Microphone choices

[NickC]

I was hoping to get some ideas on microphones. I am looking find an external mic that I can move from instrument to instrument, and only use when necessary. I was looking at the MusicTech mic, and it seems nice. https://www.lamalleauxaccordeons.fr...rdion-microphone-system-musictech-mt05en.html

I like it because I would be able to attach/detach it easily, and I would only need the right hand when mic'ed. It has 3 capsules, and looks to be a solid piece. My main concern is that I am not sure if it will be as feedback resistant as an internal mic.

Are there any other options that work well? Do you prefer internal mics?

 

[debra]

I have used the Microvox system for many years. It's external, mounted on the grille and bass side using Velcro (but I also placed the treble mic-bar on a separate bracket to add about an inch of distance). These mics are very good (4 treble mics on the model 420). I also used it on my bass accordion for years but now installed internal mics as I always need mics on the bass accordion. I still have two Microvox mics for the regular accordions (and as I have 4 these mics are used on different accordions). See microvox.co.uk. These mics are also sold under the SEM accordion brand name.
We used these mics in a small ensemble (4 or 5 of them) with two Bose L1 model 2 units placed *behind* us and we produced a hell of a lot of sound without any feedback.

 

[jozz]

don't worry about feedback between these and builtin

both use the same omni capsules, almost identical in position, and are equally good or bad

more important is how you drive them

I've seen a lot of people set the gain pots to max - don't do that

set the pots for best signal to noise - for the musictech/sennheiser caps that is around 40% (when builtin)

 

[debra]

Indeed the same Sennheiser capsules are used in several systems, including the MusicTech, Microvox and the "standard" 3-capusule built-in that some factories install in accordions.
Only new systems like AZS and Harmonik seem to be using different capsules.
I read somewhere that to properly capture tremolo you need large-membrane microphones and that the small capsules are "no good" but I cannot say I notice a huge difference between the small capsules in my Zoom H2 recorder and the large membranes in my AKG 214 mics. I guess the differences are overrated for the sound an accordion produces anyway.

 

[losthobos]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/362552547128
Works for me, have small capsule from same seller that wraps round bottom bass strap.... I connect treble gooseneck either to bellows strap on one accordion or to stick on sucker on another....

 

[debra]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/362552547128
Works for me, have small capsule from same seller that wraps round bottom bass strap.... I connect treble gooseneck either to bellows strap on one accordion or to stick on sucker on another....

People use at least two such goosenecks to capture the treble side (but more would be better)... and it becomes a cable mess and hard to keep very stable... For a mic system that goes on the accordion nothing beats Microvox. If you want anything better then either you go in the accordion with anything from a relatively cheap (about 120 euro) system like the homebrew from Carini to an AZS or Harmonik system for several hundred euro, or else you go outside of the accordion with carefully placed stand-alone mics, with feedback problems as a result unless you really know what you are doing. (I attended a concert by Alexander Skliarov who used mics left and right at about 2 feet from the accordion, and because of the careful position of mics versus speakers he had no feedback issues.)

 

[NickC]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I looked into the small goose neck mics. It seems like a lot of people use them, based on the videos that I've seen. I am sure that they are much more versatile since they can be positioned for optimal response.

 

[Ventura]

it also depends on how much you move around when playing

the Sennheisers in a rail are so resistant to feedback and the positioning
helps reject any other stage sound from bleeding in as any external
instruments from others in the band has to first enter through your grille,
then bounce up into the Mic rail

as mentioned these are identical to the same kits used for decades now
that mount under the grille as internal mics

they are available from MASTER as well, or through Deffner here in the USA
or easily done yourself buying the internal Kit and using it to refurb an old dead
Sano Mic rail (which gives you room for a Tone control add on, and to use
all 4 mic elements in the kit, and i personally like to add an on-off switch and LED)

additionally, these Mic Rails work very well with Wireless audio transmitters

the 9 volt battery is to bias the capsules and power the small Op Amp mixer

these kits are also available with cheaper Mics so be careful whatever you order is
clearly marked as using Sennheiser capsules

i have further experimented with Mic Rails to make them deeper with wood for
reflection and channeling the sound up into a second smaller chamber where
the mics are mounted

a Mic Rail should be metal so as to shield the components and wiring from interference,
some cheap variations have been seen in plastic

 

[Jim2010]

I was hoping to get some ideas on microphones. I am looking find an external mic that I can move from instrument to instrument, and only use when necessary. I was looking at the MusicTech mic, and it seems nice. https://www.lamalleauxaccordeons.fr...rdion-microphone-system-musictech-mt05en.html

I like it because I would be able to attach/detach it easily, and I would only need the right hand when mic'ed. It has 3 capsules, and looks to be a solid piece. My main concern is that I am not sure if it will be as feedback resistant as an internal mic.

Are there any other options that work well? Do you prefer internal mics?

Myers Pickups is a USA based company. I have no personal experience with them but they make a wide variety of microphones and configurations for many different instruments There are pages where you can hear them in actual use.
Here is a link to their accordion page.

Myers Pickups —Myers Instrument Pickups and Instrument Microphones Testimonials

Dive deeper into specifics about Myers Instrument Pickup and Instrument Microphones including violin pickups, accordion pickups, cello pickups, mandolin pickups and lute pickups.

www.myerspickups.com

There also is a bandoneon page.

Myers Pickups —Myers Instrument Pickups and Instrument Microphones Testimonials

Dive deeper into specifics about Myers Instrument Pickup and Instrument Microphones including violin pickups, accordion pickups, cello pickups, mandolin pickups and lute pickups.

www.myerspickups.com

 

[NickC]

Thanks! I looked around online and found a few options. The Musictech checks a lot of boxes. It is simple to install, no tape or velcro needed, not a whole lot of wires to mess with, it seems like it just needs a 1/4 inch jack which will work with my current amp, simple controls where I can just use my amp to adjust, contains Sennheiser mics...
I really don't see many cons except for the price, which for the (presumable) quality, isn't too bad. Unfortunately, the website doesn't give a lot of specifics, so I many have to call around to find out the difference between the 2 different models.

 

[debra]

Thanks! I looked around online and found a few options. The Musictech checks a lot of boxes. It is simple to install, no tape or velcro needed, not a whole lot of wires to mess with, it seems like it just needs a 1/4 inch jack which will work with my current amp, simple controls where I can just use my amp to adjust, contains Sennheiser mics...
I really don't see many cons except for the price, which for the (presumable) quality, isn't too bad. Unfortunately, the website doesn't give a lot of specifics, so I many have to call around to find out the difference between the 2 different models.

I have used the Microvox system on a bracket that I held in place using the decorative bolts that hold the grille in place. The Musictech bar is held in place with rubber bands, on these same bolts. The link does not show what is used for the bass side.
The Musictech bar (treble side only) is 480 euro. That's a lot of money compared to Microvox, and the Microvox 420 has 4 Sennheiser mics for better spread of the sound pickup than the 3 mics of Musictech.
I have no experience with the Musictech mics but do have experience with the popular built-in system with 3 Sennheiser mics, which has a noticeable unevenness in volume: higher volume closer to where a mic is and lower volume for notes further away from a mic. The further away from the grille you could mount the mics the better the spread of the pickup but the higher the risk of feedback.
In the picture below if you look closely you can see the bracket and the wired going to the bass mic, and if you look closely on the right, to the left of the player who is standing and then left of the grey pole (streetlight) you see the Bose L1 model 2 used to amplify my accordion.

 

[NickC]

That looks like a nice setup, Paul. I will look into the Microvox further. Did you mount the bracket on the screws that hold the grill on, or on the bellows strap button? DPA has a cool mount that fits right under the grill screws on the side, but that is a much more expensive option and I'm not looking to invest that much.

 

[debra]

That looks like a nice setup, Paul. I will look into the Microvox further. Did you mount the bracket on the screws that hold the grill on, or on the bellows strap button? DPA has a cool mount that fits right under the grill screws on the side, but that is a much more expensive option and I'm not looking to invest that much.

The bracket goes on the screws that hold the grill on indeed. Works very well. Obviously it only works when the grille is held on with screws (bolts actually). So it would not work on a Hohner Morino of the N series but it does on the S series. (The N series has a lever with the special property that it can undo itself mid-performance so the grille then falls off...)

 

[jozz]

Thanks! I looked around online and found a few options. The Musictech checks a lot of boxes. It is simple to install, no tape or velcro needed, not a whole lot of wires to mess with, it seems like it just needs a 1/4 inch jack which will work with my current amp, simple controls where I can just use my amp to adjust, contains Sennheiser mics...
I really don't see many cons except for the price, which for the (presumable) quality, isn't too bad. Unfortunately, the website doesn't give a lot of specifics, so I many have to call around to find out the difference between the 2 different models.

I was wrong

Musictech makes two external models:

1. MT 03E external model has the Sennheiser mics, and
2. MT 05E has the CZ034 capsules.

This should mean that the MT 03E is a 3-wire system (signal seperated) and the MT 05E is 2-wire (signal extracted).

I have used both type of system and never found a lot of difference ... only in price tag.

 

[NickC]

Thanks Jozz! I found the MT03E here: https://www.akkordeonfreund.de/Mikrofonsystem-Musictech-MT-03E-Sennheiser

And Button Box has the Microvox. https://buttonbox.com/accessories.html#microphones

Now I have to make some decisions.....

 

[NickC]

The bracket goes on the screws that hold the grill on indeed. Works very well. Obviously it only works when the grille is held on with screws (bolts actually). So it would not work on a Hohner Morino of the N series but it does on the S series. (The N series has a lever with the special property that it can undo itself mid-performance so the grille then falls off...)

Thanks. What did you use to make the mount?

 

[NickC]

Myers Pickups is a USA based company. I have no personal experience with them but they make a wide variety of microphones and configurations for many different instruments There are pages where you can hear them in actual use.
Here is a link to their accordion page.

Myers Pickups —Myers Instrument Pickups and Instrument Microphones Testimonials

Dive deeper into specifics about Myers Instrument Pickup and Instrument Microphones including violin pickups, accordion pickups, cello pickups, mandolin pickups and lute pickups.

www.myerspickups.com

There also is a bandoneon page.

Myers Pickups —Myers Instrument Pickups and Instrument Microphones Testimonials

Dive deeper into specifics about Myers Instrument Pickup and Instrument Microphones including violin pickups, accordion pickups, cello pickups, mandolin pickups and lute pickups.

www.myerspickups.com

Thanks for the links. I've heard of these mics. I will look into them further.

 

[debra]

Thanks. What did you use to make the mount?

Not sure what you mean by "make the mount". I used a strip of aluminum, cut it to size, drilled two holes (3mm holes), and bent it to shape. I covered in black electrical tape, but paint would also have worked to make it black. I put a bit of padding near the ends (the soft part of velcro) to avoid scratching the grille with the metal strip. In all cases I found the bolt used for the grille to be long enough to still work after adding the bracket.

 

[NickC]

Not sure what you mean by "make the mount".

I meant to ask how you made the bracket that you used to mount the mic, but this answers my question:

I used a strip of aluminum, cut it to size, drilled two holes (3mm holes), and bent it to shape. I covered in black electrical tape, but paint would also have worked to make it black. I put a bit of padding near the ends (the soft part of velcro) to avoid scratching the grille with the metal strip. In all cases I found the bolt used for the grille to be long enough to still work after adding the bracket.

It sounds like a fun and inexpensive project that even I could do. The Microvox, with the power unit is about half the cost of the Musictech, so it is looking more attractive.

 

[debra]

I meant to ask how you made the bracket that you used to mount the mic, but this answers my question:



It sounds like a fun and inexpensive project that even I could do. The Microvox, with the power unit is about half the cost of the Musictech, so it is looking more attractive.

I'm not an expert at diy but this is easy enough. The aluminum strip is available in about every hardware store, and you can bend it by hand (aluminum isn't very strong). You can "fix" the mic bar on the strip (between bar and grille) with two rubber bands. (I have a few small black rubber bands for this.) You don't need any real technical knowledge for this. Installing a built-in mic is a very different story...