New Wide Freq. Mic?
Dan Miller
I've seen ads for this new wide freq. omni mic (OH1, I think) that you
can apparently only get by mail. The frequency range is from 3Hz to
30kHz and the ad claims even though it is beyond the range of human
hearing, it still improves clarity, directionality, etc...
Anyway, has anyone used it, and what do you think?
John La Grou
We tried a pair at symphony rehearsal last week. They're priced fairly.
I like the solid cherry boxes with laser engraved logo.
John
Daniel Maverick Falkoff
>I know nothing about the OH1, but would love to know who makes it and
>where I can get info.
>--scott
I called them (David Blackmer's new company) and got a fax.
They are:
Earthworks Inc
37 Wilton Road
Milford, NH 03055
(603) 654-MICS (6427) fax:(603) 654-6107
Paul J. Stamler
: I know nothing about the OH1, but would love to know who makes it and
: where I can get info.
If I'm not mistaken, the mike being discussed here is actually the OM1,
not the OH1. It's made by Earthworks, Inc., 37 Wilton Rd., Milford,NH
03055; phone # 603-654-6427. Says in the ad that it was designed by David
Blackmer, founder of dbx, and that it's a "new recording microphone that
supercedes [sic] the standard audio bandwidth with accurate frequency
response from 3Hz to 30K". It looks like a measurement capsule of some
kind with a phantom powered electronics section.
Incidentally, Milford was the residence of the great abolitionist
Frederick Douglass, as well as the Hutchinson Family Singers, who toured
the US & Europe as a singing family in the second half of the 19th
century. They were abolitionists (before it was acceptable for white
people to be such), premature feminists and prohibitionists.
Peace.
Paul
Scott Dorsey
>Dan Miller (djmi...@cw-f1.umd.umich.edu) wrote:
>>
>>I've seen ads for this new wide freq. omni mic (OH1, I think) that you
>>can apparently only get by mail. The frequency range is from 3Hz to
>>30kHz and the ad claims even though it is beyond the range of human
>>hearing, it still improves clarity, directionality, etc...
>>
>>Anyway, has anyone used it, and what do you think?
>>
>
>range of 5hz-100khz. Not that this has anything to do with your post,
>but there are certainly people in this forum that have knowledge of mics
>that have a much wider range than the one you mention.
Yes, Josephson sells a beast which is a measurement capsule grafted on to
a recording-style preamplifier, with a switcher to get the 200V polarization
supply from the phantom source. I kind of like it.
However, there are plenty of measurement mikes out there if you don't mind
the unbalanced output. I use a 1" B&K capsule which is good from 2 Hz to
about 20 KHz, or a 1/2" B&K which goes up to about 35 KHz flat, at the
expense of the noise floor.
The bass response of the measurement capsules is amazing. The noise
performance of some of the preamplifiers used with them is not so amazing.
The bad news is you get no response other than omnidirectionality. This
may or may not be a problem depending on your philosophy of life.
I know nothing about the OH1, but would love to know who makes it and
where I can get info.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
David Josephson
>Scott Dorsey (klu...@netcom.com) wrote:
>: I know nothing about the OH1, but would love to know who makes it and
>: where I can get info.
>If I'm not mistaken, the mike being discussed here is actually the OM1,
>not the OH1. It's made by Earthworks, Inc., 37 Wilton Rd., Milford,NH
>03055; phone # 603-654-6427. Says in the ad that it was designed by David
>Blackmer, founder of dbx, and that it's a "new recording microphone that
Yes... I saw it at the AES (they brought it by my booth). For $295
(intro price) it's a fair deal. It is a Panasonic WM-06x series
capsule equalized about flat, mounted in a turned stainless steel
housing, driving a phantom balanced line somehow, which is a good
start except that it's a little noisy for practical recording use. They
claim 27 dB(A), my results with that capsule range from 27 to 30. The
capsule resonant frequency varies from 24 to 28 kHz depending on
manufacturing conditions, so it's possible to get response out to
30 kHz without too much difficulty. My C550 measurement mic series uses
this capsule too, but mounted in a 1/2" diameter (actually 0.520" to
match the ANSI standard) head assembly so it will fit "half inch" standard
microphone calibrators -- therefore the OM1 and any other such device
with a smaller cross-section will be more omnidirectional and have a
flatter phase response than my C550. (So I now make a C525 that is
the same capsule, in a small housing connected by a detachable pigtail
to the amplifier for those applications where maximum omnidirectionality
is desired). Everybody who uses this capsule including Earthworks,
Core Sound, and me, does something proprietary to improve the stability
and dynamic range of the system. A little thought about the physics
and electronics will give some clues as to what these mods are.
Bottom line is it's still too noisy for many applications, but a
Panasonic capsule properly treated is a valid audio tool and works
well in lots of applications.
--
Josephson Engineering