Best Oktava MK-012-01 or MC-012-01 mod?

[Drumminkiger]

Ive had two MK-012-01's sitting around my studio since about 2001 and never thought that much of them, but recently Ive been reading about several different mods available to make them a lot more useable. What mod do you all think makes the best impact on the sound of these mics?

[A LaMere]

For approx $79 a piece...

I can't imagine that the mods at Oktavamod.com aren't worth it.

Plus Michael is a super nice guy who also posts here....

[Drumminkiger]

I checked that out, seems like a good deal, anyone else have any input?

[A LaMere]

I guess that I'll state the obvious and say that there are very few... if any, who have these mics and have done a listening "shootout" between modifications that can be done to them...

Most people I know don't have a bunch of different mc012's to send off for the different mods that are out there of course....

I'm not a "do a search" type of guy... and usually try to answer questions as best as I can.. but... this topic can certainly be WELL covered by doing a search....

you'll certainly find a few different opinions about some of the mods that are available...

[etflutes]

I have two of the MK-012s that I got modified by Michael Joly and they are totally amazing. I use them for stereo miking guitar mostly and I can't imagine needing more. I run them through an FMR RNP and sit there grinning like a fool :-)

[bighud]

I have a pair of the Joly modded ones and they are fantastic!!! It seems like everytime I do drums, they seem to win out over the 451s, sm81s, nt5s, or really anyother sdc I have used.

[johnmarkpainter]

The Joly premium mod does sound substantially better than the standard Dorsey mod (I've compared them).
Definitely worth it.

I will say though that since I've gotten a pair of Peluso CEMC6, I haven't been using the Oktavas :( Kind of miss them.

jmp

[JEGG]

Originally Posted by Drumminkiger

Ive had two MK-012-01's sitting around my studio since about 2001 and never thought that much of them, but recently Ive been reading about several different mods available to make them a lot more useable. What mod do you all think makes the best impact on the sound of these mics?

Which do you think would make the best impact on the sound? And what would be the nature of such an impact?

The answers would seem to be related to why you haven't been using the mics. What do you think they're missing? How do you want them to sound?

Do you need another mic? Is there another mic that would fulfill your needs, rather than doing a mod on a mic you don't use at all?

[Drumminkiger]

Basicly i want them to sound a little smoother, more in the direction of an AKG 451 or a KM 184, so when i am to upgrade those are the mics i would look into getting (most likely the 451), but in the meantime, (IE while im still broke from buying a new mic pre ) for $80 a mic if i can make these things way more useful i would be happy to throw them into the mix on sessions, especially since people seem to have had good results doing so after modding. I know lots of people who like these mic's on some things, but i find them to be lacking some depth with any mic pre ive tried them through so far.