Mike 226 | Microphone Concept

[Magnus Skogsfjord]

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 : )

[mattjgerard]

I see you updated the connection port

Very beautiful and tasteful environments. Truly gorgeous work.

[Magnus Skogsfjord]

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!

[puyopuyo]

Incredible style- reminds me of a visor/helmet from Destiny.
Great concept idea I didn´t know about cymatics before.
Would buy this instantly.

[Magnus Skogsfjord]

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!

[mattjgerard]

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.

[Magnus Skogsfjord]

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

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.

[Will Gibbons]

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.

[mattjgerard]

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!

[Matt.Kinsington]

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.

[Matt.Kinsington]

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.

[Magnus Skogsfjord]

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.

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

[stefan marji]

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!

[Magnus Skogsfjord]

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!

[Eric Summers]

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?