This is a DIY RCA R44 ribbon microphone made of wood! I used wood, glue, alminum foil and magnets to create a RCA 44 replica. ➤Please subscribe to my channel!! goo.gl/p1xmZJ
The narration was also recorded using this microphone! Don't forget to check out part one of this series to see how the wood motor was made. SOUND SAMPLES: • Video
By request, here are some affiliate links(I make a small commission when you purchase) to some items to make your own ribbon mic:
🧲Magnets: amzn.to/2Fn658s Be careful, they are fragile!
🔩Neutrik Male Connector: amzn.to/2DUpnBr
🪒Ribbon foil: amzn.to/2LCErHP Select the thickest, heaviest sheets from the pad for ribbon use
🔧Tools: amzn.to/3RTsCMw Xacto amzn.to/2PBobZi
🎄Wood Veneer, Single Ply: amzn.to/3RBWhse Took about 3 5x8 sheets of walnut
🖨Cricut Maker: amzn.to/4atwjQr
Ribbon mic and mixer:
🎙 amzn.to/41xQKre
🎛 amzn.to/31mii4H 👈This is the one I used to narrate the video.
To begin, I mocked up the designs in photoshop and made a paper prototype. From there, I tweaked the design to make the body a little smaller, because my measurements didn't account well enough for material thickness, and the first one was too big. I spent an entire day cutting parts on the cricut maker, and carefully weeding, and lightly sanding the edges of the parts. The parts fit neatly in gallon ziplock bag, stored that way to keep them flat and away from moisture. Most of that is not shown, because frankly everyone would skip past it anyway. But I tried to keep a little in there just to show the concept. If there's interest, I'll do another video about cutting wood on the cricut. It's more complicated than they describe in the manual, but it's possible to make some pretty complex cuts in the wood veneer. If you follow the cricut maker instructions, you'll likely find it to be an exercise in frustration. It took about a year to really get a feel for how to properly keep the wood attached to the mat, but also not stick so much that it splits when being removed.
The first bit of assembly was to make the box for the body of the mic. This was pretty simple by just making plywood for the top and bottom, and wrapping the veneer around the outside to form a box. A hot iron made it easier to bend the wood(with the grain) to keep it from splitting.
Next, I made a banding strip to hold the grills. This is 2 ply affair, and also bent gently on a hot iron. I made it in 2 sections, cutting it in the middle to make the final fitment and glue in.
Grills were coated in glue on one side and allowed to dry. Draping the speaker grill cloth and then using a hot iron with steam sealed them together. After they dried again, I used the hot iron to bend the grills into shape. They then get test fitted and trimmed. One side gets glued into place.
Motor mounts, also made of bent wood and CA glue, get glued into place. They've been trimmed to act as hooks.
The base is made of single ply veneer, but I used 2 plies for every piece to make it stronger. I also made x braces to keep the veneer from warping too much. Don't skimp on the glue here.
The yoke is made just like the grills, but is mostly 2 plies, with a third ply added to the bottom for strength. The Yoke is assemble to the body.
The motor is mounted with 4 rubber bands, which keep the microphone from picking up rumble.
The other half of the grill, which has been lightly stabilized by veneer strips on the end, fits neatly in the body, and the wood strips fit under half of the top motor mounts.
Now the mic can be fitted to the base using the knobs, which are built up from single ply veneers. I sanded them by chucking them up in a drill(screw mounted in the hole) and sanding them smooth. They have a CA finish.
The only thing missing, was a replica RCA logo...
The mic works quite well. I used it to narrate the entire video. The most important thing to note is that, like all ribbon mics, this one also uses plenty of gain- about 60db. It also has a good amount of bass, so expect to roll off a bit in post production.
I used an inexpensive($99 US) Mackie VLZ4 mixer, which had just enough gain for my voice.
For louder sources like guitar or drums, I think you wouldn't need quite that much. Also, a better transformer might make a difference in the top end, but this one sounds quite good, I think.
Hope you enjoyed the video, and let me know if you make a microphone of your own!
23 мар 2021
