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#1
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Electro-Voice 664 Cardioid Mic
Hello, folks.
Today a friend gave me the above microphone. It's in mint condition, still in the box. It has a cable with it that attaches to the mic, but the other end of that cable has three bare wires showing (a black wire, a white wire, and what looks like a ground). I've never cut into a mic cable before, so please give me some feedback on how to take one of my mic cables and join it to the Electro-Voice cable. Oh, and is this even worth it? Does anyone use this mic in their studios? I have a computer-based home studio using a Delta 1010 soundcard and an Allen & Heath mixer. I've have several Shure 57s ..... is the Eletro-Voice similiar? I've also got a few of the cheaper Marshall condenser mics as well as an AKG condenser. So, with my "mic cabinet", would this mic be of any use? I'd appreciate any suggestions. Mark Hicks |
#2
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Electro-Voice 664 Cardioid Mic
No..this is the worse mic in the world. It will actually destroy the sound of
other mic's near it due to a electro-mechanical after-wave. You must send it to me immediately for proper disposal. I am probably the only license person you know who can do this. On the other hand...all mic's are useful tools. It should have a Amphenol type 4-pin screw on the mic side, which can be attached to an XLR type male plug. You can try here http://bama.sbc.edu/electro.htm for a diagram. Or try the following: On the screw on Amphenol side it should be: Pin 1- Shield Pin 2-Hi-Z Pin 3-Low-Z/ balanced 150 ohm Pin 4-Low-Z+ And on the XLR male side it should be: Pin 1-Ground ( Shield ) Pin 2-Hi Z Pin 3-The 2 Low Z's tied together. Solder away. Nathan West Mark Hicks wrote: Oh, and is this even worth it? Does anyone use this mic in their studios? I have a computer-based home studio using a Delta 1010 soundcard and an Allen & Heath mixer. I've have several Shure 57s ..... is the Eletro-Voice similiar? I've also got a few of the cheaper Marshall condenser mics as well as an AKG condenser. So, with my "mic cabinet", would this mic be of any use? |
#3
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Electro-Voice 664 Cardioid Mic
Hahaha..... You had me going there for a minute.
Thanks for the info, Nathan. I'm printing your reply as I type. I do appreciate your help. I'm curious as to how this mic sounds. I've done some surfing and have seen lots of pictures of it. It seems like it was a pretty handy mic in its day. I can't wait to try it! Thanks again! -Mark Hicks "NW" wrote in message ... No..this is the worse mic in the world. It will actually destroy the sound of other mic's near it due to a electro-mechanical after-wave. You must send it to me immediately for proper disposal. I am probably the only license person you know who can do this. On the other hand...all mic's are useful tools. It should have a Amphenol type 4-pin screw on the mic side, which can be attached to an XLR type male plug. You can try here http://bama.sbc.edu/electro.htm for a diagram. Or try the following: On the screw on Amphenol side it should be: Pin 1- Shield Pin 2-Hi-Z Pin 3-Low-Z/ balanced 150 ohm Pin 4-Low-Z+ And on the XLR male side it should be: Pin 1-Ground ( Shield ) Pin 2-Hi Z Pin 3-The 2 Low Z's tied together. Solder away. Nathan West |
#4
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Electro-Voice 664 Cardioid Mic
Plug it in and listen. They are great mics and very often over looked
these days. I like to use them on guitar amps when there are 2 guitars, I'll use a MD421 or SM57 on one and use the 664 on the other one just so the tracks don't have the same tonal qualities and blend better in the mix. What's it worth? Maybe $75 in mint cond. http://www.vintagemicsales.com |
#5
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Electro-Voice 664 Cardioid Mic
Ooops, I'm new at this and not sure if my reply went through to the group,
so here it is again: Some of the surfing that I did, I found their prices in good condition to be between about 75 and 150 bucks or so. I've read where they are supposed to be good on guitar amps, so I will certainly try it along side a SM57 the next time I record two amps at once. I still haven't had a chance to put the cord together and try it out by I hope to by the end of the day. Thanks for the input! -Mark Hicks |
#6
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Electro-Voice 664 Cardioid Mic
Mark Hicks wrote:
Today a friend gave me the above microphone. It's in mint condition, still in the box. It has a cable with it that attaches to the mic, but the other end of that cable has three bare wires showing (a black wire, a white wire, and what looks like a ground). I've never cut into a mic cable before, so please give me some feedback on how to take one of my mic cables and join it to the Electro-Voice cable. EV has a datasheet with a complete pinout on it. The cable can be pinned for either high-Z or low-Z operation. If you have the low-Z cable, then the black and white wires go to pins 2 and 3 on the XLR, with the ground sleeve tied to pin 1. Oh, and is this even worth it? Does anyone use this mic in their studios? I have a computer-based home studio using a Delta 1010 soundcard and an Allen & Heath mixer. I've have several Shure 57s ..... is the Eletro-Voice similiar? I've also got a few of the cheaper Marshall condenser mics as well as an AKG condenser. So, with my "mic cabinet", would this mic be of any use? It's more neutral sounding than the SM-57. The pattern is similar, the presence peak is lower. It's a handy microphone to have around. I carry a couple in the PA mike kit. They look weird and old but they sound good and have good feedback rejection in PA applications. --scott I'd appreciate any suggestions. Mark Hicks -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." |
#7
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Electro-Voice 664 Cardioid Mic
"Scott Dorsey" wrote in message ... Mark Hicks wrote: Today a friend gave me the above microphone. It's in mint condition, still in the box. It has a cable with it that attaches to the mic, but the other end of that cable has three bare wires showing (a black wire, a white wire, and what looks like a ground). I've never cut into a mic cable before, so please give me some feedback on how to take one of my mic cables and join it to the Electro-Voice cable. EV has a datasheet with a complete pinout on it. The cable can be pinned for either high-Z or low-Z operation. If you have the low-Z cable, then the black and white wires go to pins 2 and 3 on the XLR, with the ground sleeve tied to pin 1. Oh, and is this even worth it? Does anyone use this mic in their studios? I have a computer-based home studio using a Delta 1010 soundcard and an Allen & Heath mixer. I've have several Shure 57s ..... is the Eletro-Voice similiar? I've also got a few of the cheaper Marshall condenser mics as well as an AKG condenser. So, with my "mic cabinet", would this mic be of any use? It's more neutral sounding than the SM-57. The pattern is similar, the presence peak is lower. It's a handy microphone to have around. I carry a couple in the PA mike kit. They look weird and old but they sound good and have good feedback rejection in PA applications. --scott I'd appreciate any suggestions. Mark Hicks Thank you, Scott Dorsey, I appreciate that info! So, people do still use them some in their studios? That's good to hear. Also, I'm in a band so I might just start toting this mic around with me to gigs and give it a try. Seems like I did read on some website that the mic didn't feedback much when used through a PA. I was pretty excited when this guy came up to me and told me he had a very old mic in mint condition that he wanted to give me. The guy knew I had a little studio and just wanted to contribute to it I guess. Thanks again, Scott. Mark Hicks |
#8
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Electro-Voice 664 Cardioid Mic
Oh, and is this even worth it? Does anyone use this mic in their
studios? Back when Hitler was a road guard, I used the 664 on kick until I could afford a 666. We then moved it over to amps. Wish I still had one. Paid $49.95 brand new with cable. Also doubles as a hammer for assembling staging in live situations, much like a SM57. Scott left the part about the hammer out. gr --Wayne -"sounded good to me"- |
#9
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Electro-Voice 664 Cardioid Mic
"Wayne" wrote in message ... Oh, and is this even worth it? Does anyone use this mic in their studios? Back when Hitler was a road guard, I used the 664 on kick until I could afford a 666. We then moved it over to amps. Wish I still had one. Paid $49.95 brand new with cable. Also doubles as a hammer for assembling staging in live situations, much like a SM57. Scott left the part about the hammer out. gr --Wayne -"sounded good to me"- And, now the cables are 49.95. -Mark |
#10
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Electro-Voice 664 Cardioid Mic
If you get stumped, or can't find it on-line at the EV site, post
again. I have the data sheet and could photo-copy one for you. If i had a scanner, i'd scan it, but i don't. Maybe someone else has one they could scan. I did a live recording, straight to two-track, on short notice about five years back. All I had with me was my "live" mic case. I ended up using two EV 664's on the drum kit: one about 1 foot high three feet out front of the kick, the other one at five feet high aimed between the rack toms. I listened to the tape the other day and I am still surprised how good it came out. |
#11
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Electro-Voice 664 Cardioid Mic
"Darrell Klein" wrote in message om... If you get stumped, or can't find it on-line at the EV site, post again. I have the data sheet and could photo-copy one for you. If i had a scanner, i'd scan it, but i don't. Maybe someone else has one they could scan. I did a live recording, straight to two-track, on short notice about five years back. All I had with me was my "live" mic case. I ended up using two EV 664's on the drum kit: one about 1 foot high three feet out front of the kick, the other one at five feet high aimed between the rack toms. I listened to the tape the other day and I am still surprised how good it came out. Hey, Darrell. It sounds like I got a pretty good mic. I'm going to have to be sure and thank the guy again that gave it to me. And, I'm going to let him know that the pros have mostly good things to say about the mic. I guess I got lucky. I can't wait to try it. And, boy does it look like its built to last! Thanks! I'll keep it in mind the next time I record drums. -Mark Hicks |
#12
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Electro-Voice 664 Cardioid Mic
Also, I'm in a band
so I might just start toting this mic around with me to gigs and give it a try. It'd be cool for that. The 664 is all over the place in old concert videos, with The Beatles using it and such. No matter how it sounds, it'll look cool with the whole vintage-chic thing going on. |
#13
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Electro-Voice 664 Cardioid Mic
The 664 used to be known as "The Buchanan Hammer." They were built in
Buchanan, Michigan, and you really could use one to drive nails. For years the EV in-house news letter was called "The Buchanan Hammer." I guess they knew what they were building. |
#14
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Electro-Voice 664 Cardioid Mic
I've been trying out some of these old EV's lately, the 664 and also
the 636. I replaced the four pin out on these with standard XLR, since I don't ever need to use the hi-Z output. If you want to do this, you need to find an in-line XLR male connector with a screw that fastens into the side of the plastic circle that has the pins molded into it. The regular Neutrik connectors don't have these anymore. Maybe you can take just take the part off a Neutrik and drill your own hole, I don't know. So open the mic up and take that four pin connector out of there. It's a tight fit - I had to tap it out (gently!) with a hammer. Unsolder the four wires running to the connector. You can just put some heatshrink over the yellow wire, as that's the high impedence wire. The red wire goes to pin 2, green to pin 3, and the orange or white wire goes to ground, pin 1. Then put it all back together. Note that the downside to this is that XLR cables don't lock into place, as there's no locking tab on there. Hope that helps, Leigh |
#15
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Electro-Voice 664 Cardioid Mic
"Stephen Raiman" wrote in message
om... Also, I'm in a band so I might just start toting this mic around with me to gigs and give it a try. It'd be cool for that. The 664 is all over the place in old concert videos, with The Beatles using it and such. No matter how it sounds, it'll look cool with the whole vintage-chic thing going on. I appreciate all the comments on the mic, guys! Thanks a lot! I did get the mic going and it does have a nice, clean sound. I can't wait to use it live. We have a gig Saturday and I think I'm going to take it and give it a try. The lead singer doesn't know it yet but I have a feeling he's gonna like it. Thanks again for all the input folks! -Mark Hicks |
#16
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Electro-Voice 664 Cardioid Mic
"Stephen Raiman" wrote in message
om... Also, I'm in a band so I might just start toting this mic around with me to gigs and give it a try. It'd be cool for that. The 664 is all over the place in old concert videos, with The Beatles using it and such. No matter how it sounds, it'll look cool with the whole vintage-chic thing going on. I appreciate all the comments on the mic, guys! Thanks a lot! I did get the mic going and it does have a nice, clean sound. I can't wait to use it live. We have a gig Saturday and I think I'm going to take it and give it a try. The lead singer doesn't know it yet but I have a feeling he's gonna like it. Thanks again for all the input folks! -Mark Hicks |
#17
Posted to rec.audio.pro
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Electro-Voice 664 Cardioid Mic
I picked one of these mics up today. I used one of the mini Pinal charts available here and many other places all over the web and made a modification to the input jack. I thought you guys might like to see what I did, I think it works out quite well, is very sturdy, and gives a proper latching point for the incoming cable.
I don't know if these cable ends I have here are switchcraft of what, but I have quite the stash of them as a result of mining out old sound systems in my day job. if you like this design and make friend with me, I might be inclined to pass one long so that you could do the same thing. Anyone please also feel free to ask me to explain this picture a little further if you don't understand what you see. I don't know if this will work, but here is a link to the pic. https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0...o/IMAG0689.jpg |
#18
Posted to rec.audio.pro
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Electro-Voice 664 Cardioid Mic
If anyone still wants to know what the mic sounds like (the thread originated in 2003), listen to any early Muddy Waters record on Chess, and listen to the drums.
Peace, Paul |
#19
Posted to rec.audio.pro
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Electro-Voice 664 Cardioid Mic
wrote:
I picked one of these mics up today. I used one of the mini Pinal charts av= ailable here and many other places all over the web and made a modification= to the input jack. I thought you guys might like to see what I did, I thin= k it works out quite well, is very sturdy, and gives a proper latching poin= t for the incoming cable. Switchcraft used to make an insert that would replace the insert of those Amphenol connectors and provide an XLR. I don't think it's still available, though, so making your own is an interesting idea. How did you hold the XLR shell into the mike? Is it just held with the single mounting screw or is there something else. I don't know if these cable ends I have here are switchcraft of what, but I= have quite the stash of them as a result of mining out old sound systems i= n my day job. if you like this design and make friend with me, I might be i= nclined to pass one long so that you could do the same thing. Anyone please= also feel free to ask me to explain this picture a little further if you d= on't understand what you see. I don't know if this will work, but here is a link to the pic. https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0...AAAAABng/LuwZ= p-R6YhA/w1296-h733-no/IMAG0689.jpg Works just fine. Out of curiosity, though, why did you do this rather than just make a cable with an Amphenol connector on the end? --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." |
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