Aside: “Steampunk Willie” as a recasting of Steamboat Willie.

I love that you’re creating these parts. I don’t need any of them right now but it sure is nice to know that they exist!

Nice! Are the upper left thingies mounts for Varacoustics?

The mic in my profile pic is an #RCA #77-DX; the diamond-shaped plate is the pattern selector. Inside, when you turn the selector, you rotate a metal shutter that variably exposes a slot behind the ribbon, much like on the #Varacoustic. This mic came to me as a cosmetic basket case. Cleaned up well!

The pattern is adjusted via a slider that variably exposes a slot at the back of the ribbon. It’s quite effective. A similar method was used on the famous #77-DX, which shares the same ribbon motor with the Varacoustic. Bonus on the Varacoustic is you don’t need a screwdriver to adjust it.

It sounds pretty great—only issue is that it is prone to a bit of RF hum. This is common with old #ribbonmics and can be mitigated somewhat by placement. And on a source that isn’t particularly quiet, it’s a non-issue. These mics are fun because of the selectable polar pattern.

Also tried #Oktava Mk 012s in the same position. They were similar to the Shures—both of those pairs gave an impression I would compare to halftone color photos: accurate in their way, but a less rich image.

I've begun to get some recording gigs - mostly student recitals or semi-pro chamber groups. It's rewarding and frustrating and enlightening - all the emotions that come with learning and honing a new craft. But I'm getting better at it and it's exciting to progress!

And I've become a voracious consumer of educational materials about audio. Books, podcasts, videos, you name it - there's a lot out there, much of it excellent. I love learning. I love actually applying things I've heard famous recordists or engineers describe in a podcast or video or book.

And part of what's always been interesting to me in this is that I love vintage technology. So along with the modern stuff, I began to acquire vintage gear as well, especially microphones. I found it quite fun to be able to marry up a 70+ year old mic with state of the art digital audio tools.

At the same time, I also started working more with audio production in my day job - I'm on a cybersecurity podcast and I used to do all the production stuff for that. Between my musical and professional interests, I decided it was time to dive into audio engineering. I began to acquire gear -yikes!

Through my years as a gigging musician, sometimes I've been in front of the microphone. But I always wondered what it would be like to be on the other side of the mic. At rehearsals or after concerts I'd sometimes chat with the recording engineers.

Very true—it’s a different vibe. That said, I’d settle for LED that incorporates something of the same level of artistry and originality that a lot of the old neon had.

I miss the golden age of neon (maybe should say missED it since I was born after it), but there was still a lot more of it when I was a kid. Nice shots!

Can just we get a couple more levels? Almost got it.