[Elecraft] Mic Settings

[Guy Olinger K2AV]

Hi John,

The proper settings of MIC gain, CMP, and TX equalizer settings vary
ENORMOUSLY from person to person. This is due to the enormous variation in
people's voices, including variation in inflection across international
settings. Using someone else's MIC/CMP/TXEQ settings is like borrowing
their shoes and hoping they fit.

If one has the KDVR3 installed, the easiest way to adjust audio settings
for quality is to record a message at a settings combination, and then play
it back over MON with TX set to TEST. You will be hearing what they hear,
IF the physical transmit circuitry does not have some problem needing
repair. Twiddle until it sounds clear and full.

Over the years I was constantly told my voice was "unclear" or "muddied".

After the K3 it took a while with the KDVR3 to figure out that the highs in
my voice were so soft, that anything on the band would cover them up. Using
the TX EQ to push the lows way down and the highs way up got my sibilant
energy up even with the rest of my voice. It was very easy to hear when
there was too much CMP. There is rather a difference between me in person
and me over the air after KDVR3. One friend said that didn't sound like me
over the radio, but whoever really was on the mic sounded very clear and
was easy to understand.

A spectrum display of the resultant voice shows that the energy is spread
fairly evenly from low to high, and the level is kept high.

Outside of the K3 I don't do any munging of the voice at all other than
keeping a relatively consistent volume, and managing pauses in sound files
for N1MM. I let the KDVR3 handle the audio shaping, compression and
equalization. That way I get the same thing from N1MM as from the hand
mike, as from the M1 through M4 message buttons.

I'll not be telling you my settings, because they are different for
everyone. Almost for certain you can't wear my shoes either.  :>)

73, Guy K2AV



On Thu, Oct 22, 2015 at 6:34 PM, <john at kk9a.com> wrote:

> I adjusted the TX equalizer per K9YC's recommendations and listened to
> myself and I thought that I had this resolved.  Today I received unsoiled
> complaints that my audio was clipping at the top.  One person even sent me
> a
> video. I tried changing the high EQ settings and the mic and compression
> settings and the issue exists. I tried the back mic jack and was told that
> it may have made an improvement but the clipping still exists.  Reducing
> the
> power had no effect.  For those that asked, FLTX SB is FL1 (2.80)
>
> John KK9A - P40A
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: john at kk9a.com [mailto:john at kk9a.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2015 15:52
> To: 'elecraft at mailman.qth.net'
> Subject: Mic Settings
>
> I know this subject has come up many times.  I brought my new K3S to Aruba
> and it's my first time using it on SSB.  Before my trip I listened to
> myself
> on another radio and thought that I had the settings figured out, but now I
> have some doubts. Yesterday on 15m I received a comment that I was hard to
> zero beat on SSB.  Thinking it could be RFI, I switched from the small
> Powerwerx power supply to an old Astron and added some ferrites to the mic.
> Today I was on 10m a little and asked a couple of people how my audio was,
> one said basey and one said high.  I am using a Heil HC-4 element with no
> equalizer settings, mic 30 compression 18.  I wonder what setting other
> contestors are using with this element.
>
> John KK9A - P40A
>
>
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