Tooling has been started. I'm working on getting my visa to travel to the factory in early April to give a final go-ahead for the 4.0. Tooling is supposed to be done later in March, the production should take place in the first two weeks of April if all goes according to the plan (as you may know, things rarely go according to plan over here ... but we've almost run out of ways to delay the 4.0 any further).
So, first units could/should be moving in mid-late April. Pre-sale may get started in 2 weeks or so. We'll certainly email the newsletter with pre-sale info so jump on it (at bottom of page) if you would like a heads up.
(Older updates)
I whipped up a video on our 4.0 prototype. I used my phone to record it- so the audio is not the mic's (they used a different capsule on the prototype, anyway). And yes, the video is vertical, I was lazy.
We should be able to accept Bitcoin now, via BitPay (just got this added, may take a day or two to iron out any delays/issues)
We've also started working with UserVoice for a customer service/feedback/forum tool (see tab at bottom right). It's been good so far, we lost a few phone calls and probably made some other gaffes along the way but I think it's going to be a great addition. We've added right-hand-man Eli onto our customer service crew--things are super busy here currently and it's awesome to have him helping.
Mics will have:
- mute button (maybe a version without it as well)
- carrying case
- noise-canceling capsule (analog/passive NC)
- 3.5 jack
- Original 1.0 style of sturdy bendy boom
- Clasp compatibility to old base clasps (top clasp will be a bit different to fit bigger boom)
- Durable design
We'll have/send more info when we are ready for presale. I'd like to do this when we have the molds finished and really know what it's going to look/be like physically. Maybe this could be done sooner though... I'm hoping to visit the factory soon, will be neat to post that update.
The design is not totally finalized, we've still got decisions to make and things to tweak. We listened to all the feedback during this long wait for the "4.0"--we'll likely just call it the ModMic and buck the bloated number system-- and are focusing on making:
- A quality sounding mic with
- Simple durable design that
- Works well
Not a lot of bells and whistles on it right now. We fear that more features are more things to break. People are divided on the mute button but I think it shouldn't be too hard to make two versions. Here are some tweaks compared to the older versions:
- thicker cable (2.5mm OD)
- bigger mic capsule (9.7mm vs 6mm)
- no solder or connector at the boom/cable junction- just a pass-through cable like the 1.0
- larger windscreen/popfilter/foamtip
- stiffer boom wire than the 1.0/2.0 but not kinkable/breakable like 2.3/3.0's outer tube design
We'll be ordering a large batch to begin with which should (nearly?) eliminate the stuttering availability of the mic for purchase. We'll be able to clean up the website and product pics/videos/samples (finally!) now that we'll have a consistent design/product. International retail should be much easier to do, ending the hassles that are customs and international shipping.
Trying to preempt some questions:
Where will the mute button be? What type of button?
The mute will be around nipple height and will be a vertical slider. Its edges will be rounded and its form will be slim enough to optimize grip-ability and minimize its ability to get caught on things.
Why don't you put the mute on the clasp or make it so removing/flipping the mic up also mutes it?
This would be awesome but it makes it terribly difficult to adjust the boom's length and it would make it trickier to install. Placing the slider at the end of the boom would also lead to torque/fatigue problems when the mic is flipped about.
Will it be compatible with ...?
Yes, it should. It'll still be a 5v PC microphone but it won't have the 3.0's demands. Should work on PS4 and the XBone, and pretty much anything that works with a PC microphone.
Will the noise-canceling stop people from complaining about my mechanical keyboard/room noise?
While everyone's setup is a bit different the capsule we use will be the one that gives us the best noise-canceling vs. quality sweet spot. We're yet to find a noise-canceling mic that sounds as good as an omni-directional mic--to be honest--but our tests have been promising so far. We should be able to satisfy both noise-canceling and omni-directional camps. Using a larger capsule size has been a helpful move.
How much will it cost?
We won't have final numbers until we finalize the design but it'll likely be between 40-45 USD.
Are you getting back on Amazon/retail?
We plan to get back on Amazon quickly. Not sure about retail in the US just yet but I think international retail will likely be a first step. Hard to say just when that'll happen, though- Ich bitte Sie um Verzeihung.
Big thanks to everyone who has stuck with us through this long 4.0 journey. It's feeling so good to take this big step.
Jimmy