AMT Accordion System Frequently Asked Questions

Q:  Is the ACC3 System "true" Stereo?  (Can I use a Y cable to separate RH and LH?)

A:   We are now able to make a "True Stereo" version of the ACC3.  Please call (908-665-2727) or email: ron@appliedmic.com for details and where to purchase this custom system.

Q:  What about the mic element itself?

A: We manufacture all parts of the microphone ourselves.  We do not use elements from other companies.  Everything is AMT, designed by AMT, built by AMT, and repaired by AMT.

Q: Will I be able to use my AMT accordion microphone system with my Polytone amp?

A:   Yes, we have set up our ACC3 and ACC1 accordion microphone system to be able to be used with amplifiers such as Polytone, GK, Peavey, Yorkville, etc etc.   You will be able to use the system with a typical 1/4 inch guitar cable but highly recommend using the system with the terminating end out of the Belt Pack to a XLR connection into a PA OR mic level input.  Many current keyboard amps have XLR inputs these days.  Having said this, we must point out a fact about microphone's in general.  You wouldn't attempt to mic a piano by placing a mic into the hole of the piano and proceed to plug the microphone into a bass, guitar, or even a keyboard amp with a flatter freq. response all expecting to have a 'accurate' sound of the piano reproduced.   You would however be able to get a great sound out of the microphone by plugging it into a PA system designed for microphone reproduction.  The same concept holds true for the accordion.  We are not in the business of creating "PICKUPS", these are true condenser microphones.  We have set out to reproduce and amplify the accordion as accurately as possible, we do not want to attempt to color the sound of the instrument, nor do we want to make an acoustic accordion sound like an organ, cordovox, or any other type of electronic instrument. 

Q: What does the AMT ACC3 Belt Pack Control?

A: The ACC3 belt pack is called the Nano Blend.  The Nano Blend belt pack allows for control over your whole ACC3 system.  The belt pack contains a battery,  master volume control, separate volume controls for RH and LH, and passive tone controls also separate for RH and LH.  The wiring harness through the bellows is also provided along with the necessary connectors allowing a disconnect for the grill and disconnects inside the bellow chamber as well.

Q: Will there need to be several holes drilled into the grill of the accordion?

A: The AMT system will only need one hole to be drilled into the grill of the accordion.  In some cases, the accordion will already have a hole from a previous application that the installer can use for the new system. 

Q: Other than the single output jack grill hole, what other holes are needed in my accordion?

A: It will be necessary to run wire from the LH microphone to the RH, (grill side) of the accordion.  To do this, two holes internally are needed.  The holes are closed with reed wax or some sort of putty to prevent a lose of air compression.  If the end user only needs to mic the RH, then these holes internally will not be needed.

Q: I’m used to volume controls on the grill, why does the AMT systems not have this feature?

A: One of the main reasons we have chosen not to put the controls on the grill is to keep the grill of your in it’s original and un-altered state.  We don’t want to take an accordion of great value and de-face it.

Q: Will the systems work on All Accordion?

A: Due to each and every accordion install being a bit different internally, we've tried to allow for all situations.  All three microphone's (ACC3 Kit) are independent from each other allowing a variety of ways for each accordion to be setup. The installer should not have any trouble fitting the mic cartridges into the accordion.  They stand almost 1cm high.

Q: Can I split an ACC3 system up into two different Accordions?

A: Yes it is possible to do this however you would probably need some spare parts.

Q: Is the ACC1 Belt pack the same as the ACC3?

A: No they are not the same, the ACC3 (Nano-blend) belt pack is in essence a mini-mixer designed just for the accordion's RH and LH.

Q: Will my grill disconnect from the accordion if I need to remove it?

A: Yes the grill will disconnect with the installation of our grill disconnect circuit board.  The circuit board will be smaller than the size of the microphone and will be able to be mounted using double sided tape or a screw very easily. 

Q: Where are the Microphones Located?

A: The microphone's themselves are mounted inside of a small L shaped machined cartridge.  These cartridges will be able to be mounted inside the grill in several ways.  Double sided tape, epoxy, glues, cements, and we've also left a provision for a screw to mount the cartridge to an area deemed appropriate by the installer. 

Q: How are the microphones attached?

A: The microphones are attached in several ways.  We have left a provision on the microphone cartridge itself if the installer needs to mount the mic’s to a wood structure.  We highly recommend double sided 3M tape to attach the microphones.   This allows the microphones to be mounted without needing to permanently mount them into the grill. 

Q: Is the AMT system is the best available and why?

A: The AMT system is better mainly in part because we have designed the system specifically for the accordion.  Other companies, adapted their system to the accordion.  

Q:  How does the AMT system cope with sound pressure? 

A:   We've dealt with this issue with Acoustic Resistance diminishing the issue by a percentage.  When an instrument is played such as an accordion, at normal levels, the microphone will not saturate (distort).  Vectoring and wave guiding is an alternative approach that we haven't felt is necessary yet because the purpose of the microphone installed and working properly will allow the user to not stress, or over-power the volume level of the accordion as much. 

Q:   Normally 3 microphones in the grill is the minimum, why has AMT chosen to recommend on 2 in the grill?

A:    We've chosen to recommend only two microphones in the grill because we didn't want to trade off on gain before feedback for the improvement of each note.   With each microphone added, as in any situation with microphones, the more microphones you add the less volume you'll achieve from the system as a whole.  With each microphone added you will also increase the feedback potential.  We have tested full size accordions with two vs.' three microphones installed.   Fading in the third microphone did very little to the over all quality of the system.  A bit of a tone change, but no better in terms of even or hot note reproduction.  Our system WILL allow you to run 11 microphones at the same time if the end-user really insisted on having more.  Each additional microphone can be purchased separate.   We recommend buying it stock and experimenting with mic placement.  This could take some time, then at that point if you feel a third or fourth mic is necessary, it can be achieved. 

Q: Feedback points are common around 100Hz and 2.5KHz, how has AMT chosen to deal with this problem.

A: Feedback points around 100Hz and 2.5KHz" is dead on.  These feedback points are a common problems with omni condenser microphones.  We've chosen to deal with this with our "passive cut filters".  We have placed a low cut filter and a high frequency trim on the belt pack.   Omni mic's are the chose when placed internally due to the fact that they can evenly pick up through the full frequency spectrum where as a cardoid when placed internally enhances to the point of unacceptable low frequency energy. 

Q: Are there different ways to install the system since there are many different kinds of accordions? 

A:  The AMT system allows for many different installations for a wide variety of accordions.  The end user is really needed to discuss this with the installer in order to achieve the best way to go about the installation.  Some accordionist may only need to mic the RH.  The microphones can be split up and installed differently depending on what the user needs. 

Q: My accordion has a mute, will the mics fit under my grill?

A:  The microphones are mounted into a cartridge and the cartridge is what is mounted into the accordion.  The depth of the cartridge is only 1cm deep.  This allows for it to be installed in very small areas.

 

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