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Post by mrholmes on Oct 7, 2014 15:09:13 GMT -6
I had one of those cheap china ribbons, one of my first mice before I went to Neumann and Gefell.
Today I just opened the mic to see if it was suffering from ribbon sag, and it did.
I tightened the ribbon tracked my acoustic guitar with it again and the whole mic sounds different.
The bases are more controlled and the top end sounds more open.
But why?
I did not changed the length of the ribbon!
What happens technically tight vs. loose ribbon?
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Post by svart on Oct 7, 2014 15:37:54 GMT -6
Basically, think of a guitar string. If it's very loose, it doesn't sound like anything at all because it's too floppy and loose to vibrate. As you tighten it, it starts to vibrate at a measurable frequency and if you keep tightening it, that frequency will go up until the string either stretches or breaks.
At some point in the middle of the tension, the string will sound good and be the loudest.
The ribbon is not unlike a guitar string in these aspects.
A ribbon in a normal tension will vibrate sympathetically with the sound waves hitting it. The normal tension for a ribbon depends on the material, the thickness, the width, etc. The corrugations on the ribbon allow it to vibrate more easily and to extend itself a little bit to move with lower frequencies.
If the ribbon is too tight, you lose the ability to vibrate with low frequencies.
Usually the better ribbon mic manufacturers have a set resonance frequency where they test the ribbon tension and frequency response. Most of the chinese ones do not, they just put a ribbon on and ship it out.
I hope this makes sense.
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Post by mrholmes on Oct 7, 2014 16:09:05 GMT -6
It makes sense to me thanks! The tight ribbon looks like this, before it made a long bow… forgot to make the before picture… To measure f-res is crazy because the mic was about 80$.  |
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Post by mrholmes on Oct 8, 2014 16:38:01 GMT -6
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Post by svart on Oct 8, 2014 17:55:02 GMT -6
Since most Chinese mics come with a 6mil thick ribbon, the first thing I'd do for more high frequency is to change to a 3mil ribbon. A different transformer might get you more level, and a bit more highs as well.
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Post by mrholmes on Oct 9, 2014 6:48:28 GMT -6
Since most Chinese mics come with a 6mil thick ribbon, the first thing I'd do for more high frequency is to change to a 3mil ribbon. A different transformer might get you more level, and a bit more highs as well. Cool idea I found someone in GB selling 1,8 micron foil. But I do not own a crimper, can I also use a non crimped foil? |
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Post by svart on Oct 9, 2014 7:25:37 GMT -6
Since most Chinese mics come with a 6mil thick ribbon, the first thing I'd do for more high frequency is to change to a 3mil ribbon. A different transformer might get you more level, and a bit more highs as well. Cool idea I found someone in GB selling 1,8 micron foil. But I do not own a crimper, can I also use a non crimped foil? Unfortunately, no, the ribbon must be corrugated to work properly. |
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Post by mrholmes on Oct 9, 2014 9:19:36 GMT -6
So I will build a crimper....
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Post by svart on Oct 9, 2014 9:25:57 GMT -6
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Post by mrholmes on Oct 9, 2014 9:50:59 GMT -6
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Post by tonycamphd on Oct 9, 2014 22:46:31 GMT -6
i use the one in the second pic down on the first link above, i found it to be much easier taking the wheels off the white block, and using them on a flat surface, i also ran 600 grit sand paper between the wheels a bunch of times, i was having a problem with cutting almost all the way through the 1.8 ribbons, i've had ok success doing this myself, but i have to admit that when Mark from Samar re did my mics, they went from mehhh to outstanding. |
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Post by mrholmes on Oct 10, 2014 6:47:46 GMT -6
The hardest part is to find material; the one in GB is sold out.... so now I ask the local goldsmith.
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Post by tonycamphd on Oct 10, 2014 8:27:40 GMT -6
The hardest part is to find material; the one in GB is sold out.... so now I ask the local goldsmith. Try Larry Killip, he's in New Zealand, i got 1.8 ribbon material from him 2 times now. larryk@larrykillip.com |
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