Hi guys,
Here's a personal project I've worked with the last couple of weeks. This microphone concept is inspired by the phenomenon of cymatics. The phenomenon is a study of how vibrations creates regular pattern a substance when vibrating force is added to it. This could be with a non-Newtonian fluid on a speaker, or adding fine grains (sald/sand/etc) on a flat piece of surface and connecting vibrations/sound waves to it. In certain frequencies that resonates with the plate, the grains will move into regular patterns on the surface, some of which - in my opinion - are beautiful. The pattern used here is taken from a test done by Cymatics Group and is the frequency of 226 Hz, which is also the reason for the naming.
For more elaborate background info on the project you can read its entirety on my behance: https://www.behance.net/gallery/70915827/Mike-226-Microphone-Concept
This was a bit of a longer personal project where everything is modeled in NX and rendered using KeyShot 8. I particularly love the new bloom/image styles makeover which is very much present on these visuals.
Hope you like it : )
I see you updated the connection port :)
Very beautiful and tasteful environments. Truly gorgeous work.
Quote from: mattjgerard on October 08, 2018, 06:43:48 AM
I see you updated the connection port :)
Very beautiful and tasteful environments. Truly gorgeous work.
Yeah I felt I had to after the valuable feedback you guys provided :) Thank you Matt, appreciate the kind words!
Incredible style- reminds me of a visor/helmet from Destiny.
Great concept idea I didn´t know about cymatics before.
Would buy this instantly.
Quote from: puyopuyo on October 09, 2018, 03:54:54 AM
Incredible style- reminds me of a visor/helmet from Destiny.
Great concept idea I didn´t know about cymatics before.
Would buy this instantly.
Awesome! Cheers man. Really appreciate hearing that! No I wasn't quite aware of the phenomenon until I started googling how sounds could be visualized. It's fascinating stuff!
So, just a question from lack of experience on my part. I do very little to no actual product design. I kitbash scenes, I take CAD files from my companies drafters and designers and place them in environments and do generic product renders. When I look at a model like this, it just hits me a something really world class, something that a longstanding company would design and come up with, market and sell.
For those of you that are freelance designers, and you come up with all these fantastic ideas, create the models and render out these gorgeous images for others to drool over, how do you go about protecting your IP? What is keeping other companies from pilfering your work? I am familiar with Audio Production IP protection and derivative works licensing, but how do you protect and patent visual design?
MIght be a topic for another thread, but this design just hit me (as others in this forum has) as something that a disreputable company would copy and manufacture without credit to the original designer.
It's a very fair question (and a mighty compliment I might add). I am aware of the risk I'm running here, and I'm sure it will happen if someone sees a market for it.
Right now I'm basically just trying to fill up my portfolio to show my competence in the area of design. That's why I can't really afford to hide away the designs I make. I don't have anywhere to turn to for realizing my projects anyway, so I'm in need to brand myself and my style, and not the product. I like to think that I am the product you invest in, while the products itself is an extension of that. I just have to do calculated risk to put it out there to showcase my skills. So if I get copied? Yes it's a shame, and it would obviously be a frustrating case I would try to fight if it was possible, but it would still be good PR wouldn't it? :)
"You shouldn't worry about people copying you. You should worry if they stop." -Source unknown
Quote from: mattjgerard on October 09, 2018, 06:16:28 AM
So, just a question from lack of experience on my part. I do very little to no actual product design. I kitbash scenes, I take CAD files from my companies drafters and designers and place them in environments and do generic product renders. When I look at a model like this, it just hits me a something really world class, something that a longstanding company would design and come up with, market and sell.
For those of you that are freelance designers, and you come up with all these fantastic ideas, create the models and render out these gorgeous images for others to drool over, how do you go about protecting your IP? What is keeping other companies from pilfering your work? I am familiar with Audio Production IP protection and derivative works licensing, but how do you protect and patent visual design?
MIght be a topic for another thread, but this design just hit me (as others in this forum has) as something that a disreputable company would copy and manufacture without credit to the original designer.
Quote from: mattjgerard on October 09, 2018, 06:16:28 AM
For those of you that are freelance designers, and you come up with all these fantastic ideas, create the models and render out these gorgeous images for others to drool over, how do you go about protecting your IP? What is keeping other companies from pilfering your work? I am familiar with Audio Production IP protection and derivative works licensing, but how do you protect and patent visual design?
As someone with a degree in product design, I can say that other designers' advice to me (and now, mine to others) is that ideas are cheap and abundant. Execution is expensive and difficult... same goes for businesses.
Example: Do you think Picasso or Michaelangelo would have made names for themselves if they wouldn't reveal their work until there was a pre-paying buyer? Bit extreme of an example, but the potential upside to showing off a skill that can't be stolen from you is greater than the cost of risking IP theft.
While it's a valid question, I think most designers don't worry about this.
Thanks for the perspective. Coming from the audio engineering side of things, musicians appear to be much more worried about this sort of thing. It was a non-stop issue for studios and musicians I worked with for a long time. Glad I'm no longer in that.
I've been in enough product development meetings in my video production time to see that hundreds sometime thousands of iterations of an idea are viewed and discarded, so the point you make about ideas being cheap, production is expensive makes sense. Back in the day musicians would mail themselves a cassette (!) and keep it unopened to unofficially create a record with a federal date stamp on the envelope to prove ownership at some point if needed. It was pretty ridiculous and flimsy, but very popular. Didn't know if there was something that visual artists did that was similar. but, it sounds like its not that big of a deal.
Appreciate the insight!
Mike_226_rear.jpg looks incredibly realistic. Especially with that warm light reflecting off the top. And how the 3.5mm jack is a slightly different color than the other jack. Excellent lighting and materials. Looks really, really good to me. Nice work.
Quote from: Matt.Kinsington on October 09, 2018, 10:00:18 PM
Mike_226_rear.jpg looks incredibly realistic. Especially with that warm light reflecting off the top. And how the 3.5mm jack is a slightly different color than the other jack. Excellent lighting and materials. Looks really, really good to me. Nice work.
Actually, I just zoomed in on that image and it looks even more amazing. That could pass as a photograph. You could have told me that's a production model. I would have believed you.
Quote from: mattjgerard on October 09, 2018, 12:37:49 PM
I've been in enough product development meetings in my video production time to see that hundreds sometime thousands of iterations of an idea are viewed and discarded, so the point you make about ideas being cheap, production is expensive makes sense. Back in the day musicians would mail themselves a cassette (!) and keep it unopened to unofficially create a record with a federal date stamp on the envelope to prove ownership at some point if needed. It was pretty ridiculous and flimsy, but very popular. Didn't know if there was something that visual artists did that was similar. but, it sounds like its not that big of a deal.
That sounds like a stressful reality! Interesting read. Well there's a bunch of plagiarism happening so of course it's a risk. But as Will so eloquently puts it, the potential upside is larger than the risk.
Quote from: Matt.Kinsington on October 09, 2018, 10:00:18 PM
Mike_226_rear.jpg looks incredibly realistic. Especially with that warm light reflecting off the top. And how the 3.5mm jack is a slightly different color than the other jack. Excellent lighting and materials. Looks really, really good to me. Nice work.
Actually, I just zoomed in on that image and it looks even more amazing. That could pass as a photograph. You could have told me that's a production model. I would have believed you.
Thanks Matt! Appreciate hearing that! Always a pleasure hearing when those subtle details are noticed :)
What kills me the most , is that this is one of the most realistic looking , or maybe the most realistic looking render via Keyshot, jet it is completely pure and sharp like it is made with pro camera.
Not to mention great concept design behind the whole product.
Congrats again!
Quote from: stefan marji on October 10, 2018, 05:55:22 PM
What kills me the most , is that this is one of the most realistic looking , or maybe the most realistic looking render via Keyshot, jet it is completely pure and sharp like it is made with pro camera.
Not to mention great concept design behind the whole product.
Woah, that's a heavy compliment Stefan! Thank you so much for the kind words, I really appreciate it!
Wow, this is really cool! As usual, the lighting is incredible! I have to echo what others are saying; this looks very realistic.
I like the texturing on the plastic in the front view. And is the dial in that view illuminated?
Very Nice! I like the styling and the lighting. Very easily could be a product shot of a real item.
It reminds me very much of the Blue Snowball Mic: https://www.bluedesigns.com/products/snowball/
Except I like yours better - cooler design and style. They just slapped the Blue logo over the front and called it good. I feel like yours would have an easier time picking up some of the other audio patterns a mic would be programmed to use.
Quote from: Eric Summers on October 11, 2018, 09:36:08 AM
Wow, this is really cool! As usual, the lighting is incredible! I have to echo what others are saying; this looks very realistic.
I like the texturing on the plastic in the front view. And is the dial in that view illuminated?
Wooh, thanks a lot Eric! Really glad to hear that! I use a HDRI on all of these, with a little extra image pins to shed some extra light on certain areas, like the dial you mention.
Quote from: theAVator on October 11, 2018, 10:38:09 AM
Very Nice! I like the styling and the lighting. Very easily could be a product shot of a real item.
It reminds me very much of the Blue Snowball Mic: https://www.bluedesigns.com/products/snowball/
Except I like yours better - cooler design and style. They just slapped the Blue logo over the front and called it good. I feel like yours would have an easier time picking up some of the other audio patterns a mic would be programmed to use.
Awesome. Means a lot hearing it! Thank you! And yeah, maybe I should send them a link to the project? It's funny though, as I took more inspiration from their Yeti microphone than the snowball. But of course, once it goes spherical it's more close to the snowball. It would be very interesting to see how it would pick up sound compared to the snowball. I really don't have any strong opinion on how fitting the design would be for an optimal reception to be honest.
*raises hand*
Audio engineer here- This design would present zero challenges to picking up enough audio signal. There is plenty of exposed grill mesh to plant a transducer behind, and for its perceived intended purpose (voice mainly, at a reasonable proximity) would certainly fulfill its duties as a transducer housing.
Even more importantly in the success of actually bringing this design to market is not the audio performance that might be achieved with the design, but it is more about the visual allure of the object. Packaging sells, regardless of performance and specs.
I love the design of old generation microphones, the mechanics of how they were put together, the purpose of each component. The look was derived from its use, and the outward appearance was driven mostly by the requirements of achieving the best audio capture. Nowadays with transducer tech that can achieve great performance in small packages, a designer can house the guts in pretty much any package they want to and get acceptable performance for 90% of the users.
So, with this design, I think it would have a real opportunity at production simply from the fact that it looks good. The packaging could be made to look good. Audio performance could be made to accomodate a podcaster, webcaster, casual tutorial creator. Add a 1/4 20 screw mount underneath and you have a nice looking vocal mic that can be mounted on a stand. If you wanted to go old school, create a shock mount for studio or live use. The design is versatile and could be adapted in many ways. I do really think this has potential, more so than a lot of devices out there.
Nicely done, sir.
Quote from: mattjgerard on October 12, 2018, 06:23:03 AM
*raises hand*
Audio engineer here- This design would present zero challenges to picking up enough audio signal. There is plenty of exposed grill mesh to plant a transducer behind, and for its perceived intended purpose (voice mainly, at a reasonable proximity) would certainly fulfill its duties as a transducer housing.
Even more importantly in the success of actually bringing this design to market is not the audio performance that might be achieved with the design, but it is more about the visual allure of the object. Packaging sells, regardless of performance and specs.
I love the design of old generation microphones, the mechanics of how they were put together, the purpose of each component. The look was derived from its use, and the outward appearance was driven mostly by the requirements of achieving the best audio capture. Nowadays with transducer tech that can achieve great performance in small packages, a designer can house the guts in pretty much any package they want to and get acceptable performance for 90% of the users.
So, with this design, I think it would have a real opportunity at production simply from the fact that it looks good. The packaging could be made to look good. Audio performance could be made to accomodate a podcaster, webcaster, casual tutorial creator. Add a 1/4 20 screw mount underneath and you have a nice looking vocal mic that can be mounted on a stand. If you wanted to go old school, create a shock mount for studio or live use. The design is versatile and could be adapted in many ways. I do really think this has potential, more so than a lot of devices out there.
Woah Matt! That's such a cool read! It was actually so cool that I decided to send it to Blue. Not sure how it's going to be received, but at least I can stop wondering "what if". I feel a bit stupid not having asked about your professional opinion earlier on that, as I remember you mentioning your background. I didn't expect to get such a clear thumbs up on it from a technical perspective.
I have two Blue Yetis myself, and i love the performance they bring while keeping an affordable price range. Not over-the-top in love with the design though, but it doesn't look bad.
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to do the elaborate explanation, not to mention the never ending kind compliments! It is very much appreciated!