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USER GUIDE - SIMPSON MICROPHONES MODEL A

1. perception of depth This spectral masking behaviour combined with the massively reduced distortion means that the Model A is capable of resolving more complex acoustic sources with greater clarity amp natural balance This is evident in highly reverberant recording spaces such as gothic churches or orchestral halls where the self masking relationships of the reverb itself is captured in the most natural way possible The higher level of spatial amp timbre definition in such situations cannot be achieved with conventional microphones and is maintained at any distance from the source 4 3 Headroom considerations Since the Model A can produce surprisingly dynamic output greater attention to pre amplifier amp other signal chain headroom must be paid This is not least because of the fact that most overdrive clip warning lights operate on current and are therefore more sensitive to low frequencies than mid range or high frequencies Also RMS meters will react less vigorously because of the prominence of the pre equalised mid range frequencies where peaks are high but current average appears low Due to the potential for high levels of equalisation headroom must also be carefully observed within equaliser gain stages software or hardware 4 4 Pre Amplifier Considerations As a moving coil microphone transformer output the Model A works best when used with microphone pre amplifiers with appropriate i
2. A is the first microphone to be designed to record with depth which is noticeable in both direct amp indirect sound Dynamic response The dynamic response characteristics of the Model A are somewhat different to normal direct coupled microphones Due to the reduction in nonlinear distortion compression a greater amp more controlled dynamic range is recorded Also the related presence of non harmonic distortion products is greatly reduced which effectively improves musicality and leads to a broader spectrum of potential tonality In combination this further facilitates greater transparency in all types of post processing including dynamic time based processing ie compression reverb etc will be more transparent 7 POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS The Model A has been designed to work in an practically unlimited field of application It is an extremely robust microphone with respect to source sound pressure levels and is well suited to close proximity use on loud sources such as drums guitar amplifiers brass instruments etc In fact due to the low distortion behaviour the Model A is uniquely suited to these roles where other microphones become nonlinear under extreme acoustic mechanical stress The Model A is also uniquely effective in recording at distance and achieves unmatched clarity amp dynamics in acoustic orchestral or location settings 8 STEREO amp SURROUND USAGE As matched pairs amp matched set
3. USER DOCUMENTATION MODEL A CONTENTS 3 1 Training NN ean 4 2 Critical spectral masking dvale 4 3 Headroom rs SEA LIONS JO 4 4 Pre amplitier considerations 4525s sedacasdaseratudsvisestebietyiaveseddcseecawies SUGGESTED CALIBRATION amp QC SERVICE ccc cecece cee cee eee eresse POLAR PATTERN amp RESPONSE CHARACTERISTICS isean i POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS saler Gasa s perks STEREO amp SURROUND USAGE wi iseitivoseninescusapacisessenarnwresleate erdeevsdebi ao I A Aa 8 2 Typical microphone placement examples ccc cee cee eee eee eee cee eee rero 9 NOTE FROM THE DESIGNER ju vedde erte k De ee FEST Ve Ne dane teceraseeettsceiedenen det EIE SN DAA we NAN RW WW KH HK NWS WNW a SDS 1 INTRODUCTION Thank you for selecting a Model A microphone The Simpson Model A is the first microphone to apply the principle of acoustic impedance matching to the problem of mechanical nonlinearity in the microphone It is also the first microphone to apply novel psychoacoustic principles of spectral masking precedence to achieve the perception of depth With mechanical distortion levels far below other available microphones and ideal critical spectral masking behaviour you will find the Model A to be unlike other microphones in performance amp use 2 OVERVIEW The Simpson Model A is a new and unique concept in microphone design Unlike conventional microphone design the Model A m
4. al coherency depth clarity and size of sound I also looked for a microphone that delivered recordings which were perfectly scaleable These things I first looked for in ribbon microphone design but having pushed the technology as far as it would go I remained unsatisfied It was possible to achieve a relatively natural sound with a massive bandwidth but the resolution and dynamics of real life were lacking After extensive research it became apparent that this was the sound of mechanical stress nonlinearity the product of the mechanical limitations of conventional direct radiator microphones In designing the Model A from the perspective of mechanical amp psychoacoustic performance a radical new design approach quickly evolved to answer questions which arose from taking the new perspective It has been a very long road from conception to market and there will undoubtedly be significant controversy surrounding the technology of the Model A not least because it goes against conventional microphone design I am well aware that this microphone requires a certain leap of faith as it is quite a leap from current microphone technology amp thinking Also realisation of this concept has only recently become conceivable due to advances in digital technology specifically digital equalisation When I first came to field test the microphone even I was sceptical of the reality of its use and wary to trust it for seriou
5. alibration of a recording he can upload an un calibrated sample to our server which will be calibrated correctly amp returned with calibration settings In this way the user can also specify custom requirements and build a library of specific calibration settings for various uses The QC service is offered over the lifetime of the user and is reasonably extended to whoever should use the microphone in question In any case the user should feel totally confident to adjust equalisation to taste without sonic penalty 6 POLAR PATTERN amp RESPONSE CHARACTERISTICS The polar pattern of the Model A is generally fairly intuitive and can be easily understood by looking at the microphone Above the range where the geometry of the microphone is acoustically active gt 1kHz this basically constitutes a cardioid pattern but is obviously more defined than a normal cardioid pattern Below this range the Model A is omni directional Since the cardioid response of the Model A is achieved not by acoustic delay as in traditional microphone design but by acoustic geometry the extremes of the polar response are predictable amp linear unlike traditional cardioid microphones This polar pattern is designed according to our psychoacoustic research which in combination with the unique mechanical linearity performance of the Model A results in uniquely effective gains in sound quality Specifically the Model
6. amiliar with the basic use and can move on to advanced use Also during this time we can cover blind test calibration procedure should the user be interested in direct comparison with the source Please email ring for details of blind testing procedure amp calibration giving full details of monitors room source etc 4 INUSE 4 1 What to expect from the Model A in recording situations The Model A microphone is unique in microphone design in that it achieves massively improved mechanical linearity amp spectral balance performance This behaviour manifests itself in several ways more natural timbre greater general amp spatial resolution more controlled amp natural dynamic range greatly reduced impression of mechanical stress compression These features are most readily recognisable in recording situations where extreme mechanical demands are placed on the microphone Sound sources such as orchestra violin percussion human voice both electric amp acoustic guitar etc all place the microphone diaphragm under considerable mechanical stress In particular constant excitation sources such as violin or voice easily set the Model A apart from other microphones 4 2 Critical spectral masking Depth The unique Model A polar pattern was designed to maintain the ideal spectral relationship which is critical to maintaining the spectral masking balance which psychoacoustic principle is fundamental to the
7. blem with the microphone please dont hesitate to email or call and we will be happy to help in any way we can Email service simpsonmicrophones com Telephone 0048 787 317 206 Or check the website for updates amp details
8. icrophone actively pursues mechanical accuracy in the time domain rather than frequency domain accuracy in the knowledge that time domain accuracy is the only acceptable path to the derivative frequency domain accuracy This is the key concept behind the Model A 3 CALIBRATION Since the Model A has been designed with mechanical linearity performance as first priority it has an inherently unequal predictable frequency response This means that the output of the microphone must be post calibrated During the design of this microphone it was decided that for reasons of quality and modular upgrade amp context flexibility that post equalisation would not be included in the microphone circuitry itself but made in the post signal chain by the user This ensures that the analogue signal path from capsule to pre amplifier input is extremely minimal ensuring the least electronic losses in resolution Calibration using the supplied mastering quality linear phase equalisation software is a relatively simple matter and is covered in depth during delivery training The supplied software offers totally ideal state of the art linear phase performance 3 1 Training delivery Usually one complete working day is provided for the delivery calibration training stage though in special circumstances this period can be extended by arrangement During this time we will cover a number of key application calibrations so that the user is f
9. nput impedance loading characteristics If you do not plan to use the Model A with the supplied pre amplifiers please email ring to discuss pricing options amp specifications Normal pre amplifiers with input impedance between 600 20 000 ohm are suitable However very high impedance pre amplifiers gt 30kohm are unsuitable as they do not provide adequate electrical impedance for the microphone If your chosen pre amplifier has variable input impedance settings please use an input impedance nearest to that specified above 5 SUGGESTED CALIBRATION amp QC SERVICE One of the most significant strengths of the Model A is time domain accuracy which leads to complete frequency domain compliancy where equalisation can be liberally applied without sonic penalty For calibration a single post equalisation curve is applied to the output from the Model A However depending on variable acoustic environmental conditions such as diffuse field or free field microphone amplifier amp electrical variables amp subjective preferences differing equalisation can be appropriate During the delivery training period calibration of the Model A will be covered in depth During this time we can also cover specific calibration for various pre amplifiers converters etc All Model A users have available a lifetime QC quality check service which includes calibration assistance Should a user require remote assistance in c
10. ra Notes Given the scale of the orchestra placement of the orchestra and sound balance required variation of angles distances amp height are critical Further it should be noted that where 2 dimension polar patterns are indicated these patterns are exactly indicative of 3 dimensional behaviour so pickup depends greatly on height amp angle Decca tree AB comparison with conventional microphone audio examples here http www simpsonmicrophonesarchives com AB Above typical drum overhead configuration below typical electric guitar cabinet use Notes In the case of drum recording the relative distance depth relationship between the various components of the kit can be effectively managed by placement of the microphones Where over head placement is used physical distance from each component will contribute directly to the perception of depth placement For example where snare drum bass drum requires prominent feature placing the microphones lower and further to the rear of the drum kit will be effective In the case of guitar amplifier cabinet recording since many cone type loudspeakers exhibit extreme directionality with rising frequency angle of placement dictates response Notes on achieving depth in recording Given that the perception of depth is a function of auditory masking both intensity loudness and spectral shape dictate the result The Model A is designed specifically
11. s are available for Stereo amp Surround respectively the Model A makes an excellent choice for multi channel recording The microphone can be used in a stereo pair in several ways Firstly the microphone can be used as a coincident pair where level differences constitute the entire stereo effect Secondly the microphone can be used in spaced pair or spaced array formats eg decca tree where time amp level differences constitute the stereo effect In both cases angles spacing amp orientation are the critical factors However the user will likely find that stereo placement is intuitive because the shape of the microphone serves as a solid visual guide to pickup pattern in 3 dimensions As a general rule when looking from the location of the source instrument if the player has a sight line to the dark eye of the microphone the instrument will be picked up cleanly In Surround Sound a matched set 5 piece can be used in the standard outward facing cardioid arrangement with front facing L C R amp rear facing L R In fact the rigid pickup pattern of the Model A lends particularly well to this technique See following placement examples 8 2 Typical examples placement microphone Above typical stereo pair configuration for typical orchestra below decca tree configuration for orchestra farsi ae 1 Violins Above typical 5 channel surround configuration for orchest
12. s work Putting such trust in equalisation was a hard psychological barrier to overcome despite the supporting theory However after a very short time I came to trust the microphone exclusively as a working tool and abandoned any safety nets of auxiliary microphones on recording sessions In fact quite soon I came to feel unusually liberated and able to be concerned with the sound of the source rather than of the signal chain I sincerely hope you have a similar experience with the Model A and I wish you the best of luck with your recordings Andrew Simpson Simpson High Resolution Microphones Poland www SimpsonMicrophones com TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS TYPE Acoustic impedance matching moving coil PICKUP PATTERN Cardioid hyper cardioid Symmetrical SENSITIVITY 2kHz 40dBV Pa FREQUENCY RESPONSE 20Hz 20kHz nominal calibrated OUTPUT IMPEDANCE 2000hms nominal DISTORTION DFD 2kHz lt 0 0002 90dB SPL lt 0 001 105dB SPL lt 0 02 130dB SPL lt 1 165dB SPL USER WARRANTY This microphone is warranted against mechanical failure for 25 years from the date of purchase In the extremely unlikely event of a failure please return the microphone to us and we will fix it as quickly as possible The user will cover shipping costs If the damage fault was not caused by user error there will be no charge Otherwise parts will be charged at cost In the unlikely event of any pro
13. to offer unique facility in deliberately recording with specific depth perspectives in mind In the case of orchestral recording the perception of depth depends on the perspective of the scene For example if the microphones are placed centrally above the orchestra with all instruments equidistant from the microphones we can expect less perception of depth between the instruments In the case of the typical decca tree format since the microphones are located near the front of the orchestra with increasing distance of instruments towards the rear the perception of depth will be similar to that perceived by the audience or conductor In order to vary the perspective different height placements can be used For example in the case of very low placement depth will be extreme near instruments will have strong presence and further instruments will appear further placed Alternately in the case of very high placement the depth perception will tend toward a more equal balance In all cases the perception of depth amp perspective is a question of subjective preference and because of the unique properties of the Model A clarity will be maintained whatever the perspective even from great distances 9 NOTE FROM THE DESIGNER When I first entered microphone design I was concerned with several factors I deemed to constitute good sound quality In particular I looked for low resonance natural dynamics music

USER GUIDE - SIMPSON MICROPHONES MODEL A

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