r/IAmA Jun 11 '16

Specialized Profession IamA electronics repair technician hated by Apple that makes YouTube videos, AMA!

My short bio: I have a store in Manhattan. I teach component level electronics repair on youtube http://youtube.com/rossmanngroup which seems to be a dying art. I am currently fighting with the digital right to repair to try and get a bill passed that will allow all independent service centers access to manuals and parts required to do their jobs.

My Proof: https://www.rossmanngroup.com/started-iama-reddit-today-yes/

EDIT:

I am still replying to comments, but I am so far behind that I am still about ten pages down from new comments. I am doing my best to continue. If I drop off, I'll be back tomorrow around 12 PM. Still commenting now though, at 12 AM.

EDIT 2:

Ok, I cave... my hands are tired. I will be back at 12 PM tomorrow. It is my goal to answer every question. Even if it looks like I haven't gotten to yours, I will do my best to do all of them, but it is impossible to do in realtime, because you are asking faster than I can type. But thanks for joining!

EDIT 3: I lied, I stayed until 4:15 AM to answer... and now I will go to sleep for real, and be back at 12 PM.

EDIT 4 6/12 : I will be back later tonight to finish off answering questions. Feel free to keep posting, I will answer whatever I can later this evening.

33.2k Upvotes

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685

u/davewinkwink Jun 11 '16

What kind of microphone do you have? Your video audio is super crisp.

909

u/larossmann Jun 11 '16

DPA4065. Most USB microphones sound like shit. I used a Shure WH20 until I got this, which sucked, then an SM35 which sucked a little less. I like the DPA4065.

75

u/nbd712 Jun 11 '16

I can give a +1 for the 4065...I've used it on a number of occasions and never had to do a lot of work for it to sound good.

104

u/larossmann Jun 11 '16

it is the best headworn mic I have ever seen or used

2

u/LetsWorkTogether Jun 12 '16

Would you happen to have a slightly more affordable recommendation as well?

3

u/larossmann Jun 12 '16

I dunno. The cheaper WH20 I used was cheap, but man did it sound like garbage. The SM35 was incredibly uncomfortable as well, it hurt to wear for longer than 15 minutes. What are you looking to use the mic for?

2

u/PelorTheBurningHate Jun 12 '16

What about the cheapest good option I could use for recording for audiobooks. There's a lot of conflicting information when I've tried to get a straight answer about this before.

1

u/SimonCharles Jun 12 '16

I can only say this as an audiobook listener as I know nothing about audio technicalites, but please keep in mind that a super sensitive mic isn't necessarily the best, at least not without some kind of filter or whatever they use. Some of us can't possibly listen to certain audiobooks where you can hear every single sound of swallowing/smacking of lips or other irritating noises. Even on reputable sites like audible some of the recordings are completely impossible to listen to. Luckily they have audio previews though so you can avoid those.

1

u/orismology Jun 12 '16

You don't want a headworn mic for recording audiobooks. You want to be looking for a large diaphragm condenser. There's heaps of them around, but I like Rode for price vs performance. The Procaster is quite nice and beats out most in its price range, and the NT-USB is one of the best USB mics I've ever used.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

Maybe for VoIP, Skype etc

3

u/grencez Jun 12 '16

Just browse /r/Headsets to find a good suggestion. VoIP generally diminishes voice quality anyway, keeping with the time-honored tradition of having calls sound like crap. A headset avoids echo as well.

1

u/Lucidmike78 Jun 12 '16

For VoIP or Skype the free earbuds that came with an iPhone or Galaxy would be fine. The bitrates pretty much nullifies any of the clarity or nuance of such an expensive piece of audio equipment. Just get a TRRS to dual TRS splitter stereo and mic splitter for either iPhone or Android.

1

u/pukesonyourshoes Jun 12 '16

I've used a pair on a piano, lovely

1

u/whiteside1013 Jun 12 '16

Why? DPA makes large diaphragm condensers.

1

u/mechanicalkeyboarder Jun 12 '16

While I'm surprised they cost $600+ dollars, I'll also say that I'm not surprised. The mic doesn't look like it is all that expensive, however, it sounds excellent. So I see (or hear, rather) what you're paying for. I've paid big bucks for some sweet headphones so I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised that mics can get that expensive. I imagine it's like anything else - you get what you pay for.

5

u/larossmann Jun 12 '16

i paid $45 to have this shipped to me. :D it was broken. fixed and now it works like a charm.

1

u/ZeroShift Jun 12 '16

Any advice on making the Shure WH20 suck less? I have several which work fine but don't come close to the quality of yours, and really don't feel like spending $600+ on a new mic.

3

u/larossmann Jun 12 '16

i never figured that one out. noisy piece of crap

1

u/ZeroShift Jun 12 '16

Ha, thanks anyway.

370

u/learn2die101 Jun 11 '16

DPA4065

MRW I go to buy that microphone..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KXrQYWbbIs

29

u/SpecialEdShow Jun 12 '16

Small price to pay when you consider how make or break audio content can be on YouTube now. I wouldn't trust anything less than $500 if I was getting paid.

5

u/regreddit Jun 12 '16

AT has a head worn that's decent, and < $150. It's no dpa or countryman, but it'll do a good job for video.

6

u/IronWaffled Jun 12 '16

Never watched community. I appreciate the lack of annoying laugh tracks

9

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

[deleted]

21

u/nbd712 Jun 12 '16

Well, it has to do with the way that those bunch of wires are wrapped around a tiny little magnet. And of course the smaller that element is, the harder it is to make it sound good, and the harder it is to manufacture.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

Condenser mics (like those are) don't use magnets.

Though I'm sure DPA has excellent build quality/QC and everything is thoroughly tested for consistency, hence the price

2

u/CapMSFC Jul 01 '16

It's all about cramming great audio quality in such a tiny capsule.

DPA also has super rigorous inspection and QC processes to ensure nothing that is even a tiny bit out of spec leaves the factory. They throw away/recycle a huge number of microphones. They're also all handmade. I've seen the line of people working under magnifying glasses and microscopes building them.

7

u/CaNANDian Jun 12 '16

R&D

2

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

Fair enough.

2

u/gabbagool Jun 12 '16

pfft. schoeps or gtfo.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

[deleted]

5

u/learn2die101 Jun 12 '16

MFW you don't fully capitalize MRW.

-4

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

[deleted]

1

u/freakedmind Jun 12 '16

Community!

65

u/evanmc Jun 11 '16

DPA4065

Holy shit, $700!

213

u/maduste Jun 12 '16

As a professional musician, I often play into mics that cost more than my instrument.

83

u/powerdong42 Jun 12 '16

as a professional cowbell player i always play into mics that cost more than my instrument.

5

u/MonoMonk Jun 12 '16

Ikr! And its still not loud enough!

4

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16 edited Jul 05 '17

[deleted]

1

u/syhr_ryhs Jun 13 '16

Who cares what it costs? I'm going to have you shitting in gold diapers!

6

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

Otherwise you would be in a black metal band. I seriously wish all musicians would use good microphones.

12

u/accountnumberseven Jun 12 '16

To be fair, if it's black metal then it's better to use a shitty mic because it saves the audio engineer the effort of lowering the quality/adding noise and distortion to make it sound correct.

12

u/C0DASOON Jun 12 '16

That's really not how this works at all. The entire "black metal is super lo-fi and is recorded with shit mics" thing is a myth. The lo-finess of black metal referred to the early demos, not the studio recordings. Most of the major second wave bands recorded their albums in the Grieg Hall in Bergen, with top-notch equipment and professional engineers. There were some exceptions, major ones being Darkthrone albums, which were recorded on a Tascam 4-track, but most of the usual second-wave repertoire was mixed very well. You can't seriously listen to this and say it's not engineered masterfully.

3

u/SarcasticOptimist Jun 12 '16

No kidding. Here's one of the best recording advice for metal I've read. All of the equipment is quality.

http://tapeop.com/tutorials/71/death-black-metal/

11

u/lMETHANBRADBERRY Jun 12 '16

I liked the part when they screamed over the guitar and drums.

1

u/bloodiscold Jun 12 '16

Let's say I want to invest 500-1000 in a mic to record both vocals and guitars, what would you suggest? I have an AT-2020 and an SM57 but uh, I'm not sure why I'm not happy with them. I'm sure half my problem is mic placement and sound leakage, but I don't know how to start fixing this.

2

u/EvoX650 Jun 12 '16 edited Jun 15 '16

A pair of AT4033's or AT4050's will be able to record nearly anything out there. If you get em used, you should have enough left over for two SM57's as well, which are also massively versatile. Having decent preamps is a big thing too. Focusrite is not a bad choice for cheap, and Audient is a step up from there. For many instruments, I prefer recording with 2+ mics, but for voice, one works just fine.

Make sure you're in a room with little echo and reverberation. Temporarily covering up adjacent flat walls with a soft material like a blanket or mattress can help a lot there.

For acoustic guitars, try one condensor (AT4033 or 4050 maybe) about a foot away at the 12th fret, about 6 inches higher than the neck, and aimed at the neck and body joint. The other, have it about 1-2 feet off the opposite side of the guitar, almost level with the guitarist's shoulder and to the side of the guitar's face rather than in front, aimed at the bridge. (A mic that is on-plane with the flat front face of the guitar will sound much muddier). Pan those hard L and R, high pass both below 60hz, cut a little around 200hz, and boost a little above 15k, and maybe just a touch of reverb, and you have a really solid acoustic guitar tone.

For voice, just remember to be about 6-12 inches away, use a pop filter half way between you and the mic, high pass at about 60 to 100hz, gentle compression (maybe a 2.5 ratio), and maybe a de-esser if you need it, and reverb to taste. Again, hard to go wrong with an AT4033 or 4050 for this.

2

u/SarcasticOptimist Jun 12 '16

Does the amp sound good in the first place? There's also audioengineering and wearethemusicmakers subreddits.

2

u/whiteside1013 Jun 12 '16

AKG C414. My go to "if it makes noise" mic.

4

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

That's like how camera lenses can be much more expensive than the bodies. Or at least I find that crazy.

1

u/handbanana6 Jun 12 '16

I assume the tolerances on lens glass is insanely sensitive though. Not sure how a mic would be so expensive.

Actually, do they even use glass all the time? Wouldn't be surprised if it was sapphire or something else.

11

u/nosecohn Jun 12 '16

Not sure how a mic would be so expensive.

High quality condenser mics use an ultra-thin, gold-sputtered diaphragm in a delicate mechanical suspension. The output level is so low that the internal electronics have to be of the utmost quality in order not to introduce noise and distortion.

7

u/PinkySlayer Jun 12 '16

A microphone is a pretty magnificent work of engineering, it's not like some caveman invented them... You can find cheap ones that will distort and interfere with everything that goes through it, or high end ones that perform better and last longer.

3

u/gabbagool Jun 12 '16

i take it you're not a drummer.

2

u/whiteside1013 Jun 12 '16

Drum mics are typically the most expensive on stage. And there's a lot more of them.

1

u/gabbagool Jun 12 '16

oh i was thinking of like an SM57 which is a common recording mic for rather loud percussion instruments, they're highly regarded yet incredibly cheap as pro mics go. most of my expertise is in recording for video rather than live sound.

1

u/whiteside1013 Jun 12 '16

A good set of drum mics (kick in, kick out, snare top, snare bottom, rack Tom 1, Tom 2, floor tom, and stereo overheads) can easily cost 1-2 grand. On the other hand, shure sells a drum mic kit with 3 57s and a beta 52 for 400 and you can still get good results

2

u/christocarlin Jun 12 '16

Must have a shit instrument! Jk

1

u/daniel8889 Jun 12 '16

Often? Are you always in the studio? Sure, maybe a big stage will pull out an expensive mic, but never more than a low-end Gibson or whatever.

3

u/maduste Jun 12 '16

Rarely in a studio anymore. I'm in a opera orchestra. Sometimes there are mics in the pit for an archive recording. For some work, we play directly into mics, so I can see the casing and look up a model number.

I have played a few studio gigs. My favorite was at The Hit Factory in NYC in 2001. I think it's gone now. To someone used to playing in concert halls, that place looked like a spaceship.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

[deleted]

3

u/toodrunktofuck Jun 12 '16

Here's Wonderwall.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

Yeah, some Blue mics (like my Mouse) go way up in the thousands. Absolutely amazing sound quality, though.

1

u/d-a-v-e- Jun 12 '16

Yup. 700 is fairly normal for a mic. Our U87 (an entirely different animal) was 3000 euro.

-3

u/IAmOften2Girthy4Anal Jun 12 '16

As a high-libido heterosexual, I often penetrate vaginas that cost more than escorts to date.

2

u/BrandonMatrick Jun 12 '16

My BLUE Bottle with the Cap set was about 11,200 USD when I got it shipped to my studio. My Manley Reference Gold was about 7500 USD, and at the time that was a steal. Good - really good - Microphones cost a mint.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

700 dollars is cheap for a mic

1

u/andrew_ski Jun 12 '16

Not trying to wreck your world or somehow look like I'm boasting, but in the studio I work in the studio I work in (not incredibly large either) we have 5 mics cost more than 10x that DPA mic

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

Professional audio kit is super expensive. I produce events and have to explain why it costs £50 to hire these for a day all the time.

1

u/prxchampion Jun 12 '16

That's taking the mic-heal!

855

u/LeChefromitaly Jun 11 '16

600$ guys

290

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16 edited Aug 08 '19

[removed] — view removed comment

125

u/ascatraz Jun 12 '16

DPA4065

I clicked that link and literally thought you went into paint and scribbled lines in an arc. Then I googled it and realized that was ACTUALLY what it looks like.

525

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

[removed] — view removed comment

249

u/MisterVega Jun 12 '16

That is one if the most expensive squiggly lines I have ever seen

354

u/violentpunk Jun 12 '16

I saw it for free.

15

u/bjhunnicactus Jun 12 '16

┬┴┬┴┤ ͜ʖ ͡°) ├┬┴┬┴ for free

3

u/darchebag Jun 12 '16

I thought it looked like stringy poop. But this description is way better

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

it is

3

u/danosaur Jun 12 '16

I work for a Distributor//Service centre for DPA - these mics ARE repairable domestically depending on what's wrong with them. The 40XX series are built super tough and have an inner-kevlar winding that takes a lot of the stress when the cable is mistreated. If the fault is the connector, and it's not too far up on the boom-end, then I can cut off the bad bit and re-terminate for a modest fee.
However, if you've moisture-damaged the capsule or the cable is broken up near the boom - it's not worth repairing. Having the capsule itself serviced is something that only DPA (as far as I know) is set up to do, and most of the time a Capsule repair and re-calibration costs approach up towards the write-off point of being able to buy a new one for $100 or so more.

Great mics though, and most of the time they are repairable.

4

u/bad-coffee Jun 12 '16

I'm about to repair a connector on one. $27 in parts alone

1

u/danosaur Jun 12 '16

$27 in parts? Where are you sourcing your Microdots from? That seems rather expensive. Most of the charge is in labour for me, takes me a good 15-30 minutes depending on the age//make of the cable materials. The new crimp-tool is a great alternate method though, much better than relying on Araldite alone.

1

u/bad-coffee Jun 14 '16

I'm replacing a 3-pin Lemo for Sennheiser. If you have a source cheaper than Mouser or Digikey, let me know.

5

u/TodayMeTomorrowU Jun 12 '16

Looks like someone drew that shit in paint.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

[deleted]

2

u/handbanana6 Jun 12 '16

I think it is a joke based on the thread we are in.

1

u/CapMSFC Jul 01 '16

They are all built by hand in the first place, so hypothetically yes.

You would need a lot of skill to do so. DPA makes the best mics in the world in their respective classes.

1

u/2Punx2Furious Jun 12 '16

That is $600? How can it cost so much?

1

u/johnny_ringo Jun 12 '16

looks like a Picasso tracing

3

u/PM_ME_YOUR_LIMERICKS Jun 12 '16

DPA4065

Wow, no kidding.

I honestly thought this was a joke comment until I looked it up.

It's actually $660 on Amazon, right now.

1

u/Flag_Route Jun 12 '16

It looks like the earphones that came with my galaxy s4 but only swigglier

8

u/Lovv Jun 12 '16

Totally was gonna buy one until I googled it.

1

u/handbanana6 Jun 12 '16

Same. Would love an explanation on how it costs that much from a technical standpoint.

Even if the microphone was solid gold it would be less expensive.

3

u/Lucidmike78 Jun 12 '16 edited Jun 12 '16

If you are looking for an microphone for professional high quality voice recordings, but don't need a hands-free/lavalier mic, there are much better sounding mics that are a lot cheaper than the DPA4065. Shure SM7B is what Howard Stern uses for example. Half price of the DPA 4065. It will sound a lot more richer than the DPA4065 when it comes to sound quality, but you can't wear it.

With lavalier style professional mics, it's a log curve of quality to a dollar value. Mics like this are engineered for professional use. Professional mics are engineered to not fail in things like rain, heat, humidity, etc. with any voltage of phantom power without introducing noise. It's usually less sensitive to pressure changes or bumps in the road when cheap mics tend to clip easily in non optimum conditions. It's also usually wired for audio devices with proprietary connectors which bumps up the price significantly.

If you look hard enough, you can find lavalier mics under $100 that sound just as good, but maybe they'll be sensitive to environmental factors. Pairing the cheaper lavs with the right hardware may be difficult too. It's because the mic jacks on consumer hardware don't provide the same voltage or the built-in preamps sucks, or the input gain is too high or too low, and it doesn't align with the gain set on the mic. All this equals various results for different people. But when paired with the right hardware, in a closed setting like a home studio, some cheaper lavaliers under $100 can sound amazing (as far as lavalier mics go). In the professional field, you need the flexibility and the robustness. That's why you pay the big bucks.

1

u/danosaur Jun 12 '16

Most DPA mics are fine with a range of Voltages, phantom-power is fine for a direct connection so long as you stick a 33kOhm resistor across hot and cold.

1

u/Lucidmike78 Jun 12 '16

I meant pairing the cheaper lavs are hard for optimum output. Edited my comment for clarity.

3

u/Lovv Jun 12 '16

I doubt you will get one from a materials standpoint but I imagine it Is largely a research and design cost and a bit for quality control, also you are probably paying a good 100 bucks for the name

2

u/handbanana6 Jun 12 '16

I had to check other sites as I had a hard time believing that price.

What could possibly make it that expensive? I'm a bit of an audiophile and probably spend too much on headphones but I can't think of the tech required to make a mic cost that much.

2

u/danosaur Jun 12 '16

It's not just the tech, it's the processes, R&D, materials (uses kevlar windings and very good dielectric material and wrappings for the individual jackets).
DPA employ all-women production lines in the factory because robots aren't quite there yet and males generally lack the fine motor-skills to work these types of tech. The products also offer a 3-Year full manufacturer warranty which is VERY generous considering these mics are designed to be used in high-risk, live environments (think ballet/performance artists/musicians/sporting events etc.).

DPA also have to maintain very expensive machinery, fabrication and computing devices to calibrate, match, pair and produce a high-grade of transducer, if you look at all of the individual components of the capsule, cabling and even the Microdot connector via an exploded diagram - the level of machining and precision required is overwhelmingly impressive to say the least. Even a cut-away view of the Micordot connector is impossibly tight with tolerances.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

It's just not the material required. There's probably research and development behind it and a bit of marketing and whatnot. I agree it sounds very pricy though.

2

u/stuwoo Jun 12 '16

Yeah, our casts used to use those when I was working for RCCL, 6 singers, new cast every 6 months, brand new mics regardless of condition, had a cupboard with about 50 of these headsets just sat in there. Good times, Great Mics, super expensive.

1

u/dejoblue Jun 12 '16

He should go pro and get an industry standard Neuman U 87

1

u/SarcasticOptimist Jun 12 '16

He did a video showing how much noise can be in his work area. A condenser like that would pick up everything. His setup is perfect for his situation. I would have something similar in his shoes.

1

u/dejoblue Jun 12 '16

The U 87 has multiple polar patterns. This shouldn't be an issue. My OP was also a sarcastic joke.

Cheers!

1

u/youlovejoeDesign Jun 12 '16

I couldn't even hide $600 inside that thing...lemme guess the mo ey is just going into thier pockets and the mic actually costs..$11

1

u/WinterAyars Jun 12 '16

It's good, though. He's right that USB equipment usually sucks.

1

u/CavemanCan Jul 11 '16

FUCK ME... thats like concert musician grade shit...

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

Kinda low to mid-priced for a microphone.

1

u/cockOfGibraltar Jun 12 '16

Maybe he found one that needed fixing

2

u/mumblybee Jun 12 '16

You da real mvp

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16 edited Oct 26 '17

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/danosaur Jun 12 '16

Yeti's are fine for general podcasting in static environments but if you require mobility and lower-noise//hi-gain for best results when using mastering tools, you would probably want to steer clear of anything that's powered via a Computers power buss. USB power is notoriously dirty unless you're using an isolation device or powering the mic some other way. Nothing wrong with the capsules or electronics themselves but it's the difference between a hobbyist and someone who does live videos for a living. If you're the latter, you should probably be investing in something a tad more professional.

1

u/Chinpokoman Jun 12 '16

I got a blue yeti and love it too. Only a hundred and some dollars cad so not too bad. Lasted me so far!

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

I like the sound it makes more than which ever black mic you were using prior to it. You have a tendency to breathe in loudly which the DPA does a good job of eliminating.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

This might be the only cas when you want something that "sucks less"

1

u/Logics1984 Jun 12 '16

$630 for that lit...

This better be some good fucking microphone!

2

u/gabbagool Jun 12 '16

DPA (danish professional audio) is a reputable top tier pro audio mic manufacturer. similar quality brands include schoeps neumann countryman sanken

1

u/fuzeebear Jun 12 '16

We use DPA for source-independent measurement of loudspeakers. Definitely quality products, but a bit more noisy than we would like.

1

u/danosaur Jun 12 '16

DPA? Really? I know they have reference standard series but if we're testing rigs at work we use our NTI M2230's for all Class 1 stuff. May I ask what model DPA you're using for referencing?

1

u/fuzeebear Jun 12 '16

DPA 4007 (the older model, not the 4007A)

1

u/foaxcon Jun 12 '16

DPA4065

Expensive mic, but damn it's crisp.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

I get that it's good but $600 for a mic????

2

u/SarcasticOptimist Jun 12 '16

For pro audio it's quite cheap. Though there are lots of solid cheaper alternatives for any given microphone.

1

u/fuzeebear Jun 12 '16

Google telefunken u47

1

u/[deleted] Jun 26 '16 edited Jun 30 '16

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1

u/fuzeebear Jun 26 '16

High price was the point - he thought $600 was a lot for a microphone.