Welcome to Classic Vintage Pro Audio! CVPA specializes in design, manufacturing, and restoration of vintage pro audio equipment from the 1920's - 80's.
Check out the CVPA store at: reverb.com/shop/CVPAudio Check us out on facebook at: facebook.com/CVPAudio
I was originally looking for a nicer, not so drippy spring reverb as the main reverb for my all-analog, recording to tape, home studio (your demo of the AKG BX5 put that unit on my radar), as I thought I'd never be able to fit a plate reverb into my home studio. But this sounds just that much fuller, and combined with the other demo of its unique function as a wet mic (I can only imagine putting this in front of an already dripping guitar amp), this looks to be something worth stretching my budget and making room for, versus just going with the BX5 or XL-305R.
Thanks! If you put in an order before the end of OCT, I'll offer $50 off shipping! This is more versatile than any spring unit I'm aware of, including the BX5, etc - both in near-infinite control of the decay time (you'd be surprised how much a tiny movement of the damper can affect the sound) and overall more HQ (IMO) reverb sound - you can use it on more sources and be happier with the results! It can also be a time-saver to record reverb live as you track using the front sound ports - no fiddling with reverb send EQ unless you really want to in post w/internal drivers! -Richard, CVPA
@@CVPAudio Yeah, I looked up demos of the higher-end AKG BX units and still noticed that boingy sound. The XL-305R and the Micmix Master Room units it's based on are smoother, but the decay is not adjustable. Unfortunately, I'm not ready to buy, I've got quite a bit of gear to sell first before I can afford this.
Thanks! If you put in an order before the end of OCT, I'll offer $50 off shipping! Now that all the new upgrades & improvements to this model are complete (to include a much more robust metal damper system designed specifically for rough international shipping and better sound), I'm about to re-open pre-orders for this model temporarily on Reverb due to recent requests from enthusiastic customers like you! Shipping to Canada can vary greatly depending on location, but a super rough estimate would be around $350USD via UPS w/full insurance on both packages (main plate and PSU/remote/etc). It ships in a heavy wood-reinforced "mini-crate" to protect it from rough shipping and mishandling - costs more to ship but worth it to get a pristine plate! Contact me on Reverb w/your shipping address for a more accurate quote. Follow my shop on Reverb: reverb.com/shop/cvpaudio As a more affordable alternative, consider the brand new PlateMic-S: it has the same plate size and damper as the "flagship" CVPlate you see here - but in a smaller format. Fully insured UPS shipping is $213.42USD to Ottawa, CA. PlateMic-S link: reverb.com/item/85021494
Wow..pure orgasm to my ears, didn't even know these things were still made. Can you kindly tell me what's the difference between this and the one you u have in the ideo uploaded 5 months ago?
Thanks! The older PlateMic video demo was exclusively using the "sound port" method of driving the plate from external sounds during tracking. This video demo is exclusively for the new PlateMic-S "Stereo Driver System" method of driving the plate from its internal drivers only (post-production). I'll be uploading another demo soon of the PlateMic-S using its "sound ports" since it can do both; its very versatile! -Richard, CVPA
It’s a beauty! My National is a 1953 blond MN 1100 very similar. My pick guard is black and the pickup is mounted to the neck, it isn’t cut into the top. I’ve had this guitar every day of my life since my father bought it when I was born in ‘53 and he gave it to me when I was 16. Even have the original hard shell case it came in. Sadly the matching white tube amp he bought with the guitar was sold by my sister without my knowledge. Yeah I still talk to her.
Thank you! That track hasn't been uploaded to soundcloud yet, but it is from my solo/demo band called "Ink Blue Metallic" - you can find other IBM songs at the CVPA and IBM soundcloud links here: soundcloud.com/inkbluemetallic soundcloud.com/cvpaudio
-The Germanium Class-A preamps have a fuzzy/smooth distortion and some high-end rolloff at extreme gain/feedback. -The Silicon Class-A preamps have an agressive distortion and a little less high-end rolloff at extreme gain/feedback. -The Class-A/B preamps have an even more aggressive distortion and very little high-end rolloff at extreme gain/feedback + lower current draw. At low levels of gain, they should all be relatively similar - with that big warm sound from the transformers; when pushed to the extremes they start to sound different. They all have -20dB pads - post-transformer for saturation, so you can push them as hard as you want and still have manageable output levels for your DAW or recording interface. -Richard, CVPA
Sounds amazing! But I'm trying to understand the concept; there are no corded inputs with this unit? It's amplified by monitors and there are no transducers involved? How loud do you need to be to actually get signal from it? Also, is this an entirely new concept that you've invented? Lots of questions, I know! Beautiful sounds though
Thanks! The general concept: external sound waves vibrate the plate through slats/holes in the front (whether from a performer singing or from speakers, etc) - the plate has piezoelectric transducers amplified by the internal JFET preamps - this is all powered via-phantom power from your existing mic preamps. The output level is roughly the same as a high-output condenser or tube mic (depending on source), so it only needs moderate levels of gain to get to line level. It can pickup anything from a whisper to a drum set, depending on how much gain you have available from your preamp. This is the first product I'm aware of that was specifically designed for a compact and lightweight plate to be used as a direct microphone; similar ideas featured spring reverb integrated into a mic. Studio techs have used the EMT 140 in a similar manner, but that product was not inherently designed or patented with that usage case in mind - nor is it convenient, compact, or lightweight;) The PlateMic weighs 22lbs and is the size of a suitcase. -Richard, CVPA
@@CVPAudio Fascinating. I appreciate your thorough answer. I've been eyeing your full sized plate for quite some time now but this is much more attractive considering size/cost limitations. Awesome work!
This demo was recorded to an MCI JH16-24 tape machine, mixed on a Soundtracs Topaz mixer, output recorded w/cellphone add-on interface, then compressed w/LA4s in stereo link mode to a JVC TD-W317 cassette deck. This was only supposed to be a quick demo and was almost lost completely during my studio re-location if I didn't happen to have a phone to record the output before wiping the master tape. Glad you enjoy it though! -Richard, CVPA
@@CVPAudio You have a great sound, i hope you keep working. You've inspired my art, because i try to achieve the older sound of the 70's and so forth. So i constantly come back to this video to stare at the LA4, lol.
Interesting how those old time mics have that fuzzy-soft quality of the sound which is very hard to immitate. No wonder they cost so much today and are still valued.
Man, this is some piece of art right here. All your wiring, presentation and documentation is on point! From a restauration point of view you really nailed the old look combined with new/old parts. Hats off to you sir! :)
Thanks for the compliments! For all future versions, I'll be engraving or silkscreening a custom aluminum (or optionally brass) dial/faceplate based on 1930's PA equipment. -Richard, CVPA
Although my hand-written notes and schematics for my mod are long gone, the info I used can be found here: groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=56053.0 Most of the hard work was figuring out the steps of the rotary switches by making graphs of in vs out gain to see the actual compression curve of various potentiometer positions - and how each control interacts with each other. Then make your own determinations on which settings are most useful. For more info, please consult the groupdiy forum or search the web. Good luck! -Richard, CVPA
A friend found this video while browsing compressors and came upon this gem. 4 years later this song haunts me, in the best way possible. I don’t know anything about you, stranger, but I hope you keep making beautiful music.
Would love a deeper dive into how this mic works. I'm an audio engineer and I just saw one of these pop up on Craigslist and this looks like a rabbit hole I would really like to dive into.
Carbon microphones are big resistors that vary their resistance slightly in response to sound. The Universal model X, an earlier model, had two buttons, each 200 ohms, which seems typical for Universal carbon mics. Each button is, electrically, its own microphone. They called for connecting it with a 1.5-3v battery with negative connected to the casing of the microphoness and ground. Positive is run through a switch into the center tap of the primary side of an audio transformer. The ends of the primary are wired to the buttons of the microphone. The primary has a total impedance of 400 ohms, with 200 to a side to match the microphone. The secondary, with an impedance of 100,000 ohms, is connected to output. Mind you, that secondary impedance was to match the amplifiers in use at that time. You could probably have a unity transformer connected to a modern mixboard because nobody impedance matches microphones anymore. I know it's three years late, but I'm starting down this rabbit hole, myself.
That's the coolest sounding microphone I've ever heard! I dream the day I'd buy one beauty like this, it has a very characteristic tonal character (sorta like the late pre-RIAA 78rpm recordings).
couple questions if you don't mind. What supply voltage are you using for this? I see you have nice power supplies, but I want to do some simple tests on a 600a I'm looking at. How do you know if the carbon has "gone bad" and how to fix/replace the button? Thanks. I look forward to being able to get your CuPlate some day.
Hello, -4.5 to -9VDC was common back in the 20s/30s to power carbon mics as it was the typical grid voltage range for preamp tubes of the era. I use 6VDC or 4 x C-cells. Carbon doesn't typically "go bad" unless someone was running absurdly high current and caught it on fire:) Most issues with carbon can be fixed by cleaning and drying it out. You can check the button "health" by testing the DC resistance of the buttons - ideally most mics should be between 100 and 200ohms/button after operation and maybe around 1-2k after shipping or horizontal storage. Finding the ideal button height, carbon fill, etc. will be unique for each and every mic depending on its condition (button & washer type, film thickness and quality of plating, etc) - experimentation and detailed documentation of your progress is the solution. Take care, -Richard,CVRSE
