recordinghacks

Violet Design Ltd. Finger

Cardioid Pencil Condenser Microphone

Violet’s Finger is a FET condenser microphone with a fixed cardioid pickup pattern.

The body design is unique, in that the vent area behind the capsule is exposed. Further, the vent area is much larger than is common for this type of microphone.

The amplifier circuit is a Class-A transformerless design with relatively low self-noise of 12 dBA. No electronic pads or filters are provided.

It is available in two models, which differ only in color:

• The Black Finger - polished nickel-plated hardware, matte black body
• The Gold Finger - polished gold-plated hardware, matte-black body.

The mic ships with a clip and a padded hardwood box. Optional accessories include:

• reflection ring (p/n FRR; MSRP $50)
• elastic shockmount (p/n PSM; MSRP $179)
• compact shockmount (p/n GSM; MSRP $169)

Like all Violet mics, the Finger is handmade in Latvia and carries a 5-year guarantee.

The FRR Reflection Ring is a plastic ring that fits around the body of the Violet Finger and Pearl microphones. It alters the mic’s frequency response, directionality and sensitivity; further, these effects can be altered by moving the ring along the microphone body. For example, according to Violet, positioning the ring at the back end of the open vent area increases proximity effect, while positioning it flush with the nose of the microphone produces a “half-sphere” pickup pattern with reduced proximity effect.

The PSM shockmount is an elastic “spider” shockmount; it fits any microphone with a ~24mm cylindrical base.

The GSM compact shockmount is described in the literature as a “vertical position” shockmount, although it’s not clear why this couldn’t also be used for other orientations. It fits all 24mm mic bodies, including Violet’s Globe, Junior, Flamingo, and Pearl.

The Violet Design Ltd. Finger is also known as: Black Finger, Gold Finger.

Specifications

Frequency Response - CardioidClick Graph to Compare!

Pickup Patterns	Pads & Filters
Cardioid (12 mV/Pa; 20 - 20,000 Hz)

Capsule Dimensions	Impedance	SPL/Noise
Diaphragm diameter: 14mm	50 Ohms (Low)	Max SPL: 140 dB Self-noise: 12.0 dB(A)

Weight	Length	Max Diameter	Interface(s)
200g (7.05oz)	207mm (8.15'')	24mm (0.94'')	3-pin XLR male (1)

Power Specifications
Requires phantom power Phantom voltage: 48 ± 4v

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