Andrew
226 posts
Apr 22, 2009
1:48 PM
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Can someone point me to the brand new dinky bright red harp mic that was featured here a few months back?
Sorry to start a new thread. Maybe Adam can delete it after I've got the link, if I'm cluttering up the board too much.
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scstrickland
48 posts
Apr 22, 2009
1:56 PM
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could this be it?
http://www.blowsmeaway.com/ultimate.html
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Andrew
227 posts
Apr 22, 2009
2:26 PM
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That's it, but why can't I find it on the Shure website?
Oh, I guess it' a customised Shure mic.
Last Edited by on Apr 22, 2009 2:30 PM
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jonsparrow
145 posts
Apr 22, 2009
3:33 PM
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ya its a custom sm57 an other models. same jason uses. very popular mic that can be used for many applications other then harp.
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jbone
52 posts
Apr 23, 2009
3:27 AM
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go to blows me away and ask greg!
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jonsparrow
152 posts
Apr 23, 2009
6:51 AM
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i was told by some one i know that it dosnt contain anything. its just empty space. so all he does it cut it off, add the red part with a volume knob an charge $119 more then a regular sm57. wich is reasonable because it looks like quality work. i asume he machines that him self so you wouldnt be able to replicate it unless your a machinest an have the equitment.
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Greg Heumann
3 posts
Apr 23, 2009
9:42 AM
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Hi - I'm happy to answer questions about the Ultimate.
Andrew wrote:
Q: "So the idea is to create as small a housing as possible for it?"
A: YES! That is the idea.
Q: "What would the body of the full SM57 contain that isn't contained in this cartridge?"
A:There is a transformer and the XLR connector. There is some airspace between the two.
I developed the Ultimate Series for several reasons, but the main one was to make the lightest, shortest Shure mics possible. The stock mics are long and heavy. Add an external volume control or wireless transmitter and they're even longer and heavier. Especially with the 545 and 57, the small head diameter means they're already a little uncomfortable to grip in the back of your hand. The length of the barrel increases the leverage that the weight (including the cable) has on your grip - and it can lead to hand cramps. It was Jason Ricci who pushed me to do what I could to shorten the SM57+volume control combination - Jason has been a long time user of my XLR volume controls. The first product was the SM57JR which managed to squeeze a volume control into the barrel of the 57, but even then, that barrel is still heavy and long. Jason and Christelle Berthon kept pushing me to make it lighter and shorter and the result was the Ultimate.
I do machine the barrels myself - there is a LOT of labor in each one, given that each one starts out as a solid round bar of aluminum. But the result is that the mic is about 30% shorter and 30% lighter than its Shure equivalent. (I do use new Shure transformers and elements to make these.)
Unlike the Shure barrels, the Ultimate barrel doesn't taper - so there is a little more room inside. This gives me the room to add both a volume pot and the dual impedance transformer from the 545, which is larger than the single impedance (low only) one in the 57. And that means I can offer high impedance SM57's and 58's if the customer wants.
So in the end what you get is a genuine Shure SM57, SM58 or 545 with a built in volume control and your choice of impedance and connector, that is MUCH more comfortable to hold and play all night long.
In addition to Jason and Christelle, Rob Paparozzi and Kenny Neal are both Ultimate users.
The Ultimate Series web page is http://www.blowsmeaway.com/ultimate.html
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/Greg
http://www.BlowMeAway.com
http://www.BlueStateBand.net
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Andrew
235 posts
Apr 23, 2009
3:09 PM
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Thanks Greg, this is very interesting. Forgive me for not having the money to buy one of your mics (well, there's the amp to go with it is also a problem). I'm a little puzzled by the transformer. What's the step-up ratio? I suppose it's to present a large signal to a pre-amp and minimise any amp-contributed nasties like noise and hum? My father used to be a precision engineer, but he retired 10 years ago. The most I could manage would be to get maybe some light nylon tubing and screw it onto the cartridge. What do you do for a radio-mike, buy a bespoke integrated-circuit?
Last Edited by on Apr 23, 2009 3:21 PM
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Greg Heumann
6 posts
Apr 23, 2009
5:50 PM
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Andrew, I don't honestly know what the step-up ratio of the internal transformers in use by Shure is. I simply trust that their engineers have done their homework far more rigorously than I ever will, and I use their stuff. All stock Shure mics like the SM57, SM58 and 545 have transformers inside the barrel to match the element's impedance to a standard low or high impedance output.
There is no rocket science here. I'm not doing any new electronic engineering. I'm just offering a mechanical solution that makes these mics much better for harp players. But you can't just buy the R57 cartridge and wire it directly to the input jack of your amp. You will need a transformer in the circuit.
When you say "step up" and "present a large signal" - it isn't really accurate. Transformers don't amplify. You can't get something for nothing - and transformers are passive (unpowered) devices. They simply trade voltage for current - you can use a transformer to lower the voltage to get more current, or raise the voltage and get less current. The overall power (which, in electronics, is defined as voltage times current) remains the same, minus the losses in the transformer itself. All that matters for us is to deliver a signal that works best with the amplifier in question.
Guitar/harp amps have high impedance inputs (50K - 5M ohm), PA's and mixers traditionally have low impedance inputs (200-1000 ohms) or both low and high. The output of these elements is not correct for EITHER typical low impedance or high impedance inputs - so the internal transformers are always there.
Don't know what you mean by a "radio mic" - all kinds of mics have been used for all kinds of radio, and the issues are the same. There have been low and high impedance mics available because there have been low and high impedance inputs since, like, forever. It's no big deal to use a low impedance mic with high impedance input or vice versa - that's what the plain vanilla external impedance matching transformers are for. But it is nicer not to have to use one - since it eliminates 1 transformer from the signal path.
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/Greg
http://www.BlowMeAway.com
http://www.BlueStateBand.net
Last Edited by on Apr 23, 2009 5:57 PM
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Andrew
236 posts
Apr 23, 2009
11:40 PM
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Thanks. I'd forgotten about impedance matching (I studied electronics 30 years ago, but haven't touched it since then)
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jawbone
6 posts
Apr 24, 2009
5:39 AM
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Hi Greg - I may have done just what you said not to do - how and what transformer would be put in with the 57 cartridge and how will it change the sound? I may have more work to do!!! Thanx.
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If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
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Greg Heumann
7 posts
Apr 24, 2009
4:26 PM
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Jawbone -
The transformer inside an SM57 or 58 that sets it up for standard low impedance output is the Shure 51A303. The dual impedance transformer in the 545 is the 51B304. Note that neither of these is the same as the transformer in Shure's A95UF Impedance Matching Transformer, which is a 51A312.
There. The cat is out of the bag. If I were a jerk like some of the mic builders I wouldn't tell you this. This is stuff it took me a long time to figure out and that's partly why people pay me to work on their mics.
SO - If you want one of these transformers, I'd appreciate your buying it from me!
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/Greg
http://www.BlowMeAway.com
http://www.BlueStateBand.net
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jonsparrow
169 posts
Apr 24, 2009
6:06 PM
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*select...copy...paste...save.* lol
nice of you to give out info like that. not like i could do any thing with it but its good to have.
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jawbone
7 posts
Apr 24, 2009
6:24 PM
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Hey Greg - Thanx so much - I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this mic. I have it wired direct to the jack and to tell the truth it doesn't sound too bad. It is a home made mic. I will take a pic and send it to you. The cartridge is from a shure clone - apex - it cost about $7 up here in Canada. Anyhow, thanxs again for the info - all this stuff confuses me as much as the circle of fifths does - I'd get better results from a fifth of whiskey!!!!
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If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
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