Biskit Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 I'm doing a production in a few weeks which has a scene set in an (English) dance hall/ball room during WW2. The producer wants a single 'period' mic which will be used during the scene by various principal singers and also an announcer/MC. I've suggested they make a non-working model and I will attach a minature lapel type mic to it, however this will not give a realistic sound (priximity effect etc) and I suspect I will have endless issues with popping and distortion because they are using it too close etc. Overall, I'd rather source a period-looking real microphone for this. A previous thread http://www.blue-room.org.uk/index.php?show...amp;mode=linear threw up the suggestion of a Shure 55SH (or common copy) which looks like the Unidyne II. Someone suggests they were available from 1939, but does anyone know whether they would have made it to common use in music halls etc by, say, 1943? If not, any other (ideally sub £60) suggestions? Cheers, Ben. PS Sorry mods, I couldn't figure out how to do that link properly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfrog Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 You could also just do your current plan - and put a capsule from an SM58 or similar into it - it's gonna sound pretty ok with that in it and it aint the hardest of jobs - bit of gaffa and 2 wires plus finding an old microphone casing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biskit Posted April 30, 2008 Author Share Posted April 30, 2008 You could also just do your current plan - and put a capsule from an SM58 or similar into it - it's gonna sound pretty ok with that in it and it aint the hardest of jobs - bit of gaffa and 2 wires plus finding an old microphone casing The only troube with that is that I'd have to find a 'donor' microphone which I could butcher, and also a suitable period microphone casing. I don't have either, which is why I was tending towards the 55SH copy idea, as these cost under £50 delivered (ebay). I'm wondering if it may be possible to get one of these and adapt it slightly to look earlier, perhaps glueing a piece of perforated steel on the back (the side the audience sees). Hmm... Cheers for the quick reply anyway FarFrog. Ben. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiLL Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 I once made a couple fo these for a production of 'They Shoot Horses Don't They?'. I cast the base from resin, coloured a metallic silver by mixing in fine aluminium powder with the liquid. Making sure that the base could accomadate an SM58 Mic and had a space to feed a microphone cable up through (which then had it's 'head' attached after the lead had been fed through). The top part of the fake mic, the grille, was made from some brass strip and model makers grille which slotted into the base and hid the top of the Sm58. The overall result was pretty nice because they looked like 1930's mics but sounded (of course) like an SM58. Since I've changed employers though I no longer have access to them ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weatherhead Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 I'm wondering whether it matters all that much about making it look exactly right. Surely the audience and the director won't gripe about it not being EXACTLY world war 2 period. I mean the 55SH copy looks what everyone expects an "old" mic to look like. I'm pretty sure the vast majority of audience members won't notice and say "that was a copy of a 55SH which clearly couldn't have been in use in england by 1943, and that ruined the whole period feel of the show for me". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timtheenchanteruk Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 CPC were doing the 55SH style for about £30 not long ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 CPC were doing the 55SH style for about £30 not long ago.I have a couple of those in our mic stock, and they actually sound quite nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themadhippy Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 Ive used a senny 609 in the past,mounted in an embroidery ring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mervaka Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 just to throw a different spanner in the works, its a bit above budget, but Heil make an RCA 74B copy, the HCL5. I dont know if the 74B was used outside the studio though, it's a ribbon mic.. http://www.radioworld.co.uk/~radio/catalog...men-p-1478.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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