Timbre Tones -microphones

I've been experimenting with Alice Condenser microphone, composed originally by Scott Helmke (check him out!). It's a fairly simple DIY circuitry, based on Schoeps microphone, and topped with Transsound TSB2555 21mm electret capsule for larger or 16.5mm capsule for smaller diaphragm.

Flamed koa is always nice, be it in a guitar or a mic!

This microphone circuitry is surprisingly transparent and open sounding. Complements acoustic guitars and vocals and is very easy to position and record.

Madagaskar Rosewood ain't bad either...
This first prototype has some fitting
deficiencies as you can tell

My approach to the build has been through wood. As a hobbyist luthier, I have piles of cut outs from very nice tone woods, too small for guitars, but perfect for lollipop-style microphone rings!

Rosewood & walnut veneer

Using wood veneer-topped 30mm steel table leg for the body and a nice, antique painted 60mm lamppost for the capsule enclosure ring and a frying pan splash guard to source the metal grille, I managed to build a mic with an old-timey vibe and sophisticated but organic looks. This looks like a mic I would like to – and definitely will – use as a singer and guitarist in studio!

Take a listen to the Large diaphragm mic in one-track at a time overdubbed session here!

And to a live recording with stereo pair of small diaphragm Alice on guitar and large diaphragm in vocals here!

Female voice with large capsule mic

Hardware store stuff for the bodies

I'm planning to do some small scale production runs if somebody is interested in a unique woody Tone Alice mic with a Vibe. Inquire for price & details though the Timbre Tones website. This is not my original design in terms of the circuitry, but you get a very nice looking mic for sure, that picks your sound sources faithfully too!

Simple perf board and point to point circuitry

Precision fit Finnish Birch plywood dowels keep it together

Walnut or rosewood for the body makeup.

ready to be put together

The electret capsule backside

Testing some shielding. Metal shielding really
does make a difference! This model didn't make it to
 production, though

The abalone dot reminds the singer which side to address.
The mesh has three layers: Brass, steel, brass.
It's fairly effective in reducing the plosives

This one is the earliest prototype with nice
 Madagaskar rosewood ring and palisander
 veneer body. Bolts are still oversize, wrong alloy
and the fit less than perfect.
But it works in a studio already!