capsule and pulled the capsule slowly back into the prepared hole. Even without gluing, the microphone cable sits quite tight. The capsule is also not glued to the housing for the time being. But I glued the cable ends to the capsule surface, as described in .
Now I'm looking forward to taking some test recordings. :-)
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Re: Bamboo housing for nature recordings
On Thu, Feb 29, 2024 at 09:13 PM, Heinz wrote:
I damaged two PUIs by slightly bending the wires away from the capsule surface.
yeah... with most electret capsules, you really have to avoid any kind of physical stress on those tiny solder-pads. It doesn't take much force at all to tear the metal pads off. For that thickness of mic wire, you need to trim up the ends carefully and solder those exactly where they need to be (no post-soldering bending!). Or preferably, solder some short lengths of thin, very flexible stranded wire to the capsules, then join the thin wires to your heavier wires. The thin wires are also easier to solder quickly to the capsule, so less risk of thermal damage to the capsule FET. I've had good results so far with cheap fuzzy lav windscreens, but I haven't yet tested in heavier winds. I might try a combo of foam lav windscreens with a fuzzy on top of that. Nice bamboo housings!
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Re: Top secret Earthworks M50 capsule, or the Thunder Capsule!
He says his mic of choice for thunderstorms is the Sennheiser MKH8040, in X-Y and ORTF positions.
Directional mikes, ie Fig-8s or Cardioids are inherently limited in LF response .. as are most (all?) LDCs.? I have a list of the best Fig-8s & Cardioids for LF response in my Files\Readme. The most extended are the Calrec Soundfields & Core-Sound TetraMic cos I cheat.? The last 'true' Soundfield was the ST450.? All after that had LF worse than AKG C414 or Neumann U87 A Fig-8 with real extension below 30Hz, will show ULF proximity .. where a far off lightning display will make your meters go wild .. even when you don't hear anything with your Mk1 omni ears.? And that's even with the 30dB/8ve LF filters on the Soundfield & TetraMic
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Re: Bamboo housing for nature recordings
I tried some bamboo housings for (Many thanks to everyone for the useful hints and tips!). But I'm far from creating a SASS design yet. The sensitivity of the AOM 5024L is impressive. I have to get used to getting the settings right and to find a good recording spot. For the SimpleP48 version I will give it a try to let the capsule float free inside a bamboo housing. During testing, I damaged two PUIs by slightly bending the wires away from the capsule surface. A contact has been loosened. A beginner's mistake? :-) For the PiP version I ordered and tried some tiny wind shields but I'm not convinced. Maybe the felted wool wind screens from Helena would suit better.   
I'll keep you updated.
Many thanks!
?
Heinz
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I recently found the Ambi Alice project and I was wondering if it could be adapted with a ?8 capsule mount for 2nd order ambisonic
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Re: Top secret Earthworks M50 capsule, or the Thunder Capsule!
Done that many times.....
My son inherited my H1n. I had to remind him of that a couple times already.
I also recorded that storm; all half hour of it that we got in Windsor. I used my H2n in surround mode. Of late I have been recording all my nature ambience in surround or ambisonic. That is why I was looking at something to pick up the really low frequencies; for the sub channel, or maybe as has been suggested above, those couch shaker things ;)
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Re: Top secret Earthworks M50 capsule, or the Thunder Capsule!
Should anyone be planning a safari in Kenya anytime in the future, I encourage you to bring along equipment for the trip. During rainy seasons (typically October/November) the thunderstorms along the Rift Valley were the most awe-inspiring I have ever heard. As you descend from Nairobi, into the Valley, if a storm whips up, the sounds of thunder cracks are broadcast funders of miles around the valley, which is largely uninterrupted by mountains and other noise-refracting geography. The thunderclap volumes and echoes upon echoes create soundscapes that are totally delicious. How people come here to the northwest coast in BC to storm-watch the Pacific winter storms, the Rift Valley is easily as enjoyable sonically.
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Re: Top secret Earthworks M50 capsule, or the Thunder Capsule!
. (and other sound libraries too). He says his mic of choice for thunderstorms is the Sennheiser MKH8040, in X-Y and ORTF positions.
(Given a lottery win, I might choose 8040s too ;-)? )
Some freak February thunderstorms rolled through the Great Lakes yesterday. I stuck a ZOOM H1n with a fuzzy cover outside for giggles. it wasn't much of a thunderstorm anyway, but I missed the best part of it, due to user error. Pro-tip: don't just push record; verify that the recorder actually starts recording...
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Testing microphones at low frequencies
In a reply to the thread titled "Top secret Earthworks M50 capsule..." I suggested that the low frequency response of?an omnidirectional microphone can be tested by placing the microphone can be tested by placing the microphone inside a small enclosure. It may not be immediately obvious?but the pressure inside a sealed loudspeaker enclosure is very uniform at frequencies below the loudspeaker resonance.When I say uniform, I mean that it is flat from the resonant frequency down to DC. The practical low frequency limit is determined by the time constant of any leaks. The surround of the woofer needs to be rubber. Cloth surrounds leak. Such a test enclosure can also be used to test the distortion and overload performance of microphones because such a system is extremely efficient.
Assume that the volume?displacement is perhaps .1 %. Nominal air pressure is about 101,325 Pascals.If the woofer compresses the air by .1% then that change is 100 Pascals which is 134 dBSPL. That back of the envelope?calculation shows that the sound pressure level inside a woofer enclosure can reach extremely high levels. I've been using this technique for about fifty years and it works extremely well. But for omnis only.
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Re: Top secret Earthworks M50 capsule, or the Thunder Capsule!
When used as I suggested, A woofer in a small enclosure will have extremely uniform response in the range below its resonance. That is to say, perhaps from 100 Hz down to DC.
On Sat, Feb 24, 2024 at 09:27 PM, Scott Helmke wrote:
> assume that loudspeakers and their enclosures will have frequency response variations, just as
> microphones do.
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Thanks for the reply, Scott.? I figured as much.? Unfortunately most folks cannot afford a proper test facility, so one does what what one can with what one has !? ? Happy trails, Old Man.? ?James /K8JHR
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Re: Top secret Earthworks M50 capsule, or the Thunder Capsule!
On Sat, Feb 24, 2024 at 09:27 PM, Scott Helmke wrote: assume that loudspeakers and their enclosures will have frequency response variations, just as
microphones do. ___________________________________________ Thanks for the reply, Scott. I figured as much. Unfortunately most folks cannot afford a proper test facility, so one does what what one can with what one has ! Happy trails, Old Man. James /K8JHR
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Re: Top secret Earthworks M50 capsule, or the Thunder Capsule!
On 2/24/24 18:55, Richards wrote: Sidebar Question ---> How do we know variations in measured frequency response are caused by the variations in microphone frequency response or by variations in speaker reproduction response? Do speakers have uniform, linear frequency response throughout their working frequency range? (A serious question - not trolling for an argument.) James You should assume that loudspeakers will have frequency response variations, just as microphones do. Also just like microphones, the enclosure will have a significant effect on the sound. -Scott -- ---- Scott Helmke ---- scott@... ---- (734) 604-9340 ---- "I have ceased distinguishing between the religious and the secular, for everything is holy" - Joe Henry
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Mark Day
underwood