Re: [Sursound] Brahma mic users?
Hello Michael and Umashankar, Yes, I've been doing some recordings with it and I'm liking the results. Later today I can upload some of them and post the links here for you to listen. Do you prefer the raw A-format or the B-format conversion? For the B-Format conversion I've been using TetraProc without any calibration files and using the default theoretical mic preset. I can also upload binaural versions of those recordings. I did try to match the levels of the four capsules by recording twice a test signal, first with the front and then with the back side of the mic facing the speaker. Then I matched the gains of all four capsules using this recorded test signals and applied the same gain compensations to the recordings. This is probably not the best procedure but it seemed to improve the results, particularly the general balance of the soundfield. I recently did some IR measurements and sent them to Fons who is kindly helping me making the calibration files for TetraProc. Once I get those I can later upload the same recordings but now calibrated for comparison. Cheers, Hector On Tue, May 17, 2011 at 10:19 PM, umashankar mantravadi umasha...@hotmail.com wrote: dear michael i do not mind at all, and would in fact like to hear from people who have used my mic, or heard recordings made with it. Angelo has ten of them, and a 11th made with TSB 120 capsules which he has tested and calibrated and used for recordings. i have not heard these recordings myself. one member of this group, hector centano, has a brahma and i heard nice sounding recordings he has made with it. the first thing i must point out if you want to buy a brahma is you will have to calibrate the microphone yourself. at the moment i am not set up for doing this. (hector and i have both used them uncalibrated, with a kind of best fit approach). depending on your skill levels and parts availability, you can build it yourself (using the required parts from shapeways), do only the zoom modification yourself, or get me to make the whole thing. (we can discuss that off list) umashankar i have published my poems. read (or buy) at http://stores.lulu.com/umashankar Date: Wed, 18 May 2011 07:06:33 +0900 From: loop...@gmail.com To: sursound@music.vt.edu Subject: [Sursound] Brahma mic users? Hi, I've been on this list a while and not posted anything, mainly because I find I have little to add to the usually on-topic and interesting exchanges that go on here. However, I'm soon to be in the market for an A-format/soundfield microphone. My budget is limited, so this means either the Tetramic or Brahma mic/kit appear to be my only options. While I can find plenty of testimony regarding the Tetramic's strengths and weaknesses, there seems to have been little or no discussion of Umashankar's Brahma. Have any list member's had experience with this mic? In terms of cost, it seems like a very attractive package to begin recording ambisonic material. thanks Michael Noble ps. I realize Umashankar, you are a list member. I hope you are not offended that I should seek third party input before inquiring to you directly about your products. ___ Sursound mailing list Sursound@music.vt.edu https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/private/sursound/attachments/20110518/083c3d0a/attachment.html ___ Sursound mailing list Sursound@music.vt.edu https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound ___ Sursound mailing list Sursound@music.vt.edu https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound
Re: [Sursound] Brahma mic users?
umanshankar, Thanks for the info. I could probably build it, but I've spent a lot of time in the studio building, optimizing, experimenting, debugging and so on, and not as much time as I would like being acoustically productive. While all of that is an enjoyable learning experience, in this case, I'm looking for a more plug and play type solution. As you said, I can contact you off list when I am closer to making a purchasing decision. -michael On Wed, May 18, 2011 at 11:19 AM, umashankar mantravadi umasha...@hotmail.com wrote: dear michael i do not mind at all, and would in fact like to hear from people who have used my mic, or heard recordings made with it. Angelo has ten of them, and a 11th made with TSB 120 capsules which he has tested and calibrated and used for recordings. i have not heard these recordings myself. one member of this group, hector centano, has a brahma and i heard nice sounding recordings he has made with it. the first thing i must point out if you want to buy a brahma is you will have to calibrate the microphone yourself. at the moment i am not set up for doing this. (hector and i have both used them uncalibrated, with a kind of best fit approach). depending on your skill levels and parts availability, you can build it yourself (using the required parts from shapeways), do only the zoom modification yourself, or get me to make the whole thing. (we can discuss that off list) umashankar ___ Sursound mailing list Sursound@music.vt.edu https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound
Re: [Sursound] Brahma mic users?
dear michael the brahma mic can be used with any four channel system that can provide plug in power of atleast two volts. it is very simple providing a small box, with a nine volt battery inside, a female five pin connector and four male xlrs to use it with any recorder. i prefer the nine volt battery route to providing full phantom power circuits because it is definitely less noisy, especially when using small battery powered location recorders, which have to generate the phantom voltage.the xlr outputs will be impedance balanced so longish cables can still be used. if the cables are truly long some kind of buffering has to be provided. i can make you this box if you want. i originally made brahma with a screw on tuchel connector to use it directly on the zoom H2. i have realised since that even with the zoom H2 the mike is better off with a cable connection to the recorder. one can then check the recorder without disturbing the mike. i have changed to a five pin xlr connector. i am sending this off list as i do not think it is of much interest to other sursounders. umashankar i have published my poems. read (or buy) at http://stores.lulu.com/umashankar Date: Thu, 19 May 2011 09:21:41 +0900 From: loop...@gmail.com To: sursound@music.vt.edu Subject: Re: [Sursound] Brahma mic users? umanshankar, There is one thing that is not clear to me from the website. The Brahma mic seems essentially designed for use with the Zoom H2. I'd like to also use the microphone with my Tascam DR-680 if at all possible. I have no doubt it could be used with other recorders, but it is not clear if you sell something like a breakout cable to enable use with a regular recorder with 4 channels of XLR input. Also, if I were to buy the fully built kit, would the microphone be removable to allow it to still be used with another recorder in this way? It seems as though it is simply screwed on via the connector, so my guess is it can be removed, but I can't tell for certain. thanks Michael On Wed, May 18, 2011 at 11:19 AM, umashankar mantravadi umasha...@hotmail.com wrote: dear michael i do not mind at all, and would in fact like to hear from people who have used my mic, or heard recordings made with it. Angelo has ten of them, and a 11th made with TSB 120 capsules which he has tested and calibrated and used for recordings. i have not heard these recordings myself. one member of this group, hector centano, has a brahma and i heard nice sounding recordings he has made with it. the first thing i must point out if you want to buy a brahma is you will have to calibrate the microphone yourself. at the moment i am not set up for doing this. (hector and i have both used them uncalibrated, with a kind of best fit approach). depending on your skill levels and parts availability, you can build it yourself (using the required parts from shapeways), do only the zoom modification yourself, or get me to make the whole thing. (we can discuss that off list) umashankar ___ Sursound mailing list Sursound@music.vt.edu https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/private/sursound/attachments/20110519/c7617ec6/attachment.html ___ Sursound mailing list Sursound@music.vt.edu https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound
[Sursound] Brahma mic users?
Hi, I've been on this list a while and not posted anything, mainly because I find I have little to add to the usually on-topic and interesting exchanges that go on here. However, I'm soon to be in the market for an A-format/soundfield microphone. My budget is limited, so this means either the Tetramic or Brahma mic/kit appear to be my only options. While I can find plenty of testimony regarding the Tetramic's strengths and weaknesses, there seems to have been little or no discussion of Umashankar's Brahma. Have any list member's had experience with this mic? In terms of cost, it seems like a very attractive package to begin recording ambisonic material. thanks Michael Noble ps. I realize Umashankar, you are a list member. I hope you are not offended that I should seek third party input before inquiring to you directly about your products. ___ Sursound mailing list Sursound@music.vt.edu https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound
Re: [Sursound] Brahma mic users?
dear michael i do not mind at all, and would in fact like to hear from people who have used my mic, or heard recordings made with it. Angelo has ten of them, and a 11th made with TSB 120 capsules which he has tested and calibrated and used for recordings. i have not heard these recordings myself. one member of this group, hector centano, has a brahma and i heard nice sounding recordings he has made with it. the first thing i must point out if you want to buy a brahma is you will have to calibrate the microphone yourself. at the moment i am not set up for doing this. (hector and i have both used them uncalibrated, with a kind of best fit approach). depending on your skill levels and parts availability, you can build it yourself (using the required parts from shapeways), do only the zoom modification yourself, or get me to make the whole thing. (we can discuss that off list) umashankar i have published my poems. read (or buy) at http://stores.lulu.com/umashankar Date: Wed, 18 May 2011 07:06:33 +0900 From: loop...@gmail.com To: sursound@music.vt.edu Subject: [Sursound] Brahma mic users? Hi, I've been on this list a while and not posted anything, mainly because I find I have little to add to the usually on-topic and interesting exchanges that go on here. However, I'm soon to be in the market for an A-format/soundfield microphone. My budget is limited, so this means either the Tetramic or Brahma mic/kit appear to be my only options. While I can find plenty of testimony regarding the Tetramic's strengths and weaknesses, there seems to have been little or no discussion of Umashankar's Brahma. Have any list member's had experience with this mic? In terms of cost, it seems like a very attractive package to begin recording ambisonic material. thanks Michael Noble ps. I realize Umashankar, you are a list member. I hope you are not offended that I should seek third party input before inquiring to you directly about your products. ___ Sursound mailing list Sursound@music.vt.edu https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/private/sursound/attachments/20110518/083c3d0a/attachment.html ___ Sursound mailing list Sursound@music.vt.edu https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound