Turn your SM58 into a killer vintage mic with the Soyuz Microphones Launcher
Can’t afford an expensive microphone and preamp, but want to sound like the big guys? The Soyuz Microphones Launcher could be what you need. The company says that this little box makes any dynamic mic sound like it was run through a vintage console.
Soyuz Microphones Launcher: make your cheap mic sound great
Soyuz is a Russian manufacturer known for handmade boutique microphones like the 013 Series and 017 Series. While the firm usually focuses on the higher-end market, its latest product is for people like you and me who can’t afford mics like that. Soyuz claims that the Launcher imparts a classic vintage sound to any dynamic or ribbon microphone, even when plugged into the cheap preamps of your audio interface or PA system. The “little magic box” (Soyuz) contains a custom hand-wound transformer and a “secret analog circuit” designed to add coloration and character to dull-sounding microphones. According to Soyuz, it’s not meant to be transparent and clean, but very much the opposite.
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- Input · Source: Soyuz Microphones
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- “Secret analog circuit” · Source: Soyuz Microphones
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- Output · Source: Soyuz Microphones
26 dB of gain
The Launcher also boosts the signal by 26 dB, which makes it a bit like a SansAmp for microphones. While this means that the cheapo preamps in your interface or mixer won’t have to work as hard, it would be nice if the Launcher offered a way of adjusting the amount of gain. There are no knobs on it, it really is just a box with an XLR input and output. The Launcher runs on 48V phantom power, so whichever device you run it into does need to be able to supply that.
Since it’s such a small box, you can take the Launcher anywhere. That’s great if you’re a session singer or acoustic guitarist who works in different live settings and recording environments. Soyuz says that it can also improve the sound of podcasts, video voiceovers, and pretty much anything else.
Price and availability
The Soyuz Microphones Launcher will be released on October 15, 2019. You can pre-order it at the company’s website, where you’ll also find a sound demo. The price is USD 199, which puts it within reach of most bedroom producers.
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11 responses to “Turn your SM58 into a killer vintage mic with the Soyuz Microphones Launcher”
Sorry to pop the party, again, but anyone who’s ever seen a “hand-wound” transformer for balanced connections will immediately realize that no way that circular metal part in the middle of the box will contain a transformer. If I had to take a guess I’d say that tiny housing is really just encasing some digital circuitry that colors the sound.
Here’s an example of what an actual transformer in this form-factor would look like, courtesy of Radial Engineering:
https://www.radialeng.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/icecube-smartsheet.pdf
The correct term for selling a fake “custom hand-wound transformer” in an XLR-XLR case is “fraud”.
Just because your pic shows another style of transformer does not mean, it can’t have a different shape.
e.g. look at this: https://thumbs.worthpoint.com/wpimages/images/images1/1/0509/25/1_b318d1b2526a51cb23dc71c9feb68bfe.jpg
Uhm, no. The Soyuz page claims that it’s a “hand-wound” transformer, so it will actually have to look like any other hand-wound transformer out there. And that picture that Soyuz put on their website does not look like a hand-wound transformer. Unless Soyuz somehow invented a whole new way to build wound transformers – and I’m sure they’d be shouting the patents from the rooftops.
Hi, Dane
We did not invent a new transformer. In fact, most of our designs and all of our process employ the machinery and techniques from the mid-century – 50’s, 60’s, 70’s etc.
There are multiple types and designs of transformers. Here is an image of one of our toroidal cores inside the circular housing in the Launcher
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sX9tQ4xH9ymqiF_qijiyjWKnmZhvqzv2/view?usp=sharing
Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and you can reach me directly anytime at Marc@SoyuzMicrophones.com
-Marc
Hi, Dane!
This is Marc from Soyuz. I’m sorry about any confusion from the images, but I’m happy to go more into detail.
Yes, inside the housing is a toroidal core transformer that we are winding ourselves for every Launcher we build. In fact, it’s incredibly similar to the toroidal core transformers we wind for our microphones as well.
The thumbnail image can maybe be a bit tricky to gauge, but in person when opening the casing for the launcher, it’s much more clear.
There is nothing digital about it.
The Radial Icecube appears to be a completely different transformer and schematic design with a different purpose than our Launcher too.
Let me know if you have any other questions or would like to know more and you can absolutely shoot me a message directly anytime at all at Marc@SoyuzMicrophones.com
-Marc
In my 500 series modules there are many transformers in even smaller round enclosures than in the soyuz box. I’ve opened my soyuz launcher and the transformer enclosure is Fairly large compared to others I’ve seen, I have little reason to doubt that it contains an actual transformer, I’ve seen pics of the internals and it’s standard looking transformer wire wraps. It sounds good to me but I have limited experience in audio. I once built a guitar effects pedal octave fuzz DIY kit and the transformer in that was no more than an inch across, much smaller and less powerful than the soyuz’s transformer. I think it’s interesting that such a simple and effective audio tool is available at a relatively low price as the soyuz, There doesn’t seem to be anything else like this available for mics. I’m using mine instead of a pre amp into an la-2a style compressor and then into an Analog to digital interface. Less expensive than buying a decent mic pre-amp and no worrying about and second guessing control settings. Seems decent enough to me.
I’d love to see this compared to the Cloud Microphones Cloudlifter CL-1 (which has a stelar reputation). Similar form factor, similar features, although I’m curious about the “makes your mic sound vintage”. Does this actually color your mic signal? or is it just marketing spin since any basic dynamic mic + cheap mic pre WILL sound “a lot better” with the signal boost.
Any transformer will color the signal. Add some resistor and capacitor for additional filtering and you get something that could be called “vintage” (or just “different”). It does not mean it will sound “better” (there has also been crappy audio tools in the old “vintage” times…)
Sorry, but that’s a load of nonsense that you’re writing there. Are you being paid by Soyuz? Sure sounds like it. A good transformer will not color the signal in any way. If anything, there’ll be an imperceptible harmonic distortion to the tune of 0.001% at 20Hz when using a properly designed transformer.
That’s why I believe that you’re being paid by Soyuz. The product they sell does not contain an actual transformer but some cheap circuitry that indeed colors the signal.
Good grief, what a nonsense calling other to be writing nonsense while writing more nonsense.
A transformer is magnetically inducted transfering an AC signal. This means that already transients must be deformed. Adding additional parts (OPamps, capacitors) will add more changes to the signal. Some can be heared, others not. Anyway that doesn’t mean it will sound “better”, just because it is build in a “vintage” way.
The Soyuz 017 tube mic is the most beautiful sounding mic I’ve ever heard. Soyuz makes excellent gear, this is is an interesting product. The sound examples are good, but of course the parts are recorded and mixed to sound right with the Launcher in the chain, it’s no surprise the mix doesn’t hold up without it. I want to hear the Launcher myself, or hear an unbiased video review. I like using dynamic microphones, this could be a nice addition.
Soyuz mention their custom hand-wound transformer many times on their site. I don’t believe they’re defrauding anyone, that’s a very serious accusation. A quick search for hand-wound transformer images shows transformers in several sizes and shapes, including some similar to the Soyuz custom transformer.
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