Building a High Quality DIY Microphone

[@DouglasLeavitt]

It is good to see someone actually got the original design to work. Many of the comments in the forum and below the video describe unresolved issues with the design and lack of clarity in the presentation.

[@miki9516]

I'm in the middle of this project right now. I've gathered all the parts and start to build with some 3D printed parts modeled by me. Can you please give some advice and problems that people are having? ❤

[@Kinimodes]

EE tech here. You can simply use a dab of solder on a soldering iron to burn off the enamel on those wires. No need to sand. Only time you'd need to is if you used wire with a Kapton like insulation instead of enamel.

[@Timvdv]

Aah cool! Thanks for the tip. I found it very difficult to even add solder because the wires are so thin

[@chifailam]

Cool project Tim! Also, really nice production quality on your video 🔥👊 The DIY microphone makes it sound as if we are in the same room. The Samsung sounds like what I am used to in these type of videos.

[@silencedmonkeyyy]

I totally aggree with you and I prefer the DIY microphone over the Samsung.

[@silencedmonkeyyy]

Samson sorry :)

[@Hobbies4Hire]

Great job on the video Tim! Thanks for making it. I saw that DIY Perks video as well, ordered all the stuff to make it, but now my needs have changed and I really want to build your XLR variant.

[@Timvdv]

That’s awesome! Let me know how it works out!

[@martinurinovsky7594]

Sorry for my ignorance, but why is this version better than the diy perks one? Also, was building it any difficult? Thanks.

[@wintercame..itwasdisappoin3949]

How did it work out?

[@almonies]

Very nice! I am going to make the diy perks mic myself and I went looking to see if anyone else had. Very helpful video and it great to hear another voice and mic test. They are very different sounds. DIY's is a very natural sound.

[@Killerkeks27]

Awesome video, thank you for sharing the experience! Just came across it while looking at the one from DIY perks since i started to build mine as well. The electronic part works already, just need the case now. I had the same idea to mount it onto my existing mic arm. Really happy i watched your video now, because i plan to use a steel mesh as well :D

[@Timvdv]

Super cool! I’m very curious how it will turn out, keep me posted :)

[@daltonwaters2540]

@@Timvdv hey i want to make this too, i looked over your video and the guy who inspired you. in his video he states that in order to keep cost down he made his own amp from scratch. does that mean that i could use my existing audio interface to power this with a xlr instead of making a homemade amp ?

[@Timvdv]

@@daltonwaters2540 Hi Dalton, yeah, in theory if you connect the microphone directly to a XLR you could do this. The problem is that the sound coming from the microphone is really soft so you would probably need to add some sort of amplification in the schematics on the mic or have a really powerful audio interface

[@daltonwaters2540]

@@Timvdv I really appreciate you commenting back, would the amp need to be homemade or could it be purchased online. I seen that the operating voltage of the condenser itself is 1.5 volts is that something I need to take into account?

[@Timvdv]

​@@daltonwaters2540 I don't fully remember the exact numbers but I'm pretty sure you need to make some changes to the schematics. Before I made the pre-amp I also tried to connect it to my own audio interface but while on max gain the audio was barely audible

[@ac5dc]

Came here after watching the DIY Perf video and liked your mechanical design better. Perhaps I will build this or more likely I will order the parts and think about putting it together. Good job on the video. Thanks.

[@sail4life]

Great timing! I just started putting one together and needed some info on building the case. I like your design, its simple and effective, judging by the sound! I'll get me some brass mesh too! I would have tried stainless, but am likely to run into high resistance solder joints just as you did. As I don't feel confident stick welding stainless mesh I'll go with the brass!

[@Timvdv]

Good luck with the project! Would like to see your final build as well

[@sail4life]

@@Timvdv Sure, I subbed and will keep you posted!

[@LuukH-um6wq]

@@sail4lifeand?

[@VirtuelleWeltenMitKhan]

Very nice work. I actually thought about a ring design like yours as soon as I saw the video of DIY Perks. The sound of the diy mic is way better for my ears but if it is such a hassle to avoid background noise the 70€ mic might be still the better option. I guess that even the 500€ stock version of that capsule mic does pick up a lot of ambient sound. Thanks for the nice video.

[@Mr.Leeroy]

It costs €500 exactly because of ability to pick up every detail including ambient even from the next street through the window.. (and because of manufacturing cost of very flexible film covered with an layer of gold). If you require noise cancellation, then you need mic pre-processor with expander/gate functionality, e.g. dbx 286s or a silent studio room. The two mics in the video use different type of mic capsule, and the other one (dynamic) has almost no sensitivity with distance compared to DIY one (condenser) thus no background which is a trade-off that results in less accurate capture of the actual speech.

[@VirtuelleWeltenMitKhan]

@@Mr.Leeroy Thank you so much for your response.

[@R.sabarinathan]

i hope you upload diy videos frequently.

[@Pierreoenjer]

Amazing video, I personally like the DIY one better but I can imagine it'll be annoying if keyboard sounds and such get picked up as well haha. Great job nonetheless!

[@fredymredy]

im interested if the DIY mic can pickup those sounds,

[@lightshadow3101]

this needs more views

[@Shogun.c7777]

That microphone looks like it came out of ww1 movie I like it

[@CrazyManDigital]

It looks amazing, i saw DIY perks video on it a while ago and ive decided that im going to make it

[@greengrer]

Thank you, such a cool video!

[@Marcel030NL]

Very nice Tim!!

[@_c_y_p_3]

Beautiful work, the build and the video!

[@PeetSneekes]

Sooo cool Tim!!! 😊💪🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Sounds pretty good !

[@ToopIoop]

I found a shure microphone of the ground and added that microphone too another one and it soudn amazing

[@kr8s]

Samson q2u is a dynamic vs your diy condenser microphone. .. that's why dynamic microphone picks less noise

[@badmiddens]

Cool build! Nice job!

[@joshstanding6402]

Really enjoyed watching this!

[@BrawlerTheSmokyDutchMan]

I wanted to make my own microphone when I watched the same video and saw way more expensive capsules on that website, Soon I'm gonna try and replace the internals of a b800 with ("quality"?) parts. Most of the build is from JLI's website itself.

[@Timvdv]

I don’t see the b800 on the website myself but this is a very interesting idea! Just make sure it doesn’t already have the transistor inside so you can still tweak it

[@RTvanderHeide]

Great vid! Very inspiring.

[@lukasscott8878]

Great video Tim! I want to buy these parts but many of them say they aren’t available

[@Timvdv]

Ah, yeah I see, that's annoying. Thanks for pointing this out! I need to update this. For now you can try and search for it manually. There is also a partlist on the DIY perk video which is pretty similar, maybe that helps.

[@Mr.Leeroy]

You can not solder aluminium. Moreover it will corrode with copper or similar metals in the presence of moisture (even from air).

[@Timvdv]

Yep, that was definitely something I learned from this build 😅

[@FixitEasyDIY]

Nice build 👍👍👍 thank you

[@1-eye-willy]

i found a $500 senhiezer "pro-fi" mic and its better than anything i could actually afford

[@Fooballium]

Your mic is way better. When you switch to Samson, the white noise behind plays with my nerves

[@cudelsx]

I think this looks amazing 😻

[@SilentHillFetishist]

I prefer the DIY one. The Samsun sounds too bassy.

[@Lozzy07]

That is awesome dude, well done. I'm still tweeking mine own DIY verison of DIY Perks design. I've made mine with self designed and 3D printed parts. I'm getting some background noise pick-up still - it doesn't sound as clear as yours. Did you have this issue? Is that also the reason for the addition of the 200uF in series with the gain resisitor? I.e the high pass filter?

[@Timvdv]

The 200uF (non polarised) in series with the 27 Ohm gain resistor is indeed there to make a high pass filter. Without the capacitor the mic will be amplified down to almost 0Hz and that is very annoing because it gives very low noises (if you touch the table, walk around or even the air emitting from you own mouth) and so noise below 20Hz should not be amplified. I did some other things like adding the 3300uF and 100pF capacitors but the biggest difference was when I closed up the microphone cage really well, that got rid of a lot of weird noises

[@WarreProductions]

Hy, do you have the 3d printer files?

[@JustVoylin]

This might be a very dumb question. But could you basically skip the capsule part and just add a female XLR connection? So basically you would only make the interface instead to connect with USB to your pc?

[@nickking8317]

Did mic for sure I'm in the process of building and repairing test gear so I can reverse engineer a module for the soundtracs then I can start on the rest of the stuff like mics 🎤

[@noodles.mp4746]

Nice Video! I was wondering what you meant by "any old audio cable" -I'm currently in the process of building this myself and was wanting to know what specific cable you used or any alternative to that cable you used.

[@Timvdv]

Thanks! The cable I used is just a normal XLR microphone cable and I cut one of the connectors so I could wire it to the microphone module directly

[@noodles.mp4746]

@@Timvdv Thanks sm!

[@jatinking2075]

if you use 220V instead of 5V it will cause interference due to emf

[@Kiddie031_]

DIY ONE IS THE BEST🔥🔥🔥HOW CAN I GET ONE?

[@wolfang08]

Man you're underrated

[@hotpeppersrcool]

SUCH a good thing, man!!! BUT when you compare the dynamic to YOUR mic, what you want to do is in your "DAW" to NORmalize BOTH OF THEM TO 98% - SO BOTH OF THEM ARE "as loud" as each other!!! (sorry about CAPS LOCK - BUT, that would be about as much as if you did not NORMALIZE!). ALWAYS, a LOUDER signal sounds BEST!!!! :-O AND, then a CONDENSOR mic will always pick up much more than a DYNAMIC mic will as it has a much lighter DIAPHRAGM!

[@Timvdv]

Haha, love this explanation will definitely do this next time!

[@shrubsloot5702]

well done!

[@fgcaccount]

Nice!

[@EikiMartinson]

Nice variation on the DIY Perks build! But seriously, how did either of you open up the desoldering braid so easily? I've tried a few different brands and I'm not at all certain that it even is tubular to begin with. Trying to tease the end open just makes a mess.

[@Timvdv]

Thanks! My dad brought some from his work where they have this huge roll so unfortunately I don’t know the brand. But opening it up was really easy so I guess it’s something different then, good luck with your build!

[@medanibarra]

did you find a brand that is tubular?

[@EikiMartinson]

@@medanibarra I did. I found an older package of "Chem-Wik" by Chemtronics Inc. The difference is not obvious at a glance. The ones I ordered from Amazon were all non-tubular though.

[@stack.that.cheese]

@@EikiMartinson @danielibarra6826 Can either of you please give more info or a link? I'm having some trouble finding it.

[@EikiMartinson]

@@stack.that.cheese I'm sorry, I really can't. I found an old spool of it in the lab at work that turned out to be tubular, but none of the brands I tried from Amazon were.

[@paulobazooka]

Great, dude!

[@azizinanc]

Really cool!!!

[@PlayWithRida]

That tube looks more like brass then copper. Copper is redish.

[@ameliabuns4058]

can't find the microphone anywhere in Canada with less than 30$ shipping :(

[@benosullivan5936]

Amazing!

[@ordanicu3305]

Hey man, really cool how it turned out! as someone else already said, diy mic sounds like you are in the same room as me where the other mic is more compressed. I have a few questions (I am also waiting for parts to build this diy project) The 2N4416A transistor looks just like the one I got (logo seems the same 0:52 ) but I can't find any documentation on it, could you send me the documentation? I want to check myself too since I am not sure it is the same transistor Is the noise isolation that bad? I like the sound of it but I am a bit dissapointed to hear it picks up every noise arround it. From what I remember, in DIY perks video he said it is highly directional (7:02 in his video is where he said that)

[@Timvdv]

Hello, I used the documentation from Farnell. You can find it over here: www.farnell.com/datasheets/39775.pdf about the noise isolation, it could be that I did do something different or I'm not familliar enough with non directional microphones but one thing is for sure, it picks up way more than the Samson Q2U. It's so cool that you're also doing this! Let me know how it turned out.

[@marcoallevi9303]

Hi. One question: The source/drain of the F.E.T. you've soldered to Hot/Cold of an XLR cable (Shield obviously to GND), when connected to the TASCAM device (or any other Audio Device like MOTU/Roland/FocusRite), does it work with its Phantom Power ? Otherwise I don't understand why soldering an XLR cable. Thanks in advance.

[@Timvdv]

Hello! My plan was to use phantom power indeed, but it did not work unfortunately. I know there are a couple of people who tried is as well with different schematics! Check the forums :)

[@marcoallevi9303]

Thanks @@Timvdv I was modifying a NEEWER NW-800 (it has an embarassing capsule...) and I had to add a N-JFET 2N3819 o get the capsule (similar to yours) working with the inside preamp to a PreSonus TubePre. Thaks for responding me :)

[@Timvdv]

Cool, upgrading an existing one, interesting idea as well! Did you get it working in the end?

[@marcoallevi9303]

Hi@@Timvdv Yes, initially there was no signal at all then I added a 2N3819 and now it runs wonderfully I use it on a HAM Radio Rig. Here is a similar reworking, but this guy uses an alternate pcb preamp (dunno the reason :) ). I used the original with only the FET added. Witout the FET. DEEP VAACUM...No sound at all :) . Have Fun kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6a3kohtbbmXaLs

[@marcoallevi9303]

Unfortunately I cannot attach any photo and I'm not used to make videos.......

[@aaaaaaaaaaaa9023]

Personally i dont understand why its necessary to have a mesh on both sides of the microphone. You only the microphone to pick up the front sounds.

[@Timvdv]

The faraday cage is very important so radio signals don’t come through which can cause interference. You could in theory make the back part from like full aluminum or something as long as it is connected properly

[@lucasc5622]

The cardioid pickup pattern needs sound also coming to the back so that it can reject it

[@Timvdv]

@@lucasc5622 Yes true, in the case of this specific microphone it wouldn't help with the sound quality

[@19manishkaushik]

good job brother..

[@vanklang]

Bravo!

[@r3laxs666]

Cool video and can the RIng also be Wood ?

[@Timvdv]

Yeah! Thats a really cool idea. The ring holding the elastic bands are just there for esthetics. Just make sure the microphone is surrounded by a faraday cage

[@Swissfanboy]

Great vid, are you Dutch?

[@Timvdv]

Haha, jazeker 😎

[@Kibikayuki]

This is such a cool project! I've been thinking about trying to make my own microphone, but I wanted to make something similar to a Shure SM7b because it handles screams better. Apparently, it's a gain monster so I wonder what changes I'd have to make to the schematic to replicate that. Did you ever figure out the issue with it picking up more sound?

[@Timvdv]

I am actually still using it without any modifications and really happy with it. With some postprocessing, you can get great results.

[@fredymredy]

can i use aluminium mesh instead of copper mesh for shielding the wires?

[@Timvdv]

Yes you can in theory but it’s very difficult to solder aluminum because you need very high temperatures

[@GerardoDavila-n1w]

I want to build some mics for my drums? Do you think this type of mic would work?

[@Timvdv]

I'm definitely not an expert on studio microphones but I think it could work yeah!

[@vogelnest5954]

Cool video

[@kamolzaaliite]

today arrived some of the parts for my mic, but I don't get it, why my mic module looks so small compared to yours and Matts

[@Timvdv]

Mhh, are you sure you ordered the JLI-2555BXZ3-GP? I don't have the exact measurements but it should be around 2.5-3cm (diameter)

[@kamolzaaliite]

@@Timvdv Yeah I checked order and receipt, I guess it's to do with "Video magic" and looking bigger in video than real life.

[@Timvdv]

@@kamolzaaliite That's great! I did put some zoomed in shots in the video haha. Good luck with your build!

[@donnapasquarello3058]

When you have some one targeting you what stops the elf or frequency???

[@joedoe3446]

If this mic capsule is the same as the "CAD e100s" , how come the websites selling this mic capsule are describing it as a "cardioid" polar pick up pattern when the CAD e100s is a "Super Cardioid" ?? Is there a way to turn a cardioid mic capsule into a super cardioid ??

[@obnoxiouscommenter6194]

it might be marketing

[@reilley7734]

yes its 12$ but 50$ shipping to france :(

[@DaLulz]

Hi Tim. I was trying to figure out how to use an XLR output with Matt's design and came across your video. The THAT 1512 seems to output an unbalanced signal with two conductors: an audio out and a ground. XLR (or 3.5mm TRS) is generally used for microphones with a three conductor balanced signal: a positive, a negative, and a ground. Unless I'm missing something your schematic doesn't seem to address this. Can you explain what you did?

[@Timvdv]

Hi Lulz, you can actually just pass the unbalanced signal directly into the XLR cable. The third pin of the XLR cable (which makes it balanced usually) just goes to ground. Here is an image that shows a bit better what I mean cloud.tvdv.me/RBunqJ8X hope this helps!

[@tyler361t2]

how did you convert it to xlr? you seemed to gloss over that very fast

[@Timvdv]

It’s been a while, so I also forgot the specifics but it basically comes down to the way that it’s wired up. You can find the schematics in the description

[@pinpox]

Any chance to do this without power supply but with phantom power instead?

[@Timvdv]

Yeah, I also really wanted to do this! At the time some people were trying to do this, there was a topic on the DIY pers forums. But it requires a completely different schematic

[@pinpox]

If you ever decide to build it and the schematic is not too complicated I would love to try it. I think this would really make it something I could daily drive

[@Zebrax-kq4gg]

Dude sniffing the tin and lead smoke like it's the 80's/90's, what a GigaChad, shorten his life for science ! 🗿 srsly be careful. Good job.

[@FromLake]

Genuine question. If the cable doesn't move, and you connect it to a normal thicker wire anyway, why use the ultra think copper wire for just a few inches?

[@Timvdv]

Haha good question! I’m pretty sure it’s to minimize the movement in the cable, this way if you touch the big cable you don’t hear it because the small wire is a bit more bouncy

[@FromLake]

@@Timvdv Mja, that makes sense/

[@fantasticfred]

Really great video! I also want to build a version of this microphone, but my version should use the 48v phantom power and no internal preamp, because i want to connect it to a preamp via xlr. Do you know if that is possible?

[@Timvdv]

It’s definitely possible but the schematics are a bit different! Check out the DIY perks forums I’m pretty sure some other people are also trying to make this

[@fantasticfred]

@@Timvdv I did, there is a circuit for my use case. Thank you!

[@itszoc]

@@fantasticfred where did you find the circuit i cant seem to find it anywhere? thanks in advance !

[@Chinhnguyen0497]

no need to bias the fet ?

[@thethoeby]

Doesn't aluminum and brass corrodes if they touch?

[@Timvdv]

I thought so as well! But apparently only under very high heat which my soldering iron is not able to handle

[@iCoteg]

100 евро за DSLR самоделку - это очень дорого! Причем в оригинале не нужна внешняя звуковая карта и тот микрофон просто подключается к USB !

[@TheJourneyOfFay]

Niceee 🤩

[@Gnobshobble]

I am currently in the middle of this project, and when it came time to thread the wire through the desoldering wick I found out that my wick was not a tube! What brand of wick did you use to sheild your copper wires?

[@Timvdv]

My dad actually got some from his work, I know it’s a big ‘professional’ roll but I would not know what brand! Hope you find it though, good luck with the project 😁

[@krno2967]

How much do you paid for one capsule? I would pay around 17 Euros for the capsule and 23 Euros just for shipping.

[@Timvdv]

I actually ordered via the official website which was less for the module ($12.95) but the shipping was waay more ($39.40) that's why I ordered two right away

[@trempi8456]

Have you just left the Volume Control Knob out or did you do something else? I wanna build it too but I'm stuck with the volume control knob.

[@Timvdv]

Hi Trempi, yeah, indeed I left out the volume knob, I tested out a couple of different resistors to see which one sounded good and I do the volume control with my audio interface

[@trempi8456]

@@Timvdv thx for answering, which resistor did you use in the end?

[@Timvdv]

@@trempi8456 I used a 27ohm resistor! You can find the schematics in the description if you’re interested

[@GTexperience_Channel]

Yo, I got a question about the polarity of the 2200uF capacitors. your schematic shows one of the capacitors to be opposite to the direction described by DIY Perks. can u confirm that it is working with that polarity? cause lots of people seem to be having problems with noise!

[@GTexperience_Channel]

also, why did u use 3300uF instead of 2200uF?

[@Timvdv]

Oof, it’s been a while ago already since I made this but I did fiddle around with different capacitors and fixing potential ground loops to reduce the noise in the background

[@GTexperience_Channel]

And the polarity? Should I place them in the direction u wrote down in your schematic pr the one from diy crafts?. He has the 2200uf in opposite direction on the -15v line.

[@Timvdv]

@@GTexperience_Channel Ah indeed, I see it now! You found a mistake in the drawing. It should indeed be reversed, good catch! I'll see if I can still update the drawing for the future.

[@joshuabuzzbeetheartist8516]

Can you do this with a k67 capsule

[@Timvdv]

I guess it would be possible with any capsule but I can imagine the schematics would be slightly different

[@beefsand419]

Epic

[@nyaanekonya]

well your diy mic is a condenser while samson is dynamic, a condenser with a decent capsule, obviously it would be more sensitive than a dynamic one, anyway it would be better to compare it to the actual cad e100s, that would be indeed interesting anyway imo when you use a pre-manufactured capsule it's not really diy

[@patricaomas8750]

Sorry can't tell any diff

[@Timvdv]

No worries! Are you listening with headphones? That makes a huge difference.

[@patricaomas8750]

@@Timvdv cheap ones

[@oricardoce]

💯

[@mikelt2344]

Hi, nice build. I did the DIY-Perks Mic as well and experience some hisss. Did you have the same problem, is the hisss probably related to the housing? I just put it together but not soldered the parts together.

[@Timvdv]

Hi Mikelt! Yeah soldering the faraday cage shut made a huge difference, that's also why I switched from aluminium to copper mesh. I also did some other measures to reduce potential noise like adding the 2k2 resistors (see schematics in description) but the cage was definitely the biggest problem.

[@gramophoneguydylan6854]

I smell dutch

[@Timvdv]

Is my accent that bad? 😛

[@gramophoneguydylan6854]

@@Timvdv it's good tbh!

[@AnimatorElite]

How do know which pins to connect? 1:03

[@Timvdv]

Hi! You can find the pinout of the 2n4416 here. drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/1jQY1SycV0OChw9_9w9qhMVCW47YFHgBu the gate pin goes to the microphone module and the plus and minus go to the amplifier plus/minus pins on the THAT1512

[@chloetv1]

DIY sounds better

[@krishnachetia8435]

Copied from DIY Perks video

[@filestrec]

So you copyed everything in the video. Obviously a condenser microphone picks everything, it's a condenser, not a dynamic microphone, like the other one.

[@lucasc5622]

Ah yes, the old “condensers pick up 10x more noise” comment. There’s always one

[@wintercame..itwasdisappoin3949]

What kind and insightful feedback you have bestowed upon him. I'm just hoping that you'll also bless the rest of us lower-life forms with an upload demonstrating your superiority?

[@zolkazoombalambooska8901]

DIY Perks is Lightears ahead of you bro :)

[@wintercame..itwasdisappoin3949]

Wow, such kind and truly insightful feedback you have bestowed upon him. With such knowledge, you must be *Light-YEARS* ahead too. I'm just barely holding onto the hope that you'll bless us lower-life forms with an upload of your sacred instructional?

[@ovidius2000]

YouCantCompare.TestingWeakSoundIfItReceivesIsBetter.