Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael_Joly  Memph -
This conversation is taking place in the context of "MXL mics - Which models are good?" I've detailed quite a bit of my work on MXL mics here and my Oktava work is easy enough to reference. To avoid confusion, may I request that you describe what "heavily upgraded" and "lightly modified" means regarding your SP-1 and then again, what you did to your V67 and 319? Because you are describing the results of your work on these mics - not mine. |
"Heavily upgraded and lightly modified" pertains to the SP1 and it means that I had to depopulate the board, changed all the caps and many resistors and wires.
Yes, Mic Joly! You are correct!
I am not describing what you have done to any mics.
I am not really describing what I did, I'm going to call it proprietary information too.
Let's just say that when it comes to upgrading mics,
YOU ARE THE UNDISPUTED KING
and I am just a simple hack. I admit it.
I work on
dead mics.
However, suffice it to say, that I did my usual.
I started with the lowest voltage portion of the existing circuit, changed the caps to caps with much better specs, tighter tolerance, better material makeup, lower ESR, dissipation, and absorption, sometimes more capacitance, and always as the voltage requirements went up bigger caps, usually doubling the capacitance and upping the voltage where possible while tightening the tolerances considerably on the resistors where possible to drain off dc, keep the bias voltage as steady as possible yet giving it enough capacitance to handle surges during transients using materials that recover fast without the dielectric absorbing and not giving up the voltage. I also changed the capsule and transformer wire to better than 99.99% pure copper higher gauge, since that's what you have to use to conduct electricity. I also bypassed/parallelled a lot of the bigger electros with whatever I thought would sound better where I put them with higher values and different materials than regularly suggested values after
many listening tests.
I know we used to correspond back when I first started out doing this, and I remember you suggesting a certain material for the first cap in the audio path off the diaphragm, and after some testing with many different materials, I like your suggestion for a few mics. I have used it in conjunction with other materials and gained benefit from both or three, depending on what was needed.
I also did it to an Maudio Nova, MCA SP1, MXL V67G, Okt 319's and 012's, and I'm working on the powersupply of an MK2500 and the mic itself now.
I did "essentially" but not literally the same thing to every mic I listed that I worked on, then I tested how they sound, how long they take to power up, and all of them are quieter as far as noise (which was tricky on the SP1) and represent much better and sound much more stable, punchy, and thick yet accurate on top. They sound solid state but more expensive, they definitely record MUCH BETTER which I only know because I use them to record.
I test them with a focusrite preamp and the "not stock" soundcraft pres on my recording board. They translate very very well.
I stand by my comments on my comparison. I have six 319's to compare to and I compared the SP1 to it's nearest equivalent, the 012, and they were somewhat similar, MCA smoother but only a little and the 012 thicker yet tight in the mids.
No knocking you a bit, Mic Joly.
If your mics are better than mine,
which I'd bet money that they are, you got some superbadass mics!
You turned me on to doing this, Mic, so, you have no one to blame but yourself! Ha ha.
Before you go away thinking I have a pile of messed up dead mics hanging around, I have never thrown one out and I do not have a single dead mic. Any that I've ever worked on are in regular rotation and I've worked on some vintage 414's and they are working too.