Oktavamod Shop
  OktavaMod » Shop » Mic Mods » Apex, Blue, CAD, MXL, Nady, RODE » My Account  |  Cart Contents  |  Checkout   
Categories
Mic Mods-> (39)
  Apex, Blue, CAD, MXL, Nady, RODE (15)
  Free Mods! (2)
  MK-012 Mods (2)
  SDC Mods (3)
  MK-219 Mods (1)
  MK-319 Mods (4)
  MKL-2500 Mods (3)
  Ribbon Mods (9)
  
Buy Mics-> (26)
Buy Accessories (8)
Reviews
Reviews more
Rode NT1 / NT1a mod w MJE-K47 capsule, headbasket & more
The Rode NT1A and Nady 1050 mods are simply incredible. I h ..
5 of 5 Stars!
Featured more
- Bluebird Modification - with MJE-K47 capsule for your mic
- Bluebird Modification - with MJE-K47 capsule for your mic
$399.00
$349.00
Rode NT1 / NT1a mod w MJE-K47 capsule, headbasket & more $399.00 $379.00

Need classic sound? Take the U 87 test below. Then have your mic re-voiced to be midrange rich & sibilance-free.

Acapella clips with LA session great Oren Waters singing
("The Waters" can be heard on over 260 gold and 100 platinum records).
Single take, both mics up, recorded by Grammy-winning engineer Bill Pearson of Mindseye Productions at an iconic Hollywood studio. A touch of reverb added - no compression, EQ or other processing in the recording or mixing. Before you crank up your monitors or headphones, please be aware the clips have extreme dynamic range.

Oren Waters testing the OktavaMod'd NT1a
and other Joly mics against a Neumann U 87


SOUND FILE: Mic 1 "Amazing Grace" - U 87 or mod'd NT1a?
SOUND FILE: Mic 2 "Amazing Grace" - U 87 or mod'd NT1a?

SOUND FILE: RODE NT1 before / after-mod spoken word test
1st section is before, 2nd section is after-mod.
"Well, I think the words “night and day” come to mind – don’t you? The weight and detail in the lower mids are exactly what I need for v/o. It’s quick and articulate too...To put it simply, the sibilants don’t fry!" - Colin Day, VO talent, Bromsgrove, UK

Here's another U 87 / OktavaMod'd NT1a test
SOUND FILE: Mic A - U 87 or mod'd NT1a?
SOUND FILE: Mic B - U 87 or mod'd NT1a?
You can vote for which is the Neumann U 87 in this Gearslutz.com poll

Many microphone enthusiasts familiar with my work know I have a preference for classic "Neumann-esque" midrange richness with a sibilance-free top end.

While the RODE NT1a is one of the quietest mics ever built (5 dBA) there are two aspects of this mic and the NT1 that have always troubled me - the bright voicing of the capsules used and the congested-sounding headbasket. The combination of the capsules used in these mics with their strong HF peaks (not at all like the classic K47 capsule used in the U 47 and M 49 mics) and very closed headbaskets (which causes internal reflection coloration) gives these mics a sizzly top end that tends to be sibilant while its midrange lacks the power needed for a compelling vocal track.

Headbasket Issues-

The headbasket of these mics has only about 10% open area at the bottom and along the full height of the side portions (see below). I think of headbaskets as little echo chambers defined by their dimensions and open-area percentage. After hearing lots of headbaskets with various dimensions, grille layers and wire mesh sizes - then modifying and listening to the results, I'm able to look at a headbasket and roughly imagine the extent to which it will influence the sound of the capsule.

Just take a look at the stock NT1a headbasket below - its easy to imagine how it could restrict sound and simultaneously exacerbate sibilance by allowing high frequency reflections to bounce around inside.

Stock RODE NT1a Headbasket
Note very small open area at bottom 1/3 of front and back sides

This is Michael Joly writing, founder of OktavaMod. Click "buy now" to purchase a the MJE-K47 capsule and headbasket mods for your NT1 or NT1a. Or click "contact me" below and send me your questions.

Removed NT1 / NT1a headbaskets


While some people like the various EQ curves that can be created by headbasket reflections, I prefer to hear, as much as possible, the sound of the capsule without an added layer of acoustical filtering that smears detail and lengthens transient response time as it modifies frequency response.

In fact, the influence of the multiple mesh layer cylindrical headbasket on the sound of the K47 capsule installed in the U 47 microphone led eventually to the more open, and angled M 49 headbasket (and its descendants - the angled headbaskets installed on the U 67 and U 87 microphones) as a means of reducing internal reflections and coloration.

MJE-K47 capsule inside modified Rode NT1a with new, more open headbasket
Note classic "67 / 87" shape and much greater open area percentage


Take The U 87 Test - Listen for Yourself

You'll be surprised by the similarity between the two files below - One of them is my 1970's U 87 (used by KRAMER on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack and a good number of other hits) and the other file is an OktavaMod modified RODE NT1a. Notice the authoritive lower midrange presence and smooth, sibilance-free top end.

I figured y'all could loop the short sections and A / B to your hearts content. Just think of the acoustic guitar as a "sound source" and not a piece of music. This is about all I need to make critical judgments about mics and mods, so you'll also get a sense of what I'm listening for - proximity effect amplitude / Q / F, midrange resolution and HF peakiness / integration with the midrange, sibilance levels and transient response.

Which is which? With 280+ votes cast as of 21 April 2010 there is an eight percentage point difference between the two mics - with more people choosing the mod'd NT1a file as being the U 87. Listen and cast your vote.

SOUND FILE: Mic A - U 87 or mod'd NT1a?
SOUND FILE: Mic B - U 87 or mod'd NT1a?
You can vote for which is the Neumann U 87 in this Gearslutz.com poll

SOUND FILE: RODE NT1 before / after-mod spoken word test
1st section is before, 2nd section is after-mod.
"Well, I think the words “night and day” come to mind – don’t you? The weight and detail in the lower mids are exactly what I need for v/o. It’s quick and articulate too...To put it simply, the sibilants don’t fry!" - Colin Day, VO talent, Bromsgrove, UK

OktavaMod NT1a Mod (top) and '70s Neumann U 87 (bottom)


Introducing the MJE-K47 Large Diaphragm Capsule

The MJE-K47 (Michael Joly Editions K47-style) capsule is the result of my painstaking search to find a capsule producer who could manufacture a K47-style capsule to my quality control standards - and do so at an affordable price.

Each MJE-K47 capsule is individually tested in an anechoic chamber and tracks an actual K47 capsule response within +/- 1.5 dB across the audio spectrum. Your mic will be returned to you with a modification Certificate of Authenticity and your individual capsule's anechoic chamber response.

The MJE-K47 capsule will re-voice the Rode NT1 or NT1a - it removes a searing top end peak and shifts the timbre balance to a subtle midrange emphasis. In addition, the MJE-K47 capsule has all the wonderful low end proximity effect we've come to love from classic K47-equipped mics. The modified headbasket and MJE-K47 capsule work together as a system to provide a more balanced and natural frequency response without excessive HF rise or sibilance.


MJE-K47 - The right capsule for flat frequency response circuit mics


Actual Unsmoothed MJE-K47 Capsule Frequency Response
Note Classic "47" Timbre-Balance
(Top curve: on-axis plot, bottom curve: -180 degree response)


Nylon string acoustic guitar test

Grammy award-winning engineer Bill Pearson of Mindseye Productions recorded these stereo tracks using SDC mics at the 12th fret, 18" back pointed at the neck / body joint and LDC mics "over the guitarist's shoulder" peaking down at the sound hole. In one file the mics are Neumann KM-84 and U 87, while the other file features a mod'd Oktava MK-012 and mod'd RODE NT1a. SDC mics are panned hard left while the LDC mics are panned hard right. Mic preamps are API 512s.

Nylon Acoustic Guitar SOUND FILE 1
Nylon Acoustic Guitar SOUND FILE 2

Which file is the Neuman KM 84 / U 87 pair and which is my mod'd '012 / NT1a pair?

SDCs at 12th fret and LDCs "over the shoulder"


Great Results, Easy to Order -

The end result - your RODE NT1 or NT1a will be transformed into a boutique mic featuring the MJE-K47 capsule that oozes good old classic "47" mic voicing without excessive high end boost. Your digital recordings will be better as a result.

Click "Add to Cart" to purchase the MJE-K47 capsule and headbasket mod for your NT1 or NT1a. Once you order you'll get an immediate confirmation email. By the close of the next business day you'll receive a personal email with your scheduled modification and return ship dates. Questions? Just click "Contact Me" - best, Michael

Mods to Other Rode Models Now Available!

In response to the shoot-out success of this NT1 / NT1a mod and a deluge of popular request I now offer modifications to other Rode models including the NTK, NT2, NT2a, K2 and NT1000.

I've done new R&D on these models and have found Rode mics to be well-built tools that use high quality circuit design and components (WIMA capacitors etc). To their credit, Rode has created a very consistent "brand sound".

But if you're like me, you may have begun to turn away from bright microphones for many applications (especially vocals) and use more mid-range focused, "Neumann-esque" mics. I've found the high quality circuitry in Rode mics is a wonderful match for my MJE-K47 capsule and single layer-headbasket modification. About the only modification to the circuits I've made is to replace the input coupling and inter-stage capacitors with my preferred "secret sauce" types. The results are a lovely, mid-forward sound with gentle presence mound followed by a sibilance-free top end. Think of this as a "re-voicing" modification to a quality brand of mics.

I haven't made dedicated product pages for the new Rode modifications yet. But the parts and labor involved are similar to my MJE-K47 capsule mod suite described here which you can use to order mods to other Rode models in addition to the NT1 / NT1a - as usual, please write if you have questions. best, Michael

New MJE-K47H Large Diaphragm capsule head for SDC bodies




Award-winning Microphone Design by
Michael Joly

Current Reviews: 13
Reviews
Customers who bought this product also purchased
Premium Mod for Your Large Ribbon Mic
Premium Mod for Your Large Ribbon Mic
New Modified MK-012 MSP6 with Premium Electronics (black)
New Modified MK-012 MSP6 with Premium Electronics (black)
- The MJE-K47H "Mono" - Large diaphragm capsule for pencil mics
- The MJE-K47H "Mono" - Large diaphragm capsule for pencil mics
V69 Mod (for your mic) w MJE-K47 Capsule
V69 Mod (for your mic) w MJE-K47 Capsule
- The Hidden '84 Mod - For MXL 990, 550, SCM-800, 770 or SP-1
- The Hidden '84 Mod - For MXL 990, 550, SCM-800, 770 or SP-1
MK-012 (MC-012) Premium Electronics mod for your mic
MK-012 (MC-012) Premium Electronics mod for your mic
Specials more
- TCM1050 Mod Suite - featuring - MJE-K47 capsule for your mic
- TCM1050 Mod Suite - featuring - MJE-K47 capsule for your mic
$399.00
$359.00
Shopping Cart more
0 items
Information
Shipping & Returns
FAQ
Payment Options
Contact / About
Payment Types

Copyright © 2010 Michael Joly
OktavaMod offers microphone modification, sales and repair. OktavaMod is an independent authorized reseller of microphones manufactured by JSC Oktava - Tula, Russia.
All trademarks, logos and designs remain the property of their respective owners.

Shop Developed and Maintained by James DeRose