EV 635A for harp?
Hi Greg,
i came across an Electro voice 635A at a garage Sale for 50 cents Today.
Not sure of it's working yet but it looked rather vintage and with a quick google search I believe it is.
It was being used for a prop with small children( which is awesome) however if possible using it for harp sounds novel and interesting. What are your thoughts on this item ?
John
Well now I'm curious too.
I don't have your setup and options but I do have options. I believe for "my sound" it's a work in progress. I'll work with the Mic and see where my experiments take me. I received a suggestion that I would need an impedance matching transformer. not sure why? Also can I plug it into my amp as is with no worries? What will the transformer do?
Hi - yes, to connnect a low impedance mic to a high impedance input (like your amp or pedal) - you need a "balanced low impedance" cable - that is - XLR connectors at both ends - and an impedance matching transformer.
Note that it is possible buy a cable with an XLR connector at one end, and a 1/4" plug at the other. You can physically connect the mic to your amp, and in fact you will get SOME sound - but it is incorrect. That cable is for "unbalanced" wiring and as a result only delivers about half of the mic's signal. You will also have an impedance mismatch which means you won't be getting the frequency response of the mic as it was designed.
I sell impedance matching transformers for $19. Feel free to contact me by email if you want to order one, greg@blowsmeaway.com. Let me know where you live so I can figure the correct shipping amount.
Thanks Greg. not getting the correct single to the amp makes the point clear to me regarding impedance And the cable as I have a cable like that. I will get a transformer for this Application
Plugged in the 635A to an XLR to 1/4" cable (from a 600ohm inexpensive Apex950 uni-directional voice mic I have) and yes the 50 cent microphone works fine.
Not quite as loud as the 520DX but close
So is that a result of not impedance matching?
It's very small so cupping would be a different Animal As you noted that is up to me to work out for best bass response.
I'm thinking this would be best used for micing the Amp As a omni-directional mic
Your thoughts?
If your cable doesn't have a built in impedance matching transformer (which would be very unlikely) it is the wrong cable. Please TRY the right way as described above and then judge.
SOMETIMES using an unbalanced cable with a balanced mic is a good way to intentionally reduce its output, which can help when you have a very feedbacky amp. But you should be doing it on purpose. It will change the tone of the mic - and, if you were to try my standard low impedance volume control, for example, it probably wouldn't work at all. It will work with a proper low imepdance setup. As long as you understand the difference, anything is fair game. You won't hurt the mic or amp.
I will definitely be taking your advice. Another Harp player at the club I attend has the correct impedance matching transformer. I will see him next week and experiment agaiN expecting to be Blown Away by the difference using it correctly.
Thanks for responding and helping me to improve my knowledge
John
Well, I'll tell you.......ANY mic can sound fine for harp. The EV635 is a bit long - especiallly if you add a volume control to it. I'm not crazy about long mics as they tend to either induce hand fatigue, or pull your head down, which isn't great for an open throat tone. It is a fairly modern, dynamic vocal mic which means it has extended high frequency response compared to the old vintage elements - and that in turn can punish a beginner with harsher tone. Advanced players learn to reduce the high frequency response through tight cupping, which takes practice!
Every time I get a mic into the shop I've never heard, I plug it in and play. And usually I think "hmmm, sounds pretty good!" But my bench amp is a Kalamazoo, which, typical of small amps, is very dirty by itself and tends to make any mic sound great. So if I'm curious I'll power up my big amp. Then I can hear more of the mic and less of the amp's own coloration. And I still sound.... like me.
But when I'm REALLY curious, the next thing I do is hook up an A/B box and plug in my favorite mic, which has a Shure black label CR element in it. The A/B box lets me switch back and forth, back and forth, really quickly - which allows my ears to really focus in on the differences between the two mics. Invariably - I like the black CR better. And almost all the time this is still true when my reference mic is not a black CR-based mic but a single impedance CM element or good vintage crystal. I have NEVER heard any EV mic that sounds as good to my ear.
/Greg