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Post by phrazemaster on Sept 12, 2015 2:01:17 GMT -6
Such an interesting post, thanks Cary, thanks guys. I can't even begin to describe my life and how I landed where I am. I've had ten lifetimes worth of surgeries, broken bones, pain, suffering and loss, and I've thought about it from every angle. Hell, I've actually died twice and came back. Eventually, it comes down to the task your spirit is engaged in, and if it takes such things to awaken you, that's how it goes. Every terrible thing I've endured came with a gift. In the end, all you take with you is the way you've treated others. I can't reveal everything just yet, but there was a moment, after 3 major, and I mean MAJOR surgeries in a 48 hour period, where I felt myself passing away, I'd surrendered to my situation, and surprisingly, my conscience was clear. At that precise second, I willed myself to stand up, although it was physically supposed to be impossible, and decided to pull myself along the wall or crawl along the floor of the hospital to go to the bathroom. In that split second, I felt I wasn't done yet, and it was the unfinished music that was my primary motivation to survive. It took twelve years to fully recover, and I was forced to leave my musical career behind. During that time, I taught music to children. I believe a few of them will be future movers and shakers of the world. I live in Manhattan, and many of the kids I've taught were from the most prominent families, and were clearly being groomed for big things. I feel my contribution to those children might make a difference in how they behave when they're adults, and in charge of things. Had I not survived, I never would have ridden a Harley Davidson, seen an American eagle in flight, met my lovely wife, rescued the most beautiful puppy in the world, written any of the songs you've all heard, or shared a note with so many of the wonderful and talented musicians here. I've come to understand that my spirit needs to overcome my desire to avoid judgement and being seen, and just put my work out there. The support and help I've received from so many of you has been a big part of my finding my way through, so thanks guys. Oh, and Cary, try not to worry too much, you're great knowledge of audio engineering and music, and your willingness to help others will carry you through. Martin, man, you're nothing short of amazing!! Brought tears, and touched me deeply. Thanks for your guts. This is such a great forum!!! I feel a deep connection with you gents. Thank-you all. My buddy had a heart attack and died. He "went to heaven" and had one of those NDE's you hear about. Met "the man" etc. After lengthy discussions with angel guides "up there," he asked what was the most important thing he could do to live this life successfully. He was told one thing: "Live in love." This cat is the kindest, funniest, most awesome guy you'd ever meet, and I'm privileged to call him best buddy. He's 76 years young, but he's got more life in him than most people I know. And he's ALWAYS ALWAYS doing something special for someone, for no reason other than to fill a need, help someone out, or brighten someone's day. I wanna be like him. Thanks, my 3rd addendum to this awesome thread, and forum. Mike
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Post by phrazemaster on Sept 12, 2015 1:55:03 GMT -6
I committed to weekly meetings with my social worker who is a hell of a good guy. We are kind of friends because he helped me and my ex thru several hard situations (breakdown while i was self-employed, break-up with my ex that was more like a divorce after 14 yrs. of loving partnership, going thru all the disappointment when i was retired from my job mostly against my will...).... There are several personal real-world problems that stacked up during the last years and especially this year, which might have lead to a deeper depression that i did not realize before this switch. This guy will coach me to get thru the worst so i hopefully get out of this better than i went into it... Uh, you see, i am still a bit tooooo optimistic right now after my first cup of coffee, so mania is still there but just a bit dampened. But hopefully on a good way. To everyone in strange situations and crazy states of mind - get help early. Can't stress this too much. If i had no clue whom to contact i maybe would be largely over the top already, creating a new business out of nothing, constituting a political party or telling everyone about how to achieve global peace and happiness... (Not that these are bad things generally, but they are if they are founded on an ill state of mind...) don't fret too hard after your coffee, i often feel i can conquer the world after my second cup! It's only at the end of the day when i realize what a silly little man i am! 8) not making light of your situation at all small, glad you seem to have a great understanding of the onset, and you nip it in the bud when you see it, it takes a very smart person with an ability to not bullshit thyself, to accomplish that!(btw, i've said for years, ever since i adjusted a compressor for a 1/2 hour that was in BYPASS MODE, that "the hardest thing to do in life is to not bullshit thyself", I continue to stand by that statement 8) Tony man you crack me up!! 1/2 hour adjusting a bypassed comp!! I only laugh so hard because I'm quite certain I would've spent an hour at it myself!!
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Post by phrazemaster on Sept 12, 2015 1:42:22 GMT -6
And by they way thanks everyone for the naked honesty and truthful sharing. It's a breath of fresh air to hear real people talking about real stuff, and not just trying to make themselves look good. We all walk around with masks on, including me. It's great to take them off.
Thanks.
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Post by phrazemaster on Sept 12, 2015 1:30:18 GMT -6
I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure all creatives are tormented. How could we not be? We are given the task of examining the human condition under a microscope. That's an ugly business. It might even be true that the greater the creative, the more the torment. Insert any name you wish here. Hemingway comes to mind for me. No one on this site is alone in these feelings. We ALL have them. I've often wished that I had been born without the need to create art. Those that are born without this need are the lucky ones in my estimation. Very, very well stated. Thank-you. And this thread is beautiful; thx to the OP for that too. I used to try so hard to be liked, loved, accepted. The harder I tried, the less people cared. I gave up. I used to write "great music" and songs to try to get people to appreciate me. That never worked either. Then I kind of got to a place where I don't really give a sh*t about making music as an ego thing anymore, and even I feel sometimes like, "why bother." Maybe that's depression, I don't know, feels like it. I guess I'm trying to say, it's important as artists to have a supportive audience. I can write "great music" as an exercise or mental masturbation, but ultimately my greatest pleasure is when others enjoy it with me. I read once, "why did God make people." - Not because "he" was lonely - but because he wanted to share. I totally agree with this idea, and I think it's what drives me. I could give a rat's @ss about recognition, but I do want to feel that what I create has value and brings joy and healing and goodness to others' lives. This Sunday a local church is going to perform a choir piece I wrote many years ago. A lady there wants to publicly acknowledge me as the composer, etc, and I feel funny about it. I'd really rather just know that people enjoyed it and it meant something to them personally, rather than being on a stage and getting kudos. Also, I finally realized something about others that had puzzled me my whole life. I used to write a song, and share it with someone. In my head, the sound was UNBELIEVABLE, over the top, amazeballs. The sounds themselves magnify in some mysterious way, and a note is more than just a note. A chord more than a chord, a phrase more than a phrase. ***IN MY HEAD!*** I could never understand why I would share such amazing music with others and they would typically respond with, "um, yeah, that's nice." Or better yet, " ". So I got to the place where I realized that myself, and likely many other music guys such as yourselves, probably have extra circuitry in the brain that magnifies and amplifies the experience of music much more deeply than others can experience it. So I quite literally "hear" and experience much more when I hear music than most (as do many of you I'm sure!). I can't play music and do ANYTHING else. The music sucks all my attention, whether I want it to or not. I used to hear my buddies in high school tell me they would do their homework whilst listening to the radio. NOT ME! Again, it sucks all my attention, helplessly, away from whatever it is I'm doing. When I was in my teens, I'll never forget waking up one night in the middle of the night and quite literally "hearing" instruments playing, very plainly and loudly, in my head. I knew it was only in my head, but I also knew it wasn't quite normal. Anyway, y'all touched a nerve so this is my gift, my honest sharing with you too. Basically I'm a tortured soul, like many here, desperately trying to create a life that feels good. I just want peace gang. I find it vicariously through DIY sometimes lately. Thanks for the chance to vent. Mike PS I'm def OCD. Dunno about bipolar but def have had a lot of terrible mood swings all my life. I did discover that foods can cause it. Case in point, chocolate is horrible for me. I've also read how many people are badly affected by the stuff. Still others rave about how great it is, that it's a mood lifter etc. Well, at least for some people, it depletes serotonin levels worse than prior to having it. This quite literally causes depression. And you can seriously get addicted to chocolate. Sometimes I have to have it every day. But when I avoid it for a few days, to a few weeks, my whole life feels smoother and I'm calmer. I don't even miss it. This is a reminder to stop eating it! Boo. Hiss. Carry on. PPS I read a study wherein they took a bunch of the "worst" mental patients and fasted them on water for several days. Fully half of them returned to normalcy just by avoiding foods that were exacerbating their conditions. Something to think about, and look into.
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Post by phrazemaster on Sept 11, 2015 13:40:08 GMT -6
I have an MP66 myself, that I built, and it's lovely!! Can't speak to the rack mount version though. I do have a lot of other gear of his, including his STS (Stereo Tape Simulator) and it's really good too!!
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Post by phrazemaster on Sept 10, 2015 22:03:11 GMT -6
Thanks Cat5!! I'm tempted by the Neumann; I greatly appreciate the info. I just posted a link to some sound files of my recently born M49 clone. Not sure how to add the link here, but I'll just copy/paste it. Opinions welcome. Yeah that's me crooning realgearonline.com/thread/3987/diy-vocal-samples-noise-floor
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Post by phrazemaster on Sept 10, 2015 21:58:21 GMT -6
Hi y'all, Here's a link to some soundcloud files tests of my recently born DIY M49. She's got a real AC701K (that's got a bit of noise to it), a sneesby K7, and premium caps and electronics. I used Texas Components Vishay Bulk Foil resistors wherever I could, Shinkoh resistors, Ohmcraft premium high meg resistors for the high-Z section, and ALL polystyrene caps in the mic! I've been burning her in for a week, and I have found she's gotten smoother and much more musical over time...I can only imagine how she'll sound after a bit more break in! Just wanted some feedback/opinions...is this quiet enough to call done, or would the noise factor prevent you from using this mic? Also, what do you think of the sound? Best, Mike M49 Test
EDIT: Chain - DIYM49 -->SoundSkulptor MP73-->Lavry Blue-->Sonar X3. Reverb plugin Lexicon, plus SoundSkulptor Stereo Tape Simulator
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Post by phrazemaster on Sept 10, 2015 19:45:33 GMT -6
Great ideas Tony! Yeah too bad I've spent 9 MONTHS on this PSU! I've built it twice. I'm OCD about solder joints too, so may not be the issue. The noise floor went drastically down with the redo, but it's still "just enough" to irritate...I have to really think if I've got it in my to tear it apart again...even reflowing all joints is a PITA after all this... What would be really telling is if anyone has an M49 PSU I can try for 10 minutes...I could eliminate the PSU or know if it's in the mic, pretty quickly...But I do have an AC701K in there, so would have to tweak the heater down to 3.9v (shouldn't take but a minute to do!). Def let's hang sometime; I'd love to see your collection and Robert's, and I'll be glad to share my meager offerings of a U87Ai, modded by Jim Williams first and then by Andreas, as well as my DIY gear too
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Post by phrazemaster on Sept 10, 2015 14:01:03 GMT -6
Awesome thoughts you guys! And I fully divulged of the fantastic shootout Tony and Robert did not that long ago on these capsules; way to go guys!
I'll let you guys know how things progress, and gee it's fantastic to find a gang of dudes who support each other in these builds! I love gdiy but there's a bit of a stigma if you're not a pro; sometimes I post questions that get ignored, or I just don't post because they are too simple. Still cool guys though, and I recognize some of you here from there...
On another note ("Do!"), I had the pleasure of talking to Robert on the phone a few weeks ago; we were going to get together on an M49 build of mine, but it didn't work out. I have a FleA body, and the poctop boards and did an M49b version. The PSU was magnificent! I added a DUAL voltage voltmeter baked right into the front panel, plus a board I had made!
I fired her up and...NOISE!!! Up the ying yang! She was way too complicated. I was amazed I even got all the parts to fit; it was like a Chinese puzzle in that thing!
So I TOTALLY gutted the PSU and redid her just recently - simplified her a lot, but retained the cool functionality. Noise floor is WAY better, but still some low-level hum that sounds like 60Hz, although an analyzer plugin I used showed it's not just 60Hz, but a mixture. Turning off the PSU but still listening to the mic yields the disappearance of the hum, so it's def coming from the wall.
I'm about 95% of the way on that one, but the slight hum bugs me when I try to record.
I have a sneezbeez K7 in her, plus a real AC701K...all premium parts throughout!
If anyone is in the OC SoCal area and has an M49 PSU and a hankering to help me troubleshoot my baby, lemme know!
Thanks again for the friendly welcome and I look forward to knowing you guys better.
Let's all try to stay cool. We're in hades here in SoCal this week!
Best,
Mike
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Post by phrazemaster on Sept 9, 2015 22:53:25 GMT -6
Greetings all, this is my seminal post. I'm a DIY'er for some time now and am currently sinking my teeth into some microphone goodness a la GroupDIY et al.
I've been a lurker for some time and have enjoyed "getting to know you gents" such as it is, vicariously through this crazy medium we call the "web." So, "hey, nice to meetchya!" I'm in Southern CA in the OC.
Just finished, but almost, a Matachung C12 - still waiting on a Tim Campbell special! I actually got on his waiting list! It must be some kinda miracle or something; the guy is so good and in such demand! I'm supposed to get it in about 9-10 weeks from now. All's left is to install the capsule and do the initial powerup; PSU fired up fine and kept its magic smoke!!
I've also got a Max MK-U47 on the way, and trying to decide if I'm gonna go Blueline, or go whole hog and get a real K47/49. On the fence about it, as has been hashed way too much around here, I respect the great Klaus and he seems to feel nothing is as nuanced and musical as a real Neumann cap. But you guys have raved over the Blueline so...dunno...
Incidentally anyone know where to get a K47/49 at a decent price? Only place I've found that sells them is VintageAudio and they want over 1200 bucks for it! Yet I see forum mentions of it being around $800. Where do you go to get that price?
By the way the forum flashes something fierce; it's hard to read sometimes and I'm afraid I might be getting epilepsy.
Last mic in the hopper is a full-blown U47 recreation using a FleA body, and a circuit from Mr. Grosser himself. Using an EF12. I've got a Redline for this one.
I've had the parts for 2-3 years but have been too afraid to even THINK about putting her together but...a few days ago I broke out my stache and realized, "hey, I finally UNDERSTAND this stuff now!" Like it didn't even phase me to figure out transformer windings/hookup, etc! So, for any newbies out there, of which I still very much qualify myself to be, I'm here to say "you WILL grow dude!"
So that's pretty much it for now. Nice to be part of a nice community besides GDIY.
Best,
Mike
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