Making high quality DIY Mic is easier than you think

[@BreakerSpace]

Audio level came out 6dB lower than it'd have been optimal (oh the irony)... Oh well, something to improve on the next video, I guess!

[@curious_spectrum]

Personally I didn't find the audio level low. It's quite all right. Nice work. 👍

[@DanialainaD]

thank you so much for this . i saw Diy Perks and bought two cardiod electrat condenser microphone capsule but i couldnt find the exact transistor shown in that video when i searched for ulternatives for lack of knowledge i bought bjt transistor then mosfet transistor haha but not jfet and when i bought a j fet to be exact 2n5486 n channel jfet the whole preamp circuit was a mess (way out of my knowledge) but your pre amp design is just much neat and helped me understand the whole structure of Diy Perks preamp circuit . But i still request you to make a diy condenser microphone preamp circuit(full) because its clear you have a better knowledge on this and you know to simplify it. Again thank you so much

[@DanialainaD]

@@curious_spectrum it would be wonderful if you build a simplified version of preamp circuit(simpler than Diy Perks haha) for usb version to direct plug in to pc without the need of an audio interface .Big Fan Thank you

[@bbjib]

Good to normalize the level in the post. The old proven TV industry / KZbin standard: up to - 6 dB for voice; and up to - 12 for music separately. One can make a simple 48 phantom powered XLR microphone with phantom power from this capsule with a transistor- Just add one of these simple schematics: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2jOgHuDjKlqZ9k

[@noanyobiseniss7462]

@@bbjib No-one reading this speaks Russian so at least have the video you link have cc of the language of the thread your commenting in.

[@EV-wp1fj]

This video deserves far more views than it's so far getting. Great content! Working towards my own DIY build right now.

[@BreakerSpace]

Thanks for your appreciation, it really means a lot. I guess it's far too niche of a topic for the "algorithm" to understand who to serve it to; but I can see it having a higher than usual satisfaction rate, which means people who are watching it are liking it. Which matters more to me than flat view count (at least at this stage of infancy). I can't control the algorithm, but I can control the quality. So, if you have feedback on that, I'd love to hear from you & work on it to make better videos. And... all the best with your build!

[@ToysForTheGods]

Alright I was jiving with this young man until he pulled out a film tube and called it a retro artifact. It wasn't that damn long ago, just because we didn't have mobile phones and wireless earbuds back in my day doesn't mean we were dinosaurs damn it. Love the video man keep it up.

[@BreakerSpace]

Speak for yourself... I'm a Velociraptor, tyvm! 😂 TBH, we grew up in the best of times...we saw vividly how the world was, and how it will be... and accepted both with open arms. I don't think any other generation in history were or are going to be THAT lucky.

[@ProAudioIQ]

😂

[@Norrin277]

⁠@@BreakerSpaceI agree. I’m 21 myself, and I think the older part of gen z were probably the last generation to experience a childhood in which society wasn’t as…digital and hooked up to the internet. I’m grateful that I grew up not having a phone in my face 24/7, actually getting to live a little during my younger years made a very big impact on me, and my outlook on life.

[@iblesbosuok]

I'm a trilobite 😅

[@unfazedmc5734]

Nice video! Now I'm curious to see how much difference a faraday cage and a pop filter would make!

[@BreakerSpace]

Pop filter makes a huge difference; Faraday cage no difference at all (especially if the mic out to JFET gate connector is very small, so it doesn't work as RF antenna). Would make a part 2 some day with the signal connected to an oscilloscope for A/B test. Till then, take my word for it.

[@montefleming8390]

Great video--I'm going to build one of these as soon as I get a chance.

[@BreakerSpace]

Thanks & all the best!

[@DanialainaD]

thank you so much for this . i saw Diy Perks and bought two cardiod electrat condenser microphone capsule but i couldnt find the exact transistor shown in that video when i searched for ulternatives for lack of knowledge i bought bjt transistor then mosfet transistor haha but not jfet and when i bought a j fet to be exact 2n5486 n channel jfet the whole preamp circuit was a mess (way out of my knowledge) but your pre amp design is just much neat and helped me understand the whole structure of Diy Perks preamp circuit . But i still request you to make a diy condenser microphone preamp circuit(full) because its clear you have a better knowledge on this and you know to simplify it. Again thank you so much

[@BreakerSpace]

I'm definitely going to make video on preamp (with a primer on audio signal levels); thanks for the encouragement (but not back to back video on audio equipment... so please stay tuned). Glad that the video helped you realize that DIY mics (especially electret mics like 2555B) don't need to be overcomplicated. Also, in DIY perk's video the pre-amp was unnecessary, as he was feeding it into the USB adapter anyway (which can work with direct mic level audio, doesn't need preamp'd line-level audio). If you're also using USB sound cards, then you can totally skip any preamp circuit... just use the circuit I built on, and feed it into the USB adapter's mic bias and ground (either with TRRS cable, or directly solder on its board).

[@DanialainaD]

@@BreakerSpace yeah that's understandable take your time brother (i hope not more than a month 🥹) i already subscribed😊

[@ohimdabiggestbird]

can you make a pop filter from scratch or as in DIY as well?

[@SamCouchman]

This was a great video! I'd love to see a simple amp and dac videos from you

[@BreakerSpace]

Thank you! And yeah... soon™

[@NareshKumar-mz5nr]

If your JFET has a built in Resistor, adding another one will halve the effective resistance it sees, that resistor is what drains out the DC, while it will work with half the value, it will attenuate lower frequencies worse than if you did not add the resistor.

[@BreakerSpace]

That's right, I found out about this particular JFET (K596) having integrated resistor after I had already soldered it in. I was checking its datasheet for its ratings, just to ensure it'll be OK for the larger electret capsule (higher capacitance). I was interpreting the effect of lower resistance due to the parallel resistor as lower attenuation for the high-frequencies (i.e. wider bandwidth); but overall result will be similar (flatter response curve). I had thought about desoldering and rebuilding it, but haven't gotten to it yet as it never seemed like an issue (I prefer flatter response curve; and theoretically I can EQ it in software if I really need to, though in practice I don't need to). Thanks for your comment, you clearly know the inner workings of microphones; which is very refreshing and hard to come by!

[@TARUN__46]

Nice content keep doing the good work

[@BreakerSpace]

Thank you!

[@ShahajalalSanvi]

That's just wonderful. you made everything so easy . everywhere i go they say cardiod electrat condenser microphone needs phantom power to be able to pick any sound at all ,Diy perk get rid of the phantom power need but his preamp circuit is kinda hard. your's is just so easy Thank you so much . Btw i have a question 2sk596 jfet is typically used for mini electrat condenser microphone though it's understandable it has integrated resistor that's why you used the scavanged jfet but what will happen if i use 2n4416 or 2n5486 n channel jfet. actually there is a long list of jfet which can be great for vhf and uhf audio signaal so i am kinda confused. and it will be awesome of you build a preamp circuit simpler than diy perks but keeps the sound quality of diy perk's circuit (hihihi ❤) . Thanks

[@BreakerSpace]

Yeah, simplicity is exactly what I was going for... thanks for watching, glad it helped. BTW, you can you most of those JFETs without much issue (but there'd be case by case variances). Just make sure to use a biasing resistor of higher value if the JFET is a faster one. And by high I mean in the GigaOhm range (higher the better). Don't use a MegaOhm resistor like me (I should have mentioned it). It basically forms a RC filter, where the C is that of the diaphragm & electret plate - higher the R, lower the C required for same time constant - meaning, you get sharper rise/fall of signal waves even with smaller capacitance. As I've said in another comment, I'll come back to the signal levels, level conversion, and amp/preamp circuits, but not with an immediate next video. Please stay tuned ;) meanwhile, if you're really in a rush, look up for a MAX981x module.

[@johnthursfield3056]

Well made and clear

[@BreakerSpace]

Thank you! 🙏

[@panomaniac5399]

Nice! I've made dozens of mics using electret capsules from 4mm-9mm. Just as easy to wire and use as you show. But I was surprised to see that larger capsule running of of plug-in power. Simple!

[@BreakerSpace]

Absolutely... they're brilliant little things, but not as high-maintenance as we often expect them to be! Give it a shot, and all the best!

[@jervi_sir]

I was waiting for a such video that recap this topic once for all, Honestly I had same reaction at 6:45

[@BreakerSpace]

One of those times, when you totally expect the experiment to fail... but left with a pleasant surprise that you didn't!

[@dino-at-redmatter]

Never knew that a mic is this simple to DIY. Great video! The retro artifact is that a case for 35mm photography films?

[@BreakerSpace]

That's right! 😎

[@Proy3ct0_fenix]

Man, idw if your gonna reas this, but this is great. Im little cheap for money, so this is the greatest thing for me right now, dont give up. Youre the best

[@BreakerSpace]

Thank you, and or course I'm gonna read this! All the best with your build... would love to know how it goes.

[@TomasDDB]

7:25 it's the container in which 35mm film cartridges come, from analog photography

[@BreakerSpace]

That's right!

[@Bunny-gv1fe]

Thanks for the video! What do you think about using Phantom Power for the entire system? Should I add a voltage regulator circuit and that will solve everything? Are you only using the USB power like 3-5v?

[@BreakerSpace]

This is a part one of a series of videos I have planned; and I will come to polarizing voltage for true condenser mics, the utility of phantom power to that end, its better alternatives & the tech-debt of carrying analog signal over long distance etc. But as a sneak peak... I prefer to digitize my analog signal as close to the source as possible, and carry the digital signal to destination cause order or magnitude more effective that way (as you've mentioned, USB audio adapters... use that for signal and you can source power from it as well). So, unless you have an entire ecosystem of equipment already built around phantom powered XLR cables, in general, I'd not recommend picking them up for a modern setup. I'd rather recommend retiring them gradually.

[@Bunny-gv1fe]

@@BreakerSpace Ok, maybe that makes sense, especially in studio environments and similar setups, but perhaps not so much for live stages and events. Either way, I understand your point. Regarding my question, I was mainly trying to understand what voltage you used to polarize the capsule. I want to test 26mm and 34mm capsules, but I haven’t been able to get them to work due to the voltage. I’m never sure if I really need the full 48V or if a specific and lower voltage would be enough. I’ve subscribed to your channel for updates

[@BreakerSpace]

​@@Bunny-gv1fe An ECM is internally polarized at the time of manufacturing (by use of the charged electret plate). A TCM (True Condenser Mic) needs external polarization. The polarization voltage is analogous to the "tug of the string" in a stringed instrument. You want it to be taut, without braking apart. Every 2x polarizing voltage will give you +20dB of SNR. There isn't an upper limit for what the voltage should be - it depends on the material property of the diaphragm, and the separation between the plates (how far can it be stretched in, without touching the other surface). Around 60-80V is most commonly used for most TCM capsules (they commonly use some form of voltage boosting to get there). You can go higher at your own risk. But you can just as well use half that voltage (i.e. well under 48V) for a quality that's virtually indistinguishable by human ears. Even ~5-10V can work, but at that point the quality difference may become perceivable. Keep an eye out for my upcoming video on TCM. I can't promise to go very deep (as most people skip over if the content goes too deep), but I will touch on these points. Thanks for being curious!

[@Bunny-gv1fe]

@@BreakerSpace Thank you very much for the clarifications. I'll continue being curious here, testing new capsules and so on. I'll keep an eye on your updates.

[@APMastering]

great video!

[@BreakerSpace]

Thanks!

[@renantepadre3332]

As an appreciation, let me tell you that this work of you Sir is very useful, informative and educational. The presentation is easy to understand due to clear explanations. You really exerted your best efforts to put things as comprehensive as possible for your viewers. Thanks...KUDOS!!!

[@BreakerSpace]

Thank you very much for your kind words... it really means a lot! 🙏

[@arievanderreijden714]

Plugging the modified mic. in a laptop means you are also applying a certain voltage to it (Plug in power, 3-5V)?

[@BreakerSpace]

That's correct... this mic will need a biasing voltage to work (which thankfully is handled by most consumer devices where headphone-mic combos work). The biasing voltage & signal out circuit stays with the sound-card section of the computer/laptop; which is basically a load resistor from the bias source and a coupling capacitor towards the signal. If you want to avoid relying on the host for biasing, or want line-level output, then you'll have to add a preamplifier to this mic's output. I prefer MAX446x/MAX9812/MAX9814 etc as preamp in such a case.

[@FinlayEkins]

Hey, how did you wire the capsule up to the TRRS cable, I can't get this to work

[@BreakerSpace]

I used Tip=Left, Sleeve=Mic pinout (i.e. CTIA or Apple pinout). This is good for mono channel biased inputs like phones and headphone+mic combo jacks. If your system has stereo biased pinout for Mic input, then you need to connect the connectors Left and Right channels to the mic's output, ground to ground, and leave sleeve floating (or just use TRS). Hope it made sense to you; give it a try & let me know if it worked. Some of these issues are highly situational & hard to predict without seeing it IRL.

[@Whatbruhbruh]

Bruh you are underrated fr.

[@BreakerSpace]

Thanks man, appreciate it!

[@teja-gj2om]

great work man

[@BreakerSpace]

Thank you! 😄

[@brennonwilliams9181]

This was a great video!

[@BreakerSpace]

Thanks, glad you liked it! 🙏

[@renantepadre3332]

Can we just simply replace the microphone's small electric mic with a large diaphragm to attain better sound quality without revising the existing circuit?

[@BreakerSpace]

Yes, you can! Make sure the large diaphragm mic you're planning to use is pre-polarized kind (i.e. electret one, as the one in this video).

[@adityanshuraj2963]

sir I have to record my vocals for music purposes , should i go for DIY 25mm diaphragm mic ? Will it be equivalent to those costly mics out there ? Plz help

[@BreakerSpace]

Those expensive mics are made of these 25-34mm large diaphragm capsules anyways... so, if you're strained for budget, the DIY version can give you good result at very low cost.

[@adityanshuraj2963]

@@BreakerSpace tnx sir

[@klofisch]

i am shooting 30 rolls of film per year,.....cant make that many mics :D. Thanks for the video!

[@BreakerSpace]

"Hello darkroom my old friend...."

[@klofisch]

@@BreakerSpace :D Can you tell me what value the Resistor has? 10k?

[@BreakerSpace]

@@klofisch 1M, but as explained in the video better to go even larger (and not necessary if the JFET already has it integrated, which it does, that I later found out).

[@bhushan9066]

Please tell me if I can make a microphone that won't capture background noise. What sensor and from where do I order it? The JBL lavalier mic you get on Amazon captures a small child playing in the distance as well as traffic horn.

[@BreakerSpace]

As I mentioned this in the last part: smaller the mic, higher the chance of it recording unwanted noise (because, smaller diaphragm = higher sensitivity). Larger the mic, closer the sound sources that are captured in it... eliminating noises at a distance.

[@bhushan9066]

@@BreakerSpace which Sensor or diaphragm should I buy?

[@BreakerSpace]

@@bhushan9066 you can buy the same one I've used in this video. It'll already give you more than 20dB of noise separation, compared to lav mics.

[@bhushan9066]

@@BreakerSpace thanks 🙏

[@DailyRiot]

How can you make that sound like a Soyuz 017 FET?

[@BreakerSpace]

Google "Soyuz 017 frequency response curve" and then use that to apply equalizer to tune your recording. You may as well need to apply compensation filters for denoise & compression depending on the mic it was recorded on, but otherwise, it should sound like a Soyuz 017.

[@DailyRiot]

@@BreakerSpace I'm not sure EQ imparts harmonic distortion a transformer in the amplification circuit would. Cool video, you should try to build something like the 017 fet with a transformer. Seems like one of the older designs with all through hole components.

[@BreakerSpace]

The overtones are dampened or cut by the aggressive attenuation of the higher frequency. So, I don't think the effect of harmonic distortions is in any way significant here. But, if you're trying to account for it, then analyze the ideal and distorted waveforms with an oscilloscope > run fourier transformation to split the distortion waveform profile > use a DSP to apply the same profile as a filter on ideal input from a flat frequency response source. I am not sure if you're asking this as a technical challenge or just as a worship of that particular mic you like. If it's the former, I'm sure there are enough ways to "solve" it (and I can help with that), but if it's the later, then no "technical solution" would ever be enough (and I can't help with that).

[@DailyRiot]

@@BreakerSpace well it doesn't have to be that mic, just something of that quality.

[@BreakerSpace]

Will do sir (but it will take time to get through the WIP projects... need more hands haha)

[@OllysCoding]

Great video!

[@BreakerSpace]

Thanks, glad you liked it!

[@SurendraSinghRatnu]

A good effort to make people understand a condenser mic. But why a big circuit is used when it is so simple.

[@BreakerSpace]

Asking the right question!

[@MrPureBasic]

Mic circuit are mostly here for pre amplifying, equalizing, impedance matching and balancing the outputs (look up symmetric signals). All of those are called 'Signal Conditioning' in electronic engineering. Why are we doing this? Well, in the pro sound world, you don't want your mic to work in some circumstances, you want it to work ALWAYS, even with 100m of cable between it and the preamp. The mics hacked together in this video will just disintegrate as soon as you sneeze on them, and sound awful anyway.

[@BreakerSpace]

@@MrPureBasic digitize the analog signal at source, carry it over a protocol that doesn't disintegrate if you sneeze on it. All these complexities of audio ecosystems (from circuits to cables) are self-imposed masochism. USB adapters exist.

[@MrPureBasic]

​@@BreakerSpace How do you plug 36 mics in USB? Yes, you gather them in analog and then make a mass conversion. Here are some downsides of USB for pro audio use: - You need signal amps on a USB cable if you want more than 10m of cable run. USB connectors fail when you sneeze on them. - Most cheap integrated Mic preamp USB direct converters sound reaaally bad. - If you don't use an electret, you will still need more voltage for the backplate than the 5V offered by the USB port, meaning you need at least a boost converter (noisy, complex...). - You cannot sync the clocks of different USB interfaces converters, meaning you will have to pass through multiple ASRCs. - If you have 36 mics, who is the master clock? How do you feed the converter clocks to the other mics? - How do you deal with latency in a live, monitoring critical situation? - Etc... etc. Meanwhile, a well balanced mic or impedance balanced output will carry signals over more than 100m of microphone cable without noise or loss, instantly. Conversion at the mic for pro studio and live use was done by Neumann with their now discontinued numeric line. But again, that's a clock distributed system, with premium preamps embedded in the mic and premium A/D conversion, and all of this is passing through dedicated interface and is outed on AES lines. They sound fantastic. Nevertheless, we still got back to good old analog mics. It's cheaper yet offers about the same quality while being more sturdy to deploy on stage. Also, we could get that much AES lines to interface well with digital desks. It was becoming very complicated to get the sound of a large number of those mics without passing through some bridging, meaning more potential failure points. If you only want one mic for streaming contents, you don't need any of that, for sure. A single USB mic will work. But that fact doesn't make your microphone anymore high end and doesn't mean that no one need real high end mics. Anyone can plug shit in a laptop mic in and get some sound. Don't be a fool. We don't do all of what we do for nothing.

[@BreakerSpace]

@@MrPureBasic I meant to do it eventually, but if you can fund the project now, I can show how it can be done in next 6 months. I'll need no more than $1M to forklift that entire industry & my GitHub has sponsorship options link. It's pretty easy to write why humans can't ever fly over Atlantic, why AI can't play chess, why rockets can't be reusable, until someone shows how it's done. If you've tried to do this and failed 50 times, then I have massive respect for you, and I'm interested about the iteration details from those trial runs. Otherwise not.

[@maniach]

bro can you make a bluetooth microphone like rode wirless and dji

[@BreakerSpace]

On my bucket-list... that's all I can say for now! 😉

[@Miguel-oi8wz]

Hello, I had a question. A few months ago, I bought a condenser microphone from AliExpress and wanted to know if soldering the capsule you use in the video to the circuit would work well (I have no previous knowledge of electronics).

[@BreakerSpace]

If you can give link or model number then I can say with more confidence, but at the end of the day, all condenser mics work on the same principle. You might need a high polarizing voltage for true condenser mics (i.e. non-electret ones). Otherwise it's all the same (multi-stage signal buffering/amp).

[@maniach]

can you use i phone camera as a security camera

[@BreakerSpace]

Yes, I am going to show how to use old phones as cheap cameras (should work on both android & iOS devices).

[@AdrianGonzalez-ii7jb]

nice video bro

[@BreakerSpace]

Thank you! :D

[@XscudX]

I thought condenser mics needed 48v

[@BreakerSpace]

Not your fault friend; I heard the same lie... this is a very old ghost of the past since vacuum tube days. Will take time to get out of people's mind.

[@XscudX]

@BreakerSpace so how do you know if one needs 48v or not?

[@BreakerSpace]

​@@XscudX no condenser microphone capsule with modern JFET/buffer needs that kinda biasing voltage. Mic level signal is ~10 millivolt peak to peak, and even the pre-amp'd line level signal is 1Vpp. You can even use a coin-cell to bias electret mics (and most low-cost self-biased mics do). In fact, the 48V isn't even used. Take a look at any modern mic schematic. It's brought down to 2-10V (with a zener diodes), and rest of it is discarded (unused).

[@MrPureBasic]

@@BreakerSpace Tube mics have dedicated PSUs. P48 standard is mostly used for solid state mics. Also, this voltage ensure a correct backplate polarisation (if needed, not needed in an electret) and sufficient headroom. It's not a myth, it's a solution to problems. It's not a ghost of the past, it's still widely used in pro audio.

[@MrPureBasic]

It is used. Look at a Schoeps mic output and how it works before making blind claims.

[@SumeetKrispy]

Bada bing bada boom, haha. Artifact held for 25 years (Hoarder detected), It was used to store the camera films (negatives).

[@BreakerSpace]

Yup, that's correct... Congrats, fellow millennial 😂

[@mdashiqurrahmanbayezid5037]

Wooow, man, you are good

[@BreakerSpace]

Thank you! 🙏

[@DevinTransvic-um1ud]

its a capsule to hold old film rolls or cameras...

[@BreakerSpace]

Yup! A vanished artifact in today's world's convenient instant gratification of digital cameras!

[@ohimdabiggestbird]

the video with the yellow themed DIY microphone, do you think somebody like me, who knows absolutely NOTHING about soldering, let alone electrical circuits, absolutely 0 knowledge, and with barely any proper tools, can follow that tutorial step by step and make the same microphone?

[@BreakerSpace]

With some genuine effort, enough of time and a lot of power of will, anyone can do anything. All the best.

[@bikeborneexplorerindia4976]

Cam reel holder

[@BreakerSpace]

Yup!

[@ashfaquehossain9358]

bro can you give me a circet diagram

[@_s2700]

Are you bengali ?....just curious