Wednesday 19 October 2016

Products: JTS CX-500 Miniature Condenser Microphones. Part Two: Product Variants. CX-500F and CX-500Du

JTS CX-500 Variants. CX-500F and CX500Du

In part one of our look at JTS' CX-500 Series of miniature condenser mics, we looked at the various models, their applications, and their associated power supplies and mounting options. We then took a detailed tour of the CX-500 general purpose version. 
In this second part, we'll take a look at a couple of the CX-500 variants; the CX500F clip on flute/piccolo mic and the CX500Du dual transducer mic system designed for lower frequency instruments such as cello and double bass. 



JTS CX-500F Flute Piccolo Microphone. 

As with the CX-500, JTS have very thoughtfully provided us with a rather informative video of the CX-500F in action. So maybe this is a good point to relax, sit back and enjoy some music:




So you can see from the video that the microphone is mounted onto the flute with a strap style clip that goes somewhere near the 'head-joint' of the flute. The microphone itself can then be easily positioned near the embrochure hole via flexible miniature 'gooseneck'. 
We have pondered whether the CX-500F would be suitable for a piccolo, and to be honest we're not a hundred per cent sure. We've not had anyone try it. Sound-wise, we think it would be fine, but we're not sure there would be room on the piccolo to mount the strap/clip. If anyone's tried it perhaps you could let us know.

Powering:

Like the CX-500, the CX500F can be powered in a number of ways. You can plug it into a compatible wireless transmitter, you can power it via phantom power from a mixer or mixer/amp just like any other condenser mic (for this, you'll need the JTS MA500 phantom power adaptor, or you can battery power from the PS510, or PS510M (these two units also work as phantom power adaptors, so you can either battery or phantom power the mic from these units.)

Sound:

Rather like the CX-500, the strength of the CX-500F lies in it's small dimensions, the ability to clip it to the instrument and the proximity of the mic to the embrochure hole. Because it's clipped to the instrument the mic moves with the performer, so you don't have to worry about the flute moving to and away from the microphone which you would with a traditional stand mounted mic. Because of the proximity of the mic to the flute, a healthy signal level is achieved with enough lower frequency response to produce a nice warm/rounded tone, and your mixer mic pre-amps don't have to be cranked to feedback inducing level. 
As with all microphones, it's worth experimenting with positioning to produce the desired result, but A CX500F mounted on the flute with the mic 1-2 inches from the source is a very good starting point. 

The Noizeworks CX-500F product listing can be found here. 


JTS CX-500Du Dual Transducer Microphone System:


JTS CX-500Du


The JTS CX-500Du dual transducer system is designed for instruments where better bass response is required. The CX-500 is an ideal option for violin, viola, acoustic guitars and mandolins, etc, but there is a limit to how good the low end response of such a small diaphragm microphone can be. This is where the CX-500Du comes in. 
By adding an additional boundary PZ transducer which also doubles as a mount for the miniature condenser, a more 'full range' sound can be achieved for cello, double bass, acoustic basses, etc.

Powering for JTS CX-500Du:

The CX-500Du is supplied as standard with the PS-510 dual power supply/phantom power adaptor/mixer. This has two inputs for the two microphone elements with a gain control for each. The two inputs are then mixed down to a single 3 pin XLR output. Power can be supplied by a single 9v battery, or via phantom power from a mixer or mixer/amp.

JTS PS-510 Power Supply/Phantom Adaptor/Mixer.

 Sound:

Again, close proximity miking here is a real boon. No cranked up mic-pres, no armfuls of EQ. The only real issue with the CX-500Du is setting the gain controls on the PS-510 for a balanced sound between the two elements. This system could, of course, be further enhanced by the addition of a second PS510. This would allow the two elements to be assigned to their own mixer channel, and so could be entirely controlled from the mixer and EQ'd and/or processed separately. 
The whole concept and idea is somuch more effective than pointing a stand mounted condenser microphone at the instrument. 


OK. So that concludes our look at the JTS CX-500 family of microphones. We hope you've found it informative and that it has answered any questions you may have had about the series. We'll continually update the posts with any new information as it arises. 

At The Noizeworks, we keep stock and demo versions of all the CX-500 series products, so if you think one of them may be what you're looking for and you're in the South East of England/London area then give us a call or email us and you can stop by and check them out. Bring your instrument and we'll plug it into one of our demo rigs. 
but do contact us first before travelling to make sure we've got the item and we're around to look after you. 





Disclaimer, Please note, etc, blah, blah......: As with all my blogs, the information contained here is presented in an informal manner to assist musicians and sound professionals in their artistic endeavors and equipment choices, etc. I accept no responsibility for any subsequent situations that may arise out of this information, errors that may be contained within, or the inability to interpret it correctly.
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