Making 2 Lo-Fi Microphones From 1 Old Telephone Handset

[@W4TRI_Ronny]

That carbon mic is very Jack White! Nice!

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks for checking out the video. I really like lofi mics.

[@ViviSectia]

Not sure how relevant it is in your case but I remember reading that the carbon in carbon microphones often clumped together from moisture in the air when they were stored in people's garages and caused distortion. Putting them in a bag with desiccants in it for a little while and also tapping on it to break up the clumps was two of the solutions I remember.

[@musicalmiscellany]

That's entirely possible. I will try that. Thanks for the tip and for watching.

[@AguirreAudio]

Nice! Probably the most comprehensive diy telephone mic video I've seen

[@musicalmiscellany]

I appreciate that. Thanks for checking it out.

[@drewjaeger2753]

Fun stuff! The telephone hold music playing is a nice touch!

[@musicalmiscellany]

I’m glad somebody caught that. Thanks for watching Drew.

[@fearlessfreddy1000]

Hi , I believe if your want less noise you might try packing the container with foam or cotton batting to kill the distortion. Also try different but denser garbage to mount your mic in. Those light, thin plastic containers are great finger drums. Also, you might try playing your Kazoo into it and see how that sounds:-) Merry Christmas from Fearless Freddy in the Emerald City

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks for the suggestions. I may try some insulation inside the container. That makes a lot of sense.

[@jfrankcarr]

Have you seen Bob Log III's rig where he has a telephone mic integrated with a motorcycle helmet?

[@musicalmiscellany]

I've not... but that sounds awesome! Thanks for watching the vid.

[@d34dbolt20]

I always wondered how he drank his Boob Scotch with that setup.

[@AFunkyHypnoCat]

loved it!!

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks for checking it out.

[@AFunkyHypnoCat]

@@musicalmiscellany I'm doing my own project, much simpler than yours haha, just wiring the speaker to a guitar jack like you mentioned in the vid, but I found my wires are screwed into the earpiece and have a kind of 'wrench' end on them. When I cut them I found inside they were thready and cottony as well as the copper, so I don't think they're suitable for soldering to the jack :'( Do you perhaps have any advice as to how to move forward? Could I just solder a regular wire to the screw and connect that to the jack? thank you!

[@musicalmiscellany]

@@AFunkyHypnoCat I can't see it but it sounds like your idea is solid. I'd probably just figure out where the wires connect, snip the old ones, and then solder new wires that are easy to strip.

[@Jenisonc]

Love it!! Thanks for sharin3 the process!

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks for checking it out. I always make these vids hoping they're helpful to someone. I appreciate the comment.

[@SXTransmission]

I've made a couple of lofi mics from newer (I guess 90s) phones. These use electrets which seem to need about 5 volts. You can use a battery in a similar way to your carbon mic, but the circuits ive seen use a capacitor to block the DC. Maybe you could try that. I expect the transformer adds some mojo though! I also found a circuit that allows you to use phantom power - the voltage gets stepped down by a zener diode. Anyway i love your style and im now on the lookout for some old phones ! 😊

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks for checking out the video and also for the suggestion. It's fun to repurpose old electronics. I appreciate the support.

[@trafalgarsquare9019]

Muy genial ! Funciona con cualquier transformador de audio ?

[@musicalmiscellany]

The transformer I used had equal winds on the primary and secondary sides which would keep the signal at unity gain. You could use a different transformer but if it’s not equal winds it would either be boosting or attenuating the signal (depending on which way you orient the transformer).

[@bogdangorpinich2971]

I really like the sound of passive mic! so i put it in my guitar, but signal is pretty weak. What type of preamp I need to make it more powerful?

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks for checking it out. There are a number of different mic preamps on the market. Some of them are very pricey but there are many simple ones like the ART RP-series and Klark Teknik series. These are in the $40-70 range. Note: most mic preamps assume you're using an XLR jack so you might need an adapter or two to make it work. It's worth noting that most mixers (even small ones) include a mic preamp, so that might also be an option. The Mackie Mix5 has a great mic preamp and can be used for other things as well (and it sells for about $70). Of course, something like the Klark is a lot more portable opposed to carrying a mixer with you everywhere, so each option has its ups/downs. Good luck.

[@CHS731]

I know this is an old video but, I was wondering if the first microphone could be connected directly to a computer with a regular 3.5mm jack or would it need a preamp to work?

[@musicalmiscellany]

Hypothetically, it should work. If the level was too low, you'd need to boost it with a preamp, but this mic's level should be similar to any passive microphone. However, the majority of computers with an 3.5mm input are stereo (TRS). A microphone is mono (TS). So, the more important thing would be wiring the jack to satisfy the TRS connection. If you wired it to a standard 3.5mm mono (TS) jack, I'd imagine you'd get a 50% signal or no signal at all. That said, the best way to find out is to try it. Otherwise, it's just hypothesis and speculation. I haven't tried this so I can't guarantee it would or wouldn't work, but that's what I would do. Good luck.

[@CHS731]

@@musicalmiscellany It works! I was able to use a regular headphone/mic jack I ripped of an old speaker and attached it to the rotary phone speaker and it works like a charm! No pre amp needed! Super strong signal too, so I'm gonna use it as my daily driver microphone.

[@musicalmiscellany]

@@CHS731 Awesome. Thanks for the follow up.

[@bearshield7138]

fun fun

[@musicalmiscellany]

LoFi mics can definitely be a lot of fun.

[@divineduality]

Hello do you use these microphones to produce your music? Or is there a give away in the future?

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks for checking out the video. I have used these kinds of mics from time to time in videos like this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWXYlp2vp9-Uf7s They work great when you are looking that lofi tone or just wanting something experimental. As for a Giveaway, I am planning something for 5K which is coming up. 😄

[@RyanPiwarski]

this is a little late but where do you get a volume knob like the one you used on the passive mic?

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks for checking out the video. That knob style is called a Davies 1900. Do an Internet search for "davies 1900 knob" and you'll get dozens of results in lots of different colors. Good luck.

[@kerjaakun2155]

can this work with 3.5 mm jack audio

[@musicalmiscellany]

Yes. It would work exactly the same (as long as the 1/8" jack was mono) just drill a smaller hole in the plastic.

[@by.daekeryyy]

I want to make a mic like this bro, (the vintage phone) but I was wondering about soldering a xlr cable instead of a 1/4 Jack, of course i want to have a volume pot, is this possible? i mean, using a xlr cable

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks for checking out the video. You could definitely do that but remember an XLR jack has 3 contacts where a 1/4" mono jack only has 2 (as does the phone mic). If you used XLR, you would have to either: 1) leave the shield contact unused - which may actually result in audible hum - or 2) add some sort of a shield for that third contact. You could get some copper tape and put some of it inside the handset, then solder a wire to the copper. That should do it and it wouldn't be very difficult. It would be a little more work to wire it up XLR but totally possible. Good luck.

[@by.daekeryyy]

Thanks!!! so following your instructions, im gonna use the same diagram you made BUT the conections from the 1/4 now are the xlr cable wires right?

[@musicalmiscellany]

@@by.daekeryyy Pretty much. The XLR has 3 contacts (hot, cold, & shield). You'll wire positive to the hot contact, negative to the cold contact, and the copper shield you create to the shield contact (or just leave it open if you want to try that). Good luck.

[@geoffsides408]

Carbon Mic..... I THINK phones only use 4 volts.... so 9v might be over driving it..... Idea.... what if you bypassed the transformer, go straight to the element and use "Phantom Power" from a mixing console and see if that might work.

[@musicalmiscellany]

I'm pretty sure phantom power is +48V so if +9V is overdriving it that would definitely be more than it could handle. You'd have to step the power down with a resistor network or something.

[@garydesrosiers5692]

Now that's what i call recycling 🤣👍

[@musicalmiscellany]

It's always good when we can turn junk into musical instruments.

[@amishjim]

corded drill for a corded phone.

[@musicalmiscellany]

I never really thought about it that way but I guess so. Thanks for watching.