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| OktavaMod Frequently Asked Questions |
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How do I order?
You can place a secure order for modifications to existing mics or order new modified Oktava microphones on this site. When you place an order you will receive an immediate confirmation email. By the close of the next business day you will receive a personal email specifying the expected mod and ship dates for your order.
Whats the delivery time?
Customer-supplied mics are usually scheduled for modification two to three weeks from order date. Your order will be modified on the date specified, burned-in for three days, retested then return shipped to you. New, in-stock Oktava mics are modified the first business day after you place your order, burned-in for three days, retested then shipped. Mics not in stock require an additional one to two week delivery time from Oktava.
What about warrantees?
Mods to customer-supplied mics are warranted for 90 days. New, modified mics
are warranted for two years. In the unlikely event a problem should develop
please contact michael@oktavamod.com to arrange shipping and repair.
What payment types do you accept?
OktavaMod accepts major credit and debit cards via PayPal for secure order
processing.
Should I get the Premium Electronics upgrade or the standard electronics?
Short answer-If you are a perfectionist, or if you already own some of the
better Neumann, Gefell or AKG mics (or wish that you did) and you need your
Oktava LDC to deliver that level of performance, the answer is you should
seriously consider the Premium Electronics upgrade. If you are just starting
out, on a tight budget or if your best mic is on the order of a newer
AKG-414 or better Audio Technica, my lower-priced Standard mod will delight
you and probably cause your former "best" mic to sit on the shelf more.
More nuanced answer-In 2003 after eight years of R&D working on my own mics
I began offering "most-bang-for-the-buck" microphone modifications via eBay
and my website. My intention was to offer a substantial performance upgrade
to Oktava mics at prices my initial clients would find to be a great value.
This meant holding mod prices to levels that made sense to these customers
given how little they paid for their Oktava mics. To do this, my mods up
until July 2006 addressed the primary mechanical and signal path issues that
compromise the sound of stock Oktava mics.
Increasingly, my modified mics are being used by engineers at studios with
more extensive mic lockers than those of my initial clients. I have seen a
progression in the profile of my clients - from the young bedroom recordists
who bought a $25 MK-219 during the great Guitar Center blow-out to "name"
engineers and producers who own some of the better Neumann, Gefell, AKG and
boutique mics. This latter group recognize Oktava mics posses a unique and
wonderful sound that is a fine addition to their collection of expensive
mics. These clients have asked me to upgrade their Oktava mics as far as I
can go.
I now replace 100% of the stock PC board components with higher performance,
lower noise types (transformer excluded-the stock transformer is wonderful).
These upgrades fully address the power circuit, the low-cut circuit, the
attenuation circuit, FET impedance converter device type and calibration, AC
bypass portion of the FET gain/bias circuit and the capsule / FET wiring.
All OktavaMod PE mics feature a great-sounding, low noise Field Effect
Transistor (FET) impedance converter or "front end". The device I have
chosen has impressive transient response and exhibits a remarkable
characteristic-the self noise peak of this device is centered at 150Hz and
is actually 15dB lower in the critical 2kHz-4kHz band where our hearing is
most sensitive to high frequency noise. These modified mics have been
measured to provide a 95dB dynamic range in this critical band. Your
recordings will have great clarity, definition and reach while
simultaneously being free from the graininess that plagues many FET-based
condenser microphones.
The Premium Electronics upgrade raises Oktava mic performance significantly.
The sound of these modified mics now more closely resemble legendary mics
from 50s and 60s or expensive hand-crafted boutique microphones-but
without vintage or boutique prices.
What is the difference between the Standard, Floating Dome, and Flat Top mods
for the MK-319?
The big jump in quality from a stock MK-319 to a Standard mod is followed by
a more subtle progression in clarity from the Flat Top to the Floating Dome.
If you are on a budget or unsure if a 319 mod is right for you, the Standard
is a good place to start. If youre relentlessly obsessive about small
details like I am youll want to consider the Floating Dome or Flat Top.
The Floating Dome and Flap Top have a more open headbasket than the Standard
mod. In a stock 319 there are four parallel reflective surfaces (the upright
bars on the sides of the headbasket and the sides of the capsules). When the
bars are removed, standing waves are reduced - sound can exit the headbasket
more freely. This is particularly important in micing applications where a
high proportion of off-axis sound reaches the microphone - drum OH and room
mics. There will be less coloration of off-axis sound with the Floating Dome
or Flat Top.
Second, removing these bars eliminates a source of mechanical resonance -
these bars are somewhat like tangs on a tuning fork. So the Floating Dome
and Flat Top offer an incremental improvement in clarity and freedom from
mechanical resonance over the Standard mod. The MK-319 Flat Top and MK-319
Floating Dome are the worlds first microphones to feature single-layer, 360
degree low-reflection headbaskets. The AKG C12 had a very open, single-layer
headbasket but still had side bars.
The difference between the Floating Dome and the Flat Top is largely
aesthetic, though in theory a rounded top grille will reduce standing wave
accumulation between the grille and capsule base. However, since my mods
included a conical diffusive absorber at the capsule base, a rounded top
grille is not a significant advantage. So you are free to make your choice
between Floating Dome and Flat Top based on which look you prefer.
Should I buy an MK-219 or MK-319?
Both the 219 and 319 use the same capsule and electronic circuit. The MK-319
Floating Dome or Flat Top is a better choice where you want to achieve
smoothest off-axis sound. For close up vocals there is not much difference
between a 219 or 319, though the MK-319 is a bit more open sounding due to
the larger headbasket.
Should I be concerned about Russian or Chinese origin of Oktava MK-319 mics?
There is a very rare, but extremely poor copy of an MK-319. This copy is
bluish/grey in color instead of matte black, has a chrome XLR connector
without serial number instead of a matte pewter color with serial number,
different switches and poor LDC capsule that is easily identified by the
absence of the characteristic perforated resonance disc in front of the
diaphragm. Avoid this type of knock-off MK-319.
Do your mods to the MK-219 and MK-319 make the mics more "hyped"?
No, not more hyped - but clearer, with more extended and flatter LF & HF
response. The mods remove an 8dB response dip at 6.5 kHz, reduce a narrow
resonant peak at 10 kHz and extend the cutoff a little past 16 kHz. The mic
ends up being almost ruler flat from 50Hz through the midrange with a
classic 6dB rise from 3 kHz to 12 kHz. You will hear 6dB more sparkle at 16
kHz in the 219/319 mics with my mods. This frequency response improvement is
also accompanied by a reduction in high frequency distortion due to the
upgraded components.
Another audible improvement is in the time domain. Transients are conveyed
more accurately when the head basket is modified and the capacitor types are
upgraded. This makes high frequencies sound more quick, clear and precise,
but not hyped. My mods reveal all the detail the Oktava large diaphragm
capsule is capable of. So this is not just a simple EQ boost- these are
detail-improving mods
I started some of the mods myself, can you help me out?
I do not accept mics that have been previously worked on by their owners. I stand behind my mods 100% and can only do this if I am the only person who has worked on your mic. If a mic has seen multiple modifications it is impossible to determine responsibility should a problem develop in the future. Also, I have seen a number of DIY mod jobs that have been quite poor in concept and execution - often omitting important steps.
Does the self-noise of a mic change with your mods?
The stock Oktava 219 / 319 noise floor is very respectable for normal vocal
or acoustic guitar recording. A Standard-modified MK-219 self noise figure
compares favorably to a Neumann TLM-103. Because the Standard-modified 219 /
319 is 6dB brighter than stock, its apparent noise floor is lower due to the
newly-revealed HF content that masks self noise better. However, the Premium
Electronics upgrade does lower the absolute noise floor several dB. The
hand-selected and individually biased FET I am using actually has a noise
spectrum that decreases in amplitude in the high frequency relative to the
midrange. I have measured a 95 dB S/N ratio in the critical 2-4 kHz range
where we are most sensitive to noise!
Can you mod my Chinese LDC mic?
My work consists of polishing diamonds in the rough. I start with
microphones that have the potential for excellence but exhibit compromised
sonics because of parts and design choices made to keep cost down. The
Oktava mics and the Chinese ribbon mics meet these criteria. Unfortunately,
most of the sub $300 mics cannot really be improved unless the capsule is
changed. These capsules by and large are excessively bright, spitty, "eshy"
and have poor time domain response in the HF-even when circuit board parts
and / or output transformer are upgraded. I am currently investigating the
possibility of installing Oktava MK-219 capsules in Chinese-built mics as an
upgrade.
Do you do custom projects?
While Ive got the chops to do custom projects and enjoy building unique
mics for myself in my spare time I currently have all I can do to keep up
with orders for the mods appearing on this site. So sorry, Ill have to pass
on the opportunity to build you a custom power supply for your vintage tube
mic. |
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