Print PDF
Favorite
Email
Step 6Puttin' it all together!
Now we have to put it all together, and we will be done! You want to get the gasketed element seated all the way down into the PVC endcap so that the element is as far down as it can go. You'll need to use some sort if slim blunt poking device to get the gasket pushed all the way in. I used the back of bic pen. Take a look at the pic to see how this looks.
An optional step is to cut a small round out of a used dryer sheet, and to put it down into the PVC endcap before you put the element in. It should cover all the grill holes you drilled. This will act like a pop filter, and may help keep spit away from the element too. You can also use fabric. Colored fabric might show through the grill holes, which could be a cool effect.
Another optional step at this time is to pack cotton balls all around the rest of the exposed part of the back of the mic element. This will create a slightly darker tone, and might also help reduce some handling noise. You should experiment with your mic first though to see how it sounds with out the cotton first. It might just sound great without the cotton. If it sounds a little too bright and hollow for you, consider the cotton ball trick.
If you want to paint it, now's the time! I opted only to paint the metal fencepost endcap prtion as I like the look of the black PVC. I used four coats of yellow enamel spray paint formulated to bond to metal and to make a nice smooth glossy finish. You could spray a coat or two of clearcoat or bruch on some clear polyurethane for a glossier finish, but I didn't. Check out the pics of the painted mic below
To do the final assemble, all you do is fit the lip of the metal fencepost cap into the the PVC endcap. If you carved it out right, it should fit nice and snugly. It's best to avoid gluing the two parts together so that it will be possible to get inside it in the future if you should need to fix it or ever want to change out the element. If you are really happy with it though, a little glue will make the connection permanent and very strong (I didn't glue mine). If you have a knob to fit the shaft of the volume potentiometer, go ahead and stick it on now. I didn't have aknob that looked good, so I left the knob bare. I used a knurled shaft potentiometer, so it has plenty of grip all on it's own....
And that's it! No get out there and wail on your new awesome mojo-filled bullet mic!
TIP: If you have used a low-Z element (as I have here), you may find that it sounds a bit wimpy when you plug directly into an amplifier meant for electric guitar. This is because of an impedance mismatch between the mic output and amp input. You can solve this a couple different ways. One is to buy an impedance matching transformer (about $15), and plug the mic into that before the amp. Another is just use a booster pedal. A good cheap one is the Danelectro Fab distortion pedal, which you can also get for $15. Just turn the volume on the pedal all the way up and the distortion all the way down. I go the booster route (with that FAB pedal) because it gives you added control over tone and volume. You can plug a low-Z mic straight into a PA, a "keyboard amp", or an "acoustic guitar amp". If you used a High-Z element, you can plug straight into a guitar amp.
An optional step is to cut a small round out of a used dryer sheet, and to put it down into the PVC endcap before you put the element in. It should cover all the grill holes you drilled. This will act like a pop filter, and may help keep spit away from the element too. You can also use fabric. Colored fabric might show through the grill holes, which could be a cool effect.
Another optional step at this time is to pack cotton balls all around the rest of the exposed part of the back of the mic element. This will create a slightly darker tone, and might also help reduce some handling noise. You should experiment with your mic first though to see how it sounds with out the cotton first. It might just sound great without the cotton. If it sounds a little too bright and hollow for you, consider the cotton ball trick.
If you want to paint it, now's the time! I opted only to paint the metal fencepost endcap prtion as I like the look of the black PVC. I used four coats of yellow enamel spray paint formulated to bond to metal and to make a nice smooth glossy finish. You could spray a coat or two of clearcoat or bruch on some clear polyurethane for a glossier finish, but I didn't. Check out the pics of the painted mic below
To do the final assemble, all you do is fit the lip of the metal fencepost cap into the the PVC endcap. If you carved it out right, it should fit nice and snugly. It's best to avoid gluing the two parts together so that it will be possible to get inside it in the future if you should need to fix it or ever want to change out the element. If you are really happy with it though, a little glue will make the connection permanent and very strong (I didn't glue mine). If you have a knob to fit the shaft of the volume potentiometer, go ahead and stick it on now. I didn't have aknob that looked good, so I left the knob bare. I used a knurled shaft potentiometer, so it has plenty of grip all on it's own....
And that's it! No get out there and wail on your new awesome mojo-filled bullet mic!
TIP: If you have used a low-Z element (as I have here), you may find that it sounds a bit wimpy when you plug directly into an amplifier meant for electric guitar. This is because of an impedance mismatch between the mic output and amp input. You can solve this a couple different ways. One is to buy an impedance matching transformer (about $15), and plug the mic into that before the amp. Another is just use a booster pedal. A good cheap one is the Danelectro Fab distortion pedal, which you can also get for $15. Just turn the volume on the pedal all the way up and the distortion all the way down. I go the booster route (with that FAB pedal) because it gives you added control over tone and volume. You can plug a low-Z mic straight into a PA, a "keyboard amp", or an "acoustic guitar amp". If you used a High-Z element, you can plug straight into a guitar amp.
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
 |
Add Comment
|
