Laerge Diaphragm Mic Element... point which way?

[FunkNotPunk]

I hope this is a simple question. I have a damaged KEL HM-2D which I have repaired. When reassembling, which direction should the element be facing? It has the wire screwed into one side, and the other side is of the element is simply bare. Is the screw side the front or back? This is my first time repairing a microphone. A genius friend of mine (**cough** um, actually me).., tried this mic out on a snare drum. It got hit a couple of times, dented the screen and broke the plastic bracket that mounts the element to the body... this caused the wire connected to the center of the element to also get disconnected. When I took it apart, the element was floating around inside the windscreen (not good at all)... so I didn't know which way it had been facing originally.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to assemble it the wrong way.

[g1]

Well, from the picture in your link, that appears to be the wire side we are seeing through the screen. Or is that something else?

[Steve Conner]

Yeah, it looks like that. Which puzzles me, as I'd expect it to be the other way round. The side with the wire connection and ring of holes round the perimeter ought to be the back.

Once you get it back together, it will be obvious, since it's supposed to be a cardioid mic. Talk into it while listening through headphones. When you're talking to the "front" side of the diaphragm, the sound will be noticeably louder, fuller and clearer.

Edit: I found this pic:

[rf7]

The screw side is the front of the capsule.