mxl 990 mods

[fireberd]

I've got two 990's from the 2005 era. Both are "trebly" and too much high end. I have an MXL V57M and it too is about the same. I've come to the conclusion that is the way the MXL's in this price range are. I don't know if modifying them would help or not.

I recently bought an AT2035 and its response blows away the MXL's I have.

[Timwaldvogel]

Originally Posted by Timwaldvogel

opinions or concerns about the ideas besides the fact that some may see it fruitless done to such a cheap microphone?

Well.... Anybody else?

The circuit inside the 990 is derived from a schoeps circuit and not the problem with the excited high end. It's due to fact that it is a SMALL diaphragm capsule. I'm talking about swapping out for capsules that are known to have a more relaxed top end or turning it into a omni capsule mic which would make a nice room/utility mic.

[Boschen]

I'm trying to corral the folks modding MXLs and MCA mics into this thread below, where we have a dialogue going already. It would be good to try and funnel this stuff into one thread to share information more easily.

MCA SP-1 Mod Procedure

I've already swapped out the SDC or mediumDC whatever in my SP1 with good success; there are clips posted in that thread, and some links to mod info.
If you're looking for a capsule, try microphone-parts.com.

edit: Oh, I also added a toogle to my mic so I can go from omni to cardioid....

[legato]

........ and back.

[fireberd]

That other thread does not mention modding the MXL 990. Now that I have two MXL990's that are 'dust catchers' maybe I'll try modding one.

[legato]

That other thread does not mention modding the MXL 990.

It does, in my post (#5).
Just click on the link.




Henk

[fireberd]

Thanks. It didn't say anything about the MX990 so I didn't know.

[Timwaldvogel]

So I am reviving this thread hopefully for some bigger geeks to answer me.

I have the mxl 990, a box of film capacitors an ceramic capacitors,
If I decided to socket the typical capacitor changes from the well known mods, I could plug caps in myself.
Based on the circuit schematic: Do you see potential in frying the circuit if I changed the capacitance value for sake of changing frequency response? Like changing a .22 to and .27 or .33 or .1 etc

[Karloff70]

This mic has a nice little body, but IMO the only good mod for this mic is to gut it and replace all the innards with good capsule and circuit. I have one, which has upgraded caps, higher capsule voltage and an M7 capsule in there (as I had one lying around). Still not amazing. Useable on some stuff. Keep thinking to put a sub mini tube circuit in there one day, but haven't gotten around to it. But with the original circuit, upgraded or not, and original capsule I felt this mic sounded like complete shite. Sorry.

I suppose this depends on what one expects, but I have found that modding cheapo mics only gets rewarding if you basically end up building good mics inside bad ones, not just swap a few bits in bad ones, as that still sounds shite. And by the time you go for it, it takes a lot of hassle and also a bit of cash. In short, to me a 990 is basically a potential donor body, not much more.

[fireberd]

Update on my MXL mic's. I've given them away to a guy with a low budget "beginner" recording studio. They will be OK for him to get started with.

[Timwaldvogel]

The mxl 990 DOES have a good circuit in it. Component tolerances can be tightened with some work. It is a copy of a shoepes circuit after all.

I do not find it noisy or even unpleasant, it's just bright and as a result not very warm. The capsule is the heart of the microphone an the start of the signal chain in this situation. I know from electronics experience with guitar pedals, that things can only be so bad. If my only problem is putting a rubber band on the mic body and changing out a component or two, its still usable in my book.
I find that "as is" it makes a great drum room mic. I like placing it center low to the ground because the small capsule allows for the low end to stay tight without getting too boomy. The left and right room mics capture everything else just fine.
I figured if I changed a component or two I can take away from the high end is all. I was curious and looking for some experienced insight on whether changing these components would be detrimental to the functionality of the circuit

[Karloff70]

I found that in original state it was a thin, phasey sounding mess. Once components were upgraded it was still a thin, phasey mess, only a little less contorted. Very little. With a Dale Ulan M7 inside it and the capsule voltage jacked up a bit it sounds passable, but not amazing. I suppose maybe our ideas of a useful sound may differ.

[Timwaldvogel]

Idk what context you were using it in, but not every mic is suitable for every instrument. The best microphone sounds like garbage if utilized improperly

[2manyrocks]

Microphone Modification Kits | Microphone Parts

They now have a basic $49 kit and an advanced $99 kit for the 990, FWIW.

I don't own a 990 to modify.

[Karloff70]

Originally Posted by Timwaldvogel

Idk what context you were using it in, but not every mic is suitable for every instrument. The best microphone sounds like garbage if utilized improperly

My comments were context independent. In original it made anything sound like a phasey thin mess, regardless. Now, it is focused and rather forward (although the M7 capsule...??) and can be a useful 'edge bringer' in combo with something warm on guitar amps, but pretty average for most tasks. Sort of like an edgier, shittier, lacking in body 414B-ULS, like you could use it on anything, but it doesn't sound really good on anything.

Although the best mics can sound like garbage there are some at the bottom of the tree which do so regardless of where you put them. This is one of em.

[2manyrocks]

Just askin'--would you take the time to modify a 990 or in your own experience, not worth the effort?

[Karloff70]

Originally Posted by 2manyrocks

Just askin'--would you take the time to modify a 990 or in your own experience, not worth the effort?

If you mean swap a few caps and you're asking me, no. It will still suck, just minutely less. Unless you stick a good capsule in there and a better circuit. Or at least have VERY specific knowledge as to how to optimise the current circuit to a better large capsule. Or just use the body to build a DIY mic inside.

[2manyrocks]

Thank you.

[Torea]

Originally Posted by 2manyrocks

Just askin'--would you take the time to modify a 990 or in your own experience, not worth the effort?

I used Jim Williams' mods (I heard he's been pulling stuff down, don't know if they're still floating around). They included lots of cap swaps, changing the Zener diode, polarizing the backplate, and a few resistor changes. I also tore out the outer windscreens and put silicone into the body to stop the ringing.

As I noted in another thread, it wasn't a "WOW!" kind of change, but it was worth the experience in terms of what I learned.

As others have said, without a decent capsule upgrade (there are some affordable ones), you probably won't turn it into a stellar mic. But I was satisfied with the mods, especially considering that I probably spent 20 bucks total and not much time once I figured out what actually needed to be done.

[2manyrocks]

Here's a post with more detail about what I understand is the basic 990 mod kit available at MP. MCA SP-1 Mod Procedure

Does this seem to be roughly comparable to what you did to mod yours or does it seem like the kit is something substantially different?

[Torea]

Seems like a bigger mod than I did (i.e. the capsule). Probably not a bad kit.

[Eraserfish]

I have to agree with Karloff on this one. Every once in awhile a grab my mxl 990 and try to use it for something thinking maybe with a new pre-amp or new interface it will come alive and give me something creative or even usable. Nope, everytime all I get is it's usually tinny, sibilant, metallic, over-emphasized high end junk. It grosses me out and I put it back in it's really nice case where it stays untill the next time I waste some more time with it. That old phrase it's better than nothing doesn't even apply. I'd rather use a tin can with a string wrapped around my ear a couple times. I have a handful of cheapo mics that sound really good, to include the studio projects B1 and an old cad e100 neither of which costed more than 50$ on ebay. Life is too short for me to wonder or care why the mxl 990 sounds so horribly bad. I'm glad I read this post though, because tonight I'm going to kick the 990 out of the nice case it came in and stick my B1 in there. Hey I just thought of a use for my 990. I could use it to record itself getting run over by an M1 tank and start a song with that crunching sound. I hereby officialy apologize to any 990 lovers if there are any out there. I was interested in the thought of a quick fix that would make it sound good, but I fear it is a hopeless task. If anyone conquers the Mt Everest like challange of making it sound good, I will be the first to reattempt it.

[Karloff70]

Originally Posted by Eraserfish

I have to agree with Karloff on this one. Every once in awhile a grab my mxl 990 and try to use it for something thinking maybe with a new pre-amp or new interface it will come alive and give me something creative or even usable. Nope, everytime all I get is it's usually tinny, sibilant, metallic, over-emphasized high end junk. It grosses me out and I put it back in it's really nice case where it stays untill the next time I waste some more time with it. That old phrase it's better than nothing doesn't even apply. I'd rather use a tin can with a string wrapped around my ear a couple times. I have a handful of cheapo mics that sound really good, to include the studio projects B1 and an old cad e100 neither of which costed more than 50$ on ebay. Life is too short for me to wonder or care why the mxl 990 sounds so horribly bad. I'm glad I read this post though, because tonight I'm going to kick the 990 out of the nice case it came in and stick my B1 in there. Hey I just thought of a use for my 990. I could use it to record itself getting run over by an M1 tank and start a song with that crunching sound. I hereby officialy apologize to any 990 lovers if there are any out there. I was interested in the thought of a quick fix that would make it sound good, but I fear it is a hopeless task. If anyone conquers the Mt Everest like challange of making it sound good, I will be the first to reattempt it.

lol.....consider it a mic body for DIY. Go on prodigy pro and find a suitable project to replace its innards with. Other than that it is indeed not much use....

[2manyrocks]

Originally Posted by Eraserfish

I could use it to record itself getting run over by an M1 tank and start a song with that crunching sound.

So do we start a thread "Best sacrificial mic for recording catastrophic events?"

[piper]

The original post mentions that the 990 uses the same capsule as the 603, but it also uses the same circuit. So people interested in mods can search for 603 mods as well.

Curiously, the 990 gets a lot more negative comments than the 603. Is it just that the 990 sells more units, or is it different expectations based on the body design?

In any case, the biggest complaint seems to be that it's too bright -- a hump in the response curve out around 8k. So can't a "low-ender" just put some EQ on that to pull it down?

[Karloff70]

Originally Posted by piper

The original post mentions that the 990 uses the same capsule as the 603, but it also uses the same circuit. So people interested in mods can search for 603 mods as well.

Curiously, the 990 gets a lot more negative comments than the 603. Is it just that the 990 sells more units, or is it different expectations based on the body design?

In any case, the biggest complaint seems to be that it's too bright -- a hump in the response curve out around 8k. So can't a "low-ender" just put some EQ on that to pull it down?

Apparently it sounds better in the 603 body, but I find it hard to think it too different in its problems.

Unfortunately the eq thinking you describe is not how it works. Some mics are brighter and some are duller, but you can't expect to make them sound the same by eq alone. There is more going on than mere frequency. Also, some will fight an eq and some will not. This 990 thing fights like a celebrity deathmatch and always wins, i.e. never really sounds better eq'd, just differently bad.