Mics and Mic Transformers
Recording starts at the microphone...
Which is why they are
so important. In order to make a great recording you need two things; a great performance and the ability to accurately
capture that great performance. Microphones are at the beginning of the recording process and they also happen to be the
ultimate translator. Sound waves are molecules of air put into motion at varying frequencies and amplitudes.
The capsule of the microphone captures the complex "image" of those soundwaves and the transformer is
there to "translate" that physical information into electrical impulses that can be manipulated by various audio
processing units down stream. Bad translation means an inaccurate or distorted message.
You can experience the difference that a quality transformer can bring to
your mic with our T58 moving coil transformer. This transformer can fit into any dynamic microphone that has an
inside diameter of .08" and can hold a transformer of 1" in length. If you can use a soldering iron and epoxy
with a moderate level of competency, you can perform this modification yourself. Check out the specs in the pdf file
below and you can see how the T58 can increase the clarity and sensitivity to the high frequency range of your mics.
Click here to download the T58 Owner's Manual
Click here for a complete list of microphone transformers available for purchase from AMI.
Microphone Production
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| Photo courtesy of Terry Manning |
Over the years, we have made a variety of one off microphones and
microphone modifications specially for select clients. Recently, we launched a project with Terry Manning of Compass Point Studios to make a limited quantity of high quality microphones sold directly to clients. These microphones have been created
under Terry's electronics company, Lucas Engineering, and are designed, built and tested at our AMI factory in Gaylord, Kansas.
Lucas CS-1
The Lucas CS-1 was a collaboration between Terry Manning
and Oliver Archut. Terry had heard about Oliver's great mic transformers and asked Oliver if he could drop one of his
cool transformers into his C-12 VR and make it sound like a historic C-12. Oliver agreed to "see what he could do".
As it turns out, Oliver took the mic and gutted everything; the tube, the electronics, the transformer and the capsule.
Oliver replaced everthing and put it all back together and sent it to Terry. Terry and his friends loved the microphone
so much he asked if Oliver could modify all of his friend's mics as well. At that point they decided to make the mics
from scratch and the Lucas CS-1 was born. Using a quality German capsule, a NOS Mullard tube made for the
military and custom designed transformers, the CS-1 raises the bar on both modern and vintage microphones. It was announced
at the AES Show that an additional 100 mics (300 total) would be made and since that announcement, that additional 100 has
sold out. If you are interested in this mic, you should go here to get onto the waiting list, just in case...
Lucas CS-4
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| Lucas CS-4 Inside View |
With the success of the Lucas CS-1, Oliver and Terry decided to try
their hand at creating a new mic based on another microphone archetype, the historic U47. While it is another microphone
boasting a large diaphragm capsule, conceptually it is very different from the historic C-12. This mic is famous for
adding its own tube harmonics (i.e. distortion) to the signal that it is capturing. The trick is to keep those tube
harmonics at the right level at the right frequencies. The Lucas CS-4 will use a NOS Telefunken tube, a Thiersch made PVC M-7 capsule that is customized for use in the CS-4 and
a custom built transformer designed by Oliver and made by AMI. One of the nice features is that the mic will have the
polarity patterns of both the historic U47 and U48 microphones combined in the same microphone, placed remotely on the power
supply in the same manner as the Lucas CS-1.
This product
is officially launched and you can click here to find out how to get on the list for this limited edition microphone.
OEM Microphone and Transformer Clients
Using our knowledge of transformer design and manufacturing, we have helped
a number of companies over the years with microphone design and microphone transformer design and manufacturing. Our
transformers not only improve the clarity of a microphone's image, but can also adjust the frequency response of
the microphone for a desired affect. Additionally, with our custom transformer capabilities, a designer no longer has
to use one of the industry standard tubes to base their microphone around. If you can find a pentode that has high
output, low noise and quality construction we can build a high quality tube microphone based around that never before
used tube.
Bock Audio
David
Bock has been designing high end microphones for a long time. David was the original founder of Soundelux Microphones
and later founded Bock Audio. Bock Audio has recently introduced a ground breaking new microphone, the 507. It is a large diaphragm microphone that uses a proprietary and patented capsule conceived by George Cardas
and co-developed by George and David. The concept is that that the capsule is elliptical in shape rather than a
circle to reduce resonant frequencies that can occur with circular capsules. The mic has recevied rave reviews
and is powered by a custom transformer designed and manufactured by AMI. David and MBHO Haun of Germany are the designers
of the large diaphragm capsule that is used in the Lucas CS-1 microphone.
Wagner Microphones
Gunter Wagner has spent almost 30 years servicing high end tube microphones and launched his own
version of the historic U47 microphone from his workshop near Sydney, Australia. Wagner Microphones makes their own M7 capsule and took great pains that every part of their mic would be compatible as a replacement part for
a historic U47. With that in mind, Gunter chose our BV8 transformer to power their version of the U47 microphones.
Wunder Audio
Wunder Audio makes beautiful microphones that sound great. Their CM7 microphone uses a BV8 transformer deisgned by Oliver Archut and manufactured by AMI. Wunder captures the essence
of the early versions of the historic U47 that used the larger style transformer allowing the microphone to capture frequencies
down to 20 Hz. Check one out at your local pro audio dealer to hear the quality of sound that Wunder Audio delivers. Miktek Audio
Another company that we have helped recently is Miktek Audio. While the company is new to the market, the founder, Mike Ketchell, is a long time industry veteran in sales, marketing and product development. We were able to help Miktek Audio with
the designs and transformers of their CV4 Large Diaphragm Tube Condenser mic, C5 Small Diaphragm Cardiod Pencil Condenser, and their C7 Large Diaphragm Mult-Pattern FET Condenser mics. Miktek Audio won a 2009 Pro Audio Review Excellence Award at this year's AES Show for their CV4 microphone. Start talking to your local delear about getting the opportunity
to check out these great microphones when they hit store shelves.
Telefunken Elektroakustik
Oliver and AMI have worked extensively
with Telefunken Elektroakustik in designing and co-designing circuits and designing and manufacturing the transformers
for many of their microphones. Oliver designed the circuit for the TEC Award nominated R-F-T M16 Mk II matching it with our custom designed and built BV314 transformer. Telefunken Elektroakustik modified the design to
create the stereo version, the R-F-T M216, also using a pair of AMI BV314's to capture the sound. Telefunken asked Oliver to design a power supply to handle
this stereo microphone and he created the Matrix Power supply. Using a unique custom designed transformer, the Matrix Power supply is capable of managing the microphone's capsules through
X/Y, Mid/Side and Blumlein stereo recording techniques within one microphone. Oliver also designed the circuit for the TEC Award nominated R-F-T AK47 matching it with our custom designed and built B47 transformer, a smaller version of our famous BV8. The Telefunken
Ela M 260, winner of the 2008 TEC Award for Microphone Technology/Recording, uses another Oliver Archut designed circuit driven by a custom designed and manufactured AMI T60 transformer. At
the 2009 AES Show, Telefunken Elektroakustik had two mics nominated for TEC Awards. The M80 is powered by an AMI T80 transformer and is an exciting dynamic microphone alternative for live performances. The U-48, a faithful reproduction of the historic U48 uses an AMI designed and built BV8, just like its brother, the U-47. You can check out all of these exciting mics at a dealer near you.
Need a custom designed OEM transformer?
If your company manufactures audio equipment and you're looking
for a source of high quality transformers, you can contact us at sales@tab-funkenwerk.com and we will discuss your needs and see if we can meet them for you.
