![$vboptions[bbtitle]](../../gifs/tdpr-headTRANS.gif)
kiwi blue
July 23rd, 2012, 07:33 PM
Anybody here got into microphone mods? I found plenty of info on them while lurking over at gearslutz. Since I’m setting up a home studio and looking for champagne sounds on a beer budget I got very interested, even though I’m an idiot with electronics and my soldering would probably score 3 out of ten.
Anyhow, it seems a lot of the cheap Chinese LDC mics have a flat response circuit paired with a U67 type capsule. But Neumann didn’t use a flat response circuit with that type of capsule. The reason? The capsule accentuates the highs and attenuates the lows, and the U67 circuit compensates for that with negative feedback and tone filtering to restore a more balanced tone, along with higher headroom. (At least that is my understanding. Other more knowledgeable types may be able to correct or add to that.) Using a flat response circuit with a U67 type capsule results in too much presence (that annoying cheap LDC top end sizzle) and not enough warmth.
However, the Neumann U47 does use a flat response circuit, so a common mod for these cheap LDCs is to swap the capsule for a U47 type capsule. It’s also common to rip out the inner layer(s) of mesh for a more open sound, and sometimes better quality capacitors are needed.
I came across a post by Mike Joly (of Oktavamods) somewhere discussing the Studio Projects C1. He said the circuit is excellent, and it uses high quality components, so all he would do is replace the capsule with a U47 type and take out some layers of mesh and be done with it.
So I bought a second hand C1 (NZ$250), and ordered an RK47 capsule from here (US$109):
http://microphone-parts.com/rk47-microphone-capsule/
I know there are fancier and pricier capsules (eg, Peluso, and others) that are probably more accurate U47 replicas (and the RK47 frequency response curves differ in some respects from the U47 graph I found) but I couldn’t afford them and the RK47 gets very good reviews and comments.
Matt at Microphone Parts was very helpful in answering my questions, and sent my order off very quickly. Top marks for customer service.
The installation involved undoing a few screws to disassemble the mic so as to get at the capsule, unscrewing the capsule mounting saddle and screwing in the one that came with the RK47, screwing on the new capsule, unsoldering and resoldering one wire, and screwing in an earth wire tab. The hardest part was reassembling the body and headbasket with those very tiny screws. You need jeweller’s screwdrivers, a magnifying glass, about four hands and the patience of a saint.
I did not have time to take out the inner mesh.
OK, here’s my disclaimer. I have no experience with a real Neumann U47 FET. I make no claims about it how well my modded C1 holds up with a Neumann, Schoeps, etc. And although I’ve released a couple of albums as musician and worked with a very good engineer who taught me a lot about how to listen critically, I’m only now beginning to record music myself and I have a lot to learn about engineering and mixing.
What I can say, based on my own ears, is this is now a much better microphone (all for the cost of a new C1, about NZ$400 in total). There’s a lot more bottom end and warmth, and the tops are much smoother. It suits my baritone voice very well. Brings out the rich and full tones. The proximity effect is very usable. I find myself using it like a musical instrument. For my vocals I’ve been bumping up the top end by 1.5dB at 15-16 kHz for a little more air, and it takes that very well, but really it sounds fine without that.
I’m also loving it on electric guitar cabs set back about 3ft or so and paired with a close miked dynamic.
On the other hand my recordings are only voice and guitar(s). There are no drums or bass, etc, so I can’t say how it sits in a dense mix, but it works very well with sparse instrumentation and some sonic space.
I’m interested in doing a similar mod one day with a C12 type capsule. And I’m also very interested in this mod to the AKG C1000S by Mark Fouxman:
http://www.samaraudiodesign.com/CondensorMicMods.html
Second hand C1000s are cheap as chips, and sound pretty cheap too! The review I read suggests the mod turns it into a pretty darn good SDC for acoustic guitar etc.
http://www.mikejasper.com/proaudiobay/SDShootout/evenmoremics.html
More details on the mod here:
http://www.sonicscoop.com/2011/01/13/re-tooling-in-the-new-year-gear-mods-diy-electronics/
Oh and I’ve also taken Fezz’s advice on a recent thread and bought a FMR Really Nice Preamp. Much smoother and sweeter than the Digitech 001 pres I was using!
I’m interested in anyone else’s experiences with mic mods. And I thought it might be helpful to some people here, as a lot of us seem to be working on a tight budget.
Anyhow, it seems a lot of the cheap Chinese LDC mics have a flat response circuit paired with a U67 type capsule. But Neumann didn’t use a flat response circuit with that type of capsule. The reason? The capsule accentuates the highs and attenuates the lows, and the U67 circuit compensates for that with negative feedback and tone filtering to restore a more balanced tone, along with higher headroom. (At least that is my understanding. Other more knowledgeable types may be able to correct or add to that.) Using a flat response circuit with a U67 type capsule results in too much presence (that annoying cheap LDC top end sizzle) and not enough warmth.
However, the Neumann U47 does use a flat response circuit, so a common mod for these cheap LDCs is to swap the capsule for a U47 type capsule. It’s also common to rip out the inner layer(s) of mesh for a more open sound, and sometimes better quality capacitors are needed.
I came across a post by Mike Joly (of Oktavamods) somewhere discussing the Studio Projects C1. He said the circuit is excellent, and it uses high quality components, so all he would do is replace the capsule with a U47 type and take out some layers of mesh and be done with it.
So I bought a second hand C1 (NZ$250), and ordered an RK47 capsule from here (US$109):
http://microphone-parts.com/rk47-microphone-capsule/
I know there are fancier and pricier capsules (eg, Peluso, and others) that are probably more accurate U47 replicas (and the RK47 frequency response curves differ in some respects from the U47 graph I found) but I couldn’t afford them and the RK47 gets very good reviews and comments.
Matt at Microphone Parts was very helpful in answering my questions, and sent my order off very quickly. Top marks for customer service.
The installation involved undoing a few screws to disassemble the mic so as to get at the capsule, unscrewing the capsule mounting saddle and screwing in the one that came with the RK47, screwing on the new capsule, unsoldering and resoldering one wire, and screwing in an earth wire tab. The hardest part was reassembling the body and headbasket with those very tiny screws. You need jeweller’s screwdrivers, a magnifying glass, about four hands and the patience of a saint.
I did not have time to take out the inner mesh.
OK, here’s my disclaimer. I have no experience with a real Neumann U47 FET. I make no claims about it how well my modded C1 holds up with a Neumann, Schoeps, etc. And although I’ve released a couple of albums as musician and worked with a very good engineer who taught me a lot about how to listen critically, I’m only now beginning to record music myself and I have a lot to learn about engineering and mixing.
What I can say, based on my own ears, is this is now a much better microphone (all for the cost of a new C1, about NZ$400 in total). There’s a lot more bottom end and warmth, and the tops are much smoother. It suits my baritone voice very well. Brings out the rich and full tones. The proximity effect is very usable. I find myself using it like a musical instrument. For my vocals I’ve been bumping up the top end by 1.5dB at 15-16 kHz for a little more air, and it takes that very well, but really it sounds fine without that.
I’m also loving it on electric guitar cabs set back about 3ft or so and paired with a close miked dynamic.
On the other hand my recordings are only voice and guitar(s). There are no drums or bass, etc, so I can’t say how it sits in a dense mix, but it works very well with sparse instrumentation and some sonic space.
I’m interested in doing a similar mod one day with a C12 type capsule. And I’m also very interested in this mod to the AKG C1000S by Mark Fouxman:
http://www.samaraudiodesign.com/CondensorMicMods.html
Second hand C1000s are cheap as chips, and sound pretty cheap too! The review I read suggests the mod turns it into a pretty darn good SDC for acoustic guitar etc.
http://www.mikejasper.com/proaudiobay/SDShootout/evenmoremics.html
More details on the mod here:
http://www.sonicscoop.com/2011/01/13/re-tooling-in-the-new-year-gear-mods-diy-electronics/
Oh and I’ve also taken Fezz’s advice on a recent thread and bought a FMR Really Nice Preamp. Much smoother and sweeter than the Digitech 001 pres I was using!
I’m interested in anyone else’s experiences with mic mods. And I thought it might be helpful to some people here, as a lot of us seem to be working on a tight budget.