Making Your Own TC Helicon Perform and Play Acoustic 3 and 6 Switch Pedal Boxes

 Just for laughs, I decided to make my own version of the TC Helicon Switch 3 and Switch 6. First, because I'm cheap and have the "spare time" to do the research and assembly work and, second, because I wanted to fool around with "swirl painting."So, I did. 

What you see in these picture at left is the result. To highlight how cheap I really am, the 6-switch unit was made with the cover of  a gas water heater I had to replace this past winter. I made a nice looking wooden base for it, but you can only see the wood base when you are holding the switch box. The wood does add a decent amount of mass to the assembly, though, which helps to hold it in place on the floor. 

The 3-switch unit is a pretty simple and obvious device, except for the 3rd switch. As you can see from the schematic at right, the first two switches connect from ground/common to the ring or tip connector of the TRS jack. The third switch connects to both tip and ring through a pair of diodes (pay attention to the correct polarity) and to ground/common. It's not complicated wiring and the parts are cheap. 

I bought a pile (10) of cheap SPST momentary switches from Amazon and used them on both switch boxes. After almost a year of use, they are still working well. They are cheap plastic and I'm sure ham-footed use would break them and if you dawdle with the soldering iron you'll likely melt the plastic holding the solder tab. The switches must be momentary. If they aren't, you'll have to press the switch twice for each change action. That is NOT handy.

The six-switch unit is a little trickier than the three switch unit and requires some planning and assembly skills. Not many, though. Along with the  six SPST momentary switches, you'll need another TRS jack and seven 10k ohm resistors (anything, wattage-wise, will work). You can see I staggered my switches, mostly because I did not want a long switch box and because my TC Helicon PerformVG only has four harmony combinations that I am likely to use, so the two offset switches are for voice echo and guitar echo, which I almost never use. 
 
 I've included a second drawing for the six-switch unit, in case that layout makes more sense to you. They look different, but they are exactly the same circuit. The drawing at right might more resemble the physical layout of your assembly, which might make error-free assembly easier. I should note that I did not create any of the drawings included in this blog. I snagged them off of the internet, like you probably did when you found this essay. I should go back and find my sources, but that was about a year ago and I'm lazy. So, I didn't draw them, I apologize for not giving full credit where credit is due, and I used them and they work. In fact, the 3-switch unit works incredibly well on my Roland Cube Bass, too.

This is what my performance rig looks like, including a Bluetooth page-turner footswitch, a cheap Android 10" tablet for lyrics and chords, the TC Helicon PerformVG voice and guitar processor, and my trusty and beloved EV RE18 microphone. That and a powered speaker and I'm a louder-than-I-should-be busker or coffee house performer (should I ever want to be such a thing). With a set of in-ears, I can entertain myself for hours.

REVIEW: Studio Projects LSD2

This is an unusual review, even for me.  I don't usually report on the actual guts of a microphone.  This mic  offered a rare opportunity, since it was defective and seemed to be hardly worth reviving.  The Studio Projects LSD2 is a large element condenser microphone.  It is, as best I can tell nothing more sophisticated than two Studio Projects C3 microphones in a single package.  Often, economically, it doesn't make sense to buy a stereo microphone unless you are unable to figure out mic stands.  The C3 costs about $269 (street).  The LSD2 costs about $700 (street), or 1.33 times the cost of two C3s. 

If you are a dedicated M-S or X/Y stereo recordist, you can make a lightweight case for owning a flexible stereo mic.  Often, I don't think the case holds up under serious scrutiny.  First, the price disadvantage is overwhelming.  Second, this is not a high-end, precisely matched instrument.  Third, the LSD2 is extremely fragile and somewhat undependable.  If you like the sound of the B3/C3, I think you're better served by buying four or five copies of either of those microphones for the flexibility and reliability.

The top element is connected to the electronics through a cheesy commutator/slip-ring mechanism.  The brushes are simply thin bent copper sheet metal and they do not move equally easy in two directions.  However, the element will be required to rotate in either direction, resulting in damage to the brushes and unreliable connection from the element to the electronics.  This is the biggest flaw in the ointment, but not the only one.

The previously reviewed Studio Projects’ B3 mics are notorious for unreliable switches.  The two slide switches that allow selection of polar pattern and response/padding are among the cheapest, most fragile switches I've ever experienced.  There are four of these switches on the LSD2.  If the contact ring doesn't get you, the switches will.

The mic is exceptionally heavy, putting a serious burden on any boom stand.  The Studio Projects shock mount is not up to the demands of this overweight mic.  In fact, the SP shock mount is a disappointment for any microphone application.  The keyed connector housing of the mic must be carefully misaligned with the slot in the shock mount housing, or the mic will slip from the mount and crash to the ground.  The wingnut doesn't tighten the clip down tight enough to hold the mic steady.   

On the upside is the sound.  Read my review of the Studio Projects B3 for more detail about the sound of that microphone.  The C3 is substantially better. This dual element condenser holds it's polar pattern for considerably further than typical distance.  M-S can be used for good sized rooms, as can Blumline and X-Y.  I've found this not to be true for a large number of programmable polarity mics at all price ranges. 

Supposedly, Studio Projects has fixed the problem with the connector ring.  If they have, this is certainly a price-attractive microphone for studio applications.  If they haven't, it's awfully expensive for a short  term solution.

NOTE: This package has expanded to other brands since this review was first written and posted (Avantone CK-40, Pearl Microphone Labs DS-60, and others). There are at least two companies labeling almost this exact package in their own brand . I suspect the faults and weaknesses I found in the LSD2 will be copied to the other brands, too.

Turns out, there is a fix for the commutator problems, assuming careful handling afterwards. For a school, I still think a stereo microphone is a poor choice due to the abuse it will assuredly see. However, the brushes are poorly stressed during the Chinese manufacturing process and the slip-ring is not lubricated. When I pre-stressed the brushes almost twice as far as the original bend and applied 100% Caig CalLube (now called deOxit FaderLube IT) to the contacts and slip-ring, the noise level on the upper element vanished to the same level as the lower element and, after three years of regular use in live recording situations, the microphone never failed to give good service.  Reassembly is tricky and if you are not spectacularly careful you can re-stress the brushes during assembly and lose any advantage gained from the process.

Product Review: Studio Projects B3

The B3 was the first Studio Projects microphone I experienced.  At Musictech College, we have a somewhat vicious policy of limiting students' access to microphones  based on their time at the school.  1st and 2nd semester students are not allowed to use our best microphones and, until the B3s appeared, they were not allowed to use any of the school's large element condensers, except for some beat up AT 4033s.  When the B3 appeared, at a $159 price point (street, including shock mount), it became difficult to tell who was getting the short end of the microphone selection stick. 

We compared the B3 to a variety of "classic" comparable microphones: from both versions of the AKG 414 to Neuman's U87 and the B3 was never found to be a clear loser in any shootout.  In some situations, the B3 was preferred to microphones that cost 10-40X as much.  I've used my "matched set" of green dot B3s (there are red dot and blue dot B3s) everywhere from classical violin and flute to R&R kick drum.  In between, I've used B3s in Blumline pairs on horn sections and a background chorus, X-Y and MS pairs on trap set overheads and acoustic guitars and a small string section, and as solo mics on toms, high hat, acoustic and electric guitar, violin, flute, trumpet, trombone, and voice (male and female).  While the B3 wouldn't have been my first choice for some of those recording situations, the mic never embarrassed me.  Even in a school environment, several of the recordings made with this microphone impressed professionals enough that they purchased the multi-track reel and took note of the microphone used. 

The B3 offers three polar patterns: omni, cardioid, and figure-eight.  The directional polar patterns are consistent out to several feet, although the critical distance in most of the studios where I've used my mics doesn't allow for much more than 6' source-to-mic before room reverb mucks up the recording.  The B3 also provides a high-pass filter and a 10dB attenuator, but this is a 3-position switch that only allows a user to pick one option of three.  That has been a hassle a few times, but it's usually not much of a problem. 

The B3's proximity effect isn't pronounced (for a large element cardioid), but it's usable by an experienced vocalist and can add considerable low end when used close to a kick drum or tom or acoustic/electric bass.  The high-pass filter accurately compensates for close (~2") proximity without tossing away the bottom end of the natural signal. 

Personally, I think the B3 is a steal of a microphone.  I've been expecting Studio Projects to raise the price for the past three years.  Since they haven't, I suspect they are either manufacturing wizards or still waiting for the market to catch on to this incredible deal in a large element, programmable polarity, condenser microphone. 

REVIEW: Studio Projects C4

Here's what Studio Projects has to say about their C4 Condenser microphone:

"The C4 is small diaphragm condenser microphone fe aturing interchangeable capsules, switchable -10dB pad/high pass filter and a linear low-noise, solid state amplifier body. The microphone’s modularity makes it a useful multi-purpose tool intended for all-around use on stage, on location and in studios of all caliber. "

No brag, just the facts.  Musictech College hooked on to the Studio Projects microphones in 2002 to provide students with access to a high quality small element condenser mic that wouldn't cost the school an arm and a leg when a student found a way to misuse the mic as a drum stick (or a drum practice pad),  The street price of a C4 pair is about $370.  The C4 kit comes with a pair of microphone bodies, two each cardioid and omni capsules, shock mounts, and a solid storage case.  A lot of bang for the buck.  The mics met the school's requirement, but the real test was did they meet the instructor's expectations.

The answer was a resounding "yes." 

We've found the C4s to be one of the most useful and accurate microphones we've used.  For the price, I've never run into a better recording tool.  These microphones are quick, clean, and precise.  Used in close proximity to strings, acoustic guitars, or other moderate acoustic output instruments the C4s deliver a very credible representation of the instrument's actual output.  Louder stuff requires the use of the C4's 10dB pad, but if what you hear is what you want on tape, the C4 is up to the task.  

The omni capsule is specially precise.  Without a proximity effect and with a very flat frequency response, the omni C4 is a wonderful tool for recording an acoustic environment.  The cardioid C4 capsule is more "effected," but it is still a very smooth and accurate microphone, even when compared to studio standards like the SM81 or the 451B.  It's hard to find a more uncontroversial recommendation than the C4 stereo condenser combination. 

Of course there's always a downside.  One downside to the C4 is the capsule replacement.  Like most microphones of this style, the capsules thread on to the microphone body very carefully.  The aluminum body and fine threads combine to make a very precarious initiation to mechanical devices for those who are not hand-to-eye skilled.  In our school environment, we have few requirements for omni microphones which is a good thing because the students would have destroyed our C4s a year ago if there had been a need for them to replace the capsules. 

Another picky fault of the C4 is its tolerance for humidity.  It has none.  In the early summer months, Minnesota gets warm and wet and so do our studios.  Several times this spring, the humidity gauge in our main studios indicated 75%+ humidity and the C4s gave us a little indication of non-ideal conditions, too.  Under these conditions, the C4s provided us with random low frequency sputtering noises that sounded a bit like intermittent cable connections, failing capacitors, or other pre-amp oriented noises. When the humidity dropped below 70%, the C4s quieted down.  This isn't unusual behavior for small element condensers, so I'm not really picking on the Studio Projects offering, in particular.  However, as a comparison, replacing the C4s in this situation with a pair of Shure KSM141s resolved the noise generation.  Some microphones are more tolerant of mildly hostile environments than others.

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