Is this the BEST Accordion Microphone? - Harmonik AC501-HQ

[@cropman]

that intro skit is the funniest thing i have seen all day

[@SqueezeandThanks]

Haha glad you enjoyed it!! It was such a hoot editing that together. So fun watching an idea take shape like that 😂

[@tandemwings4733]

I just finished this video, and coincidently, it also took me around 4 hrs to install mine, in much more challenging circumstances than you had. Well done. Is it worth it?... ABSOLUTELY..!!!

[@SqueezeandThanks]

A solid 4 hour long adrenaline rush 🥵 hahaha

[@williammjs]

Congratulations for such an amazing review. As a developer of the Harmonik's development team, Jonatan's personal friend and also musician, I can say that we have been working to develop the BEST microphone systems technically. You can notice that by taking a look at the technical specs of the product with those units we study in physics in college. When Jonatan first developed the first microphone system, he was working on having HIS problems on stage solved, and then he saw an oportunity to sell them as a product. I'd also say to all of those who are interested in buying Harmonik, that is the exact perfect moment to do that. The quality says for itself, but the prices are the lowests it can possibly be because Harmonik is still a relatively small company and we are working on the growth of the company as the brand is not absolutely well known overseas. Check out the other products and count on us for more incredible and amazing products!

[@SqueezeandThanks]

Hey William, I appreciate that! This review was a lot of fun to put together, if there are ever any other opportunities for me to help, don't hesitate to reach out!

[@tandemwings4733]

Me again. I've been using this set-up for a year now and it has proven to be bloody brilliant.

[@SqueezeandThanks]

Thanks for stopping back with an update! I’m happy to hear it’s been working out well for you, that’s great! I forgot which model I wound up getting for my Americana… it has a total of 4 knobs, two pairs of two and they’re stacked… but that system has been just as good as well. They definitely did something right with these!

[@tandemwings4733]

@@SqueezeandThanks Yep, I got the same. Volume and tone controls for both ends.

[@tonyp9609]

Great system . Have installed many mic systems in the New England area on accordions and this one is a complete system that separates bass and treble well. Thanks

[@zestytree3720]

Thanks for showing other alternatives. Nevertheless, it’s not for everyone. I wouldn’t try it , not even on my little 8 bass accordion. Hopefully , some day manufacturers add this amazing feature to accordions so we don’t have to do it ourselves. There’s also a guy on KZbin who adapted his accordion with MIDI capabilities and the result is unbelievable. The possibilities are endless especially for people with certain technical skills.

[@SqueezeandThanks]

It was definitely nerve wracking for sure! 😬

[@clauddeni]

Alternatives are or a electronic accordion with juzisound installed kzbin.info/www/bejne/qH-ZfKuaapKmodE&si=rXluOvHh6-qIi6QG or there are people which install these midi on acoustic accordions , it's very popular in my country.

[@jarodnewman5535]

I just had these installed in my 120LMMM accordion (by the local repair guy), but can get feedback especially from bass frequencies, I might have to go and add some of that mesh to the inside of the grill to help with that.

[@GerhardAlbinus]

Great informative video post! Thank you for taking the time and sharing your knowledge! Kind regards!

[@SqueezeandThanks]

You’re very welcome, glad you enjoyed it Gerhard! 🙏💯

[@chriseisen685]

10:10 Thanks so much for the video review of this microphone system as well as the Hohner Bravo ii. I’m so impressed with this overall setup that I’m looking to replicate it for my gig rig. I’m trying to research the differences between Harmonik HQ systems (AC301-HQ and AC501-HQ), is the difference just the amount of microphones? Since you cut down the AC501-HQ, would it be the same as purchasing an AC301-HQ?

[@SqueezeandThanks]

You’re welcome, hope you come up with something you’re happy with! I believe that’s the case, although the guys at harmonic are friendly and can answer any questions you might have more accurately than I can. Sorry for the tardiness of this, hope it helps!

[@ritoriveratv]

Thanks for this video 🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@SqueezeandThanks]

You’re very welcome!! 😊

[@rombsix]

I use their GT02-N and I love it too!

[@samadams8355]

Great video! I just got a new instrument from Liberty Bellows and had them install the AC501-HQ mic set for me. It's not a cheap upgrade but in my opinion it's 100% worth the money. I tested the mics on a little Roland AC-60 amp, and the results are pure pleasure. Great tone, and no feedback at all. Just like in your test, they sounded really good with no EQ, but small adjustments and a little reverb brought out the best qualities of the instrument/amp/speaker combination. I think internal mics have become a necessity for accordion players these days, if we don't have electronic instruments and want to play live with amplification. Many sound techs have no idea how to mic an accordion. If you perform at an open stage, they will probably just hand you an instrument cable and tell you to plug it in. They might have a couple of SM-58s if you're lucky. Better to avoid those problems and use something that sounds good.

[@SqueezeandThanks]

You hit the nail on the head! Not cheap but well worth the peace of mind. Glad to hear you enjoyed the video :) what box did you wind up getting at liberty??

[@samadams8355]

@@SqueezeandThanks Scandalli Tierra 34/96 with the ziricote finish. I think this one is going to be my road dog. I had been playing a couple of older instruments that will go on light duty now.

[@SqueezeandThanks]

@@samadams8355 ouuu been wanting to get my hands on a scandalli, I never tried one when I was there and I really regret it

[@accordionlucy]

So interesting to see the process! Thanks for another great informative video. I definitely don’t trust myself to do this haha

[@SqueezeandThanks]

Haha thanks Lucy!! Yeah I wouldn’t have trusted myself either without Sebastian’s help, that guy is a mad scientist with everything he can do to accordions 🤯

[@tandemwings4733]

G'day Lucie. I'm one that follows you and comments - a fellow Victorian. Actually, Scandalli do supply a similar set-up factory fitted, possibly Sennheiser, I'm not sure. The Sennheiser gear is available, but from what I can gather, the Harmonik gear is better. It's certainly the way to go if you need to amplify the accordion, no fiddley external mics or extra leads to worry about, and easily manageable feedback control - basically non-existent really.

[@samadams8355]

@@tandemwings4733 Sennheiser has been around for a long time, and they do have their fans. However, I know more than one player who had them installed and then went back to using external mics, because they just had too many feedback issues. Maybe the installations were faulty or those players habitually got too close to the monitors, I can't really say, but I decided not to go with that brand.

[@BradMaestas]

You mentioned reliability then talked about feedback. I would say those two things are quite separate. Harmonik's build quality is high so the reliability is high, no doubt. The feedback characteristics depend so much on the pattern of the mic capsule, the frequency response of your speakers, where the mics end up being installed inside your instrument, and what surfaces can reflect sound into the mics and generate feedback. As an audio engineer, I like Harmonik products, a lot, for live sound. They would not be my first choice for recording, where you can put any mic in any position on the outside of the instrument and capture things like the instrument in the room and the keys being pressed. Mics up close will have a great signal/noise ratio and give more volume before feedback but it's not a very natural sound. For recording, some distance is required to capture the true acoustic sound of the instrument. That said, I have this system in my 1960 Petosa piano accordion and it's incredible through a PA. I will be upgrading my chromatic accordion to this system soon as well!

[@SqueezeandThanks]

Hey Brad! I suppose you’re right in that regard. For recording sake, I too haven’t found the pickup to be as good as external mics. I have been using a pencil condenser on the keys and a large diaphragm condenser on the bass. I’m sure there are a few pages I could take from your book given your audio engineering background… I don’t have a specific rhyme or reason for how I go about setting them up, just what seems right… pencil condenser maybe a foot and a half away, and the large diaphragm condenser about the same, maybe two feet… both spaced and aiming in a neutral location. Do you have any recommendations?

[@cyberoptic5757]

I'm considering this for my melodica. Off to find the specifications... length width height and cost

[@SqueezeandThanks]

Very interesting, that would be awesome if it works out!

[@kentaccordionist]

Did removing the logo from your cube street ex make a difference to the sound? On the Roland accordions you can adjust the button noise to get more or less added to your sound. I myself prefer as clean a sound as I can get, ie no button or key sound, but that’s down to individual preference.

[@SqueezeandThanks]

Idk if I noticed a direct difference or not but definitely like the cleaner look. And yeah I would turn those button SFX off too, that’s a nice feature!

[@saulsanchezpineda886]

Hello, do you know if this microphone, due to its thickness, can be placed on the Corona II/Corona II models?

[@SqueezeandThanks]

I’m not too sure, I would reach out to Jonatan from the company and ask him, they have a form on their website

[@tandemwings4733]

I do have a little tip for you all - before you remove the wires from the connectors, grab your phone and take photos so that you know for sure the correct orders.

[@sebastianbravo8829]

that's exactly what I told him to do while helping him on camera, but he's so smart, he memorized all the colors of the cables and resoldered them perfectly!!!

[@tandemwings4733]

@@sebastianbravo8829 I'm not so lacking in intelligence myself, but the easiest way to ensure that you DON'T muck up, is to ENSURE that you don't muck up. One must also keep in mind that this video will probably be helpful to someone else, so all tips should be included, especially since installation information from this company is sorely lacking.

[@robertsteinberger]

Is there a way to route the bass and melody sides seperately?

[@SqueezeandThanks]

@@robertsteinberger hey Robert! Yes, this can be done with one of their systems that has the “mono” / “stereo” switch that is located on the chip board. I forget what systems have this but you can definitely find that info on their website or on a shops website such as Petosa or liberty. You will need a special Y cable that takes the one 1/4” out and splits it into two separate 1/4” cables. This could be particularly good for isolation when recording or using pedals with certain effects on one vs the other. There will always be some small level of bleed but it’s a solid option to have. I believe I have the 5001 in my new Petosa and that has it but definitely look for the little switch. You’ll have to pop off the grill every time you switch between the two but that’s the extent of heavy lifting once it’s installed

[@robertsteinberger]

@@SqueezeandThanks thanks! I'm trying to find out if this system would work for Steirische.

[@SqueezeandThanks]

@@robertsteinberger Reach out to their customer support and they would be happy to let you know if its compatible :)

[@noodles7196]

You should try the djr accordion mic I pick up those button noises lol

[@alexarango]

I got these installed and I'm getting a lot of key noise from them. It seems like the keys make a boomy sound and a click that's sometimes louder than the notes themselves. Anyone else have this issue and were you able to fix it?

[@excelence3866]

With all due respect but trying to install this system in your accordion is like playing the Russian roulette. I perfectly understand it would be the perfect way to amplify your accordion sound, pretty much like an electrical keyboard, you just plug in a cable and ready to go without the need to have cables or mics around. However, in real life , installing this system is kind of difficult and risky even if you are good at DIY. Drilling holes on a $1,500 plus accordion is not a good idea especially when those accordion covers are fragile and you an easily make a big mess. Also you have to make sure to instal the cables in a perfect way, otherwise they will interfere/touch the accordion mechanism and you end up damaging the cables and the accordion springs/metals. Furthermore, that audio system is kind of pricy too. I've come across the guys online store some months ago and it looks in theory but in practice is difficult. Perhaps in the future, companies manufacture accordions with audio outputs like some acoustic guitars. I also have a Roland Electric accordion and I agree with you, the sounds is not the same as an acoustic accordion . I've also come across a wireless mic system for accordion which is under $120 and it offers a decent sound without interference. Take into consideration I've only used it at home or small family events . So I don't know if it will change at open air performances with several speakers. Furthermore, I've had it only for less than a month so I don't know how it will be in the long run or if it would last a long time at all. But so far im happy with it and I didn't have to drill holes on my accordion.

[@tandemwings4733]

You are so wrong. I am definitely a purist when it comes to the accordion sound. I have tried the Rolands, and although a handy bit of kit, they just don't do it for me. I have a Scandalli Polifonic X, which I frequently use for playing for dancing with our 4 piece dance band. The Scandalli is certainly not in your just $1,500 league. Many times that. It took me about 4 hrs to install the Harmoniks AC501-PLUS system in my accordion. Keep in mind that space in the front of the Scandalli is at a premium. Between the grill and the mechanism is about 7 to 8 millimetres, and the microphone system did fit - just. Getting the cabling through to the bass side was a real challenge - BUT, not impossible. I WAS positively hesitant to drill those holes. Now - the finished job is absolutely fantastic. No feedback and total control of sound. Simply brilliant. I have previously tried a couple of cheap shit systems (even not so cheap), and that's what they are - cheap shit..!!! "There is no substitute for quality".... EVER..!!!

[@sebastianbravo8829]

drilling holes in the accordion is a very easy process: 1- use a screwdriver with a small tip, to mark the first point on the grill, twist it some times to remove some celluloid 2- use that mark and a small dremel to attempt the first hole process. As the dremel has speed control, it won't be risky. You can cover all the surrounding parts with masking tape too. 3- increase the dremel bits to achieve the holes diameter. And all the cables comes with a small white thing to hold them in position with screws, so there's no way a cable can get in between the mechanism or the bellows. Everything is well explained in the user manual and installation guide, which is in english!

[@tandemwings4733]

@@sebastianbravo8829 "Everything is well explained in the user manual and installation guide".... NO. It is not. Also, I do not understand all this Dremmel stuff - I used an 18V drill for the entire project without any problems. Stop scaring people.. :)

[@lamuneca4256]

This mic is a C+ sound mic at best.

[@servisharmonika]

Much toking but I cann not enithing too see hou du this.

[@babybloc]

I was just ranting with [famous 🪗ist] about the need for a dirt cheap entry level midi-controller accordion No internal sounds, just midi output, plug and play, hopefully wireless And between $500 - $1,000 No reason that’s not doable The cheapest (!) Rolands cost $3,000! The equivalent for every guitar or keyboard player is: spend a few hundred dollars and “plug it in” There is no entry level (or otherwise really) accordion available for people who want to play in loud bands. It doesn’t need to have pristine sound at all. Anything that can use the airflow/pressure of the bellows already has more expression than any cheap midi keyboard on the market. Anything less than $1000 is going to be fantastic. Make the wired option close to $500 with a wireless add-on and you’d sell lots I bet Every accordion forum has many questions about “How do I mic my Accordion?” And any time that is about a loud band, the response is long, and expensive, and usually hesitant. It’d be nice to have a cheap easy answer for once. I hope somebody does it eventually. The tech exists if somebody wants to do it

[@tandemwings4733]

I sort of agree, although not with the "No internal sounds, just midi output" bit. Till recent times there has not been a good quality sound pick-up option for the accordion. I CAN tell you, from my own personal experience, that the Harmonik systems are the best - by a long way - on the market. If you want something cheap, there are some on the market, but you do only get your money's worth, and it's never good..!!!

[@SqueezeandThanks]

Definitely would be amazing to see that come out, Bruce! I’ve thought of something similar too, it wouldn’t even need to necessarily be the size or weight of a traditional accordion either which would be a dream to play!

[@babybloc]

@@SqueezeandThanks It’s true, when you think about how wild some electric violins get, the form necessary for a midi accordion could be pretty minimal. Like a frame with some tubes and a keyboard? Put some funky Italian designer on it and it would cost 200,000 I’d rather it be utilitarian and cheap, and think it’d be just as beautiful One of the most advanced parts of the Roland machines is the expression. It’s the part that overwhelms the traditional midi capabilities. I guess they’re upgrading midi now so that it will handle everything the bellows, aftertouch and velocity or whatever you call them all, that the Roland accordions throw around Ideally, whatever the form of the controller, it would keep all that expressive capacity. To me, that is what’s attractive about an “electronic accordion”. Not having an electronic instrument try to sound like an acoustic accordion, but to have an electronic instrument that has something like the expressive “lifelike” capabilities of an acoustic Accordion