new microphone mod tape op #44

starting on page 60 ther is a mod for the ML53 Oktava. The basic changing of the transformer and a few simple things.

The writer is Dave Fisher Who is he?

No mention of all the posts on the web at other sites about work done on that microphone

Many people have worked on the ML52 some of them post here.

IMO almost all the Okatav microphones are a waste of time and money the only one that seems to be OK is the MC/MK012.

I saw that and was wondering who Dave F. was myself. I'm going to write them and tell them they need to feature a microphone modification, or microphone building article by Gus Smalley. :green:

My ML52 actually sounded pretty good stock. I could throw a little EQ at it and make it sound like almost anything I wanted. I bet it would have been killer with a decent transformer. If it had not been for that stupid "ringing grille" design, I would have kept it.

There has been alot posted on the web about oktavas over the years.

I personally selected two 219's from the salesman's breifcase. When i opened them up, both of them had creases in the membrane! I bought them, anyway. For Peanuts. I have loadsa classic mis in my collection, and still had use for 219;'s. - what do you expect for peanuts? i think they are fantastic for the money. There is no such thing as a perfect mic. especially for peanuts. There are plenty of crap ones. i can name plenty of Big-Name Condensors that i think suck big-time moose, most of which i wouldn't use as doorstops to be honest. Oktava 219;s are ok, not too bad, alright, acceptible, relatively acceptible, and unbelievably CHEAP! It's what you DO with it (Placement, pre-amp, compression, and most of all THA MUSIC that counts!
ps - if you can't make it rock with an SM58, you'd better examine the MUSIC!

just a (hard-earned, dogged, long-in-the-tooth) opinion,

Andy P

I think a 57 and 59 are better than alot of the cheap condensers. I should have added that to my post.

> if you can't make it rock with an SM58, you'd better examine the MUSIC! -Andy P.

Amen.

:thumb:

Is it time for a dynamic mic revival?

I would add that I have two mics that get used on every session. One is and SM57 and so is the other.

Does the author of the Tape Op article address the resonance problems in the ML52 head basket and grilles? (haven't read the article, my subscription didn't follow my move)

thanks, MJ

It was more of a "changing the tranformer for dummies" article. Pretty much there were only three changes:

1. Replace transformer
2. Add cloth windscreen on early models
3. Remove a couple acoustic filter thingies

This may be another candidate for that mod:



They are about $260 on e Bay. I've never tried one, so I can't tell you if the grill rings like it does in the Oktava. It looks nice, though!

Thanks Sko',

Untreated, the headbasket/grille of an ML52 contributes up to 12dB of ringing @~235Hz. This can really color some program material.

For example, consider an unmodified ML52 being used to record a mid-range or higher sound source. If at the same time, low frequency energy from kick drum or footstomps reaches the mic, the headbasket will start to ring at several resonant frequencies.

As the program material of the sound source in this example has little energy to mask the ringing, the resonance will be heard as a tone in addition to the source being recorded.

The body ringing seems to be a common problem with those big-body Oktavas. I recently bought a MK-219 and was amazed at how much ringing there was... like a bell when tapped. I'm planning on gluing some heavy felt strips inside the shell to damp it down.

[quote author="Gus"]why do you think people insist on buying cheap crap like some of the oktavas? Then wasting there time with them and then writing about them like they are good thing. There has been alot posted on the web about oktavas over the years.
[/quote]

In general I agree with you.
When I see an article on modifying crappy preamps with burr-browns - I always think, "why not just buy a decent preamp in the first place." If the original manufacturer can't bother spending an extra $1 for a higher quality op-amp, then it's not the kind of company I want to patronize.

But in the case of the ML52 - I'm pretty tempted to buy one after reading about the improvements brought about by the mod - just because I *want* to try a ribbon mic - but not enough to shell out for a 121.

For $300 plus another $50 for the transformer - that might be a worthy experiment.

Kato

whoops - double post.

http://www.audionet.cc/Scott_Dorsey___Harvey_Gerst_al__ML-52_Mod_Question-6934289-1307-a.html

[quote author="strangeandbouncy"]ps - if you can't make it rock with an SM58, you'd better examine the MUSIC![/quote]

Right on! :thumb:

[quote author="scott_humphrey"]...I can't tell you if the grill rings like it does in the Oktava. It looks nice, though![/quote]Here's some inside pics from a thread at Tape-Op: http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopic.php?t=21307&highlight=nady+rsm2
Looks like it uses some type of cage in a cage design.

Over the past couple of months, I've been reading about the Nady with great interest. I've been wanting an affordable ribbon, since that type of mic could be a good choice for my vocals (I'm a baritone). I have little first-hand experience with ribbons, though, and I'm too chicken to borrow someone else's expensive mic to try out, so something like the Nady could be a nice low-risk way to find out if ribbons could be for me. I'm waiting for more reports to come in before I plunk down the cash, though.

search for the t.bone mics on www.thomann.de , one model is a ribbon (that looks suspicially similar to the nady) for £90.

Robert

if those things are $300, you could save slightly more money and buy yourself an RCA 74jr. Regardless of the way either sound, which is the better investment? Some people just dont think. I always look at the modding cheap gear thing the same way, by the time you put money and time into it, what else could you have bought? I think for a lot of people, at least for some of my friends, spending $500 all at once sucks compared to spending $250, then, over time, throwing another $300 at it, hours of time, and then that way these guys feel like they got a "deal" on something, and now its custom, blah blah. I like lomo mics alot, but I havent used a newer oktava that I thought was worth the trouble. I havent used those ribbons though, I bought a 74jr instead.

dave

Dave, I think you might be missing the point. You run a real studio, you get a return on your investment. It's worth your while to buy the "real thing" in terms of time, performance and the impression it will make with clients. Hobbyists do not get a return on their investment--at least not a financial return--and it could be said that buying something cheap and cooking up mods for it is a big part of the fun of the hobby. The needs and the ends are very different for the two kinds of users.

As for me, I never spend more than a portion of the initial cost of a unit on parts for mods, but I'm not into audiophile tweako voodoo components, either. I do agree that if you're gonna spend $300 on parts to mod a $300 mic, it's probably not worth it.