Oktava319/219 capsule + mods

[q2audio]

Hi,

I recently modded four Oktava 319 mic's per the recent Scott Dorsey article. All went well until I managed to slightly crease a capsule while removing a baffle (I'm not good around fragile things... so why was I doing this, I ask myself...). While I don't hear any negative effects of the visible "damage" to the capsule, I still feel the need to at least locate a replacement in the event I want to replace it. Does anyone here have a source for these? The mics were CHEAP from GC, so my best bet may just be to get another one from them... This whole damage thing kind of sucks because I matched the mics into pairs quite well according to the graphs that came with them.

I found that a small ring of foam around the base of the capsule (covering the white plastic mounting base) seemed to take some weirdness out of the mic. Has anyone else tried to treat this area? What did you use?

As for the body resonance, it appears to be the PCB resonating rather than the body or grille. I removed the guts from a 319 and reassembled the grille to the body and tapped it - quite dead sounding. So the silicone added to the body hopefully will support the PCB and keep it still. I found that "GE Silicone II" does not contain any acids (vinegar) and won't hurt PCB's or components and it cheap!

Thanks for any pointers towards the capsule.

Tim

 

[roberflas]

plase can you post the article of dorsey? to mod oktava mics?
Thank you

 

[rodabod]

[quote author="q2audio"]While I don't hear any negative effects of the visible "damage" to the capsule, I still feel the need to at least locate a replacement in the event I want to replace it. Does anyone here have a source for these?

The mics were CHEAP from GC[/quote]

You probably won't be able to find a source of replacement capsules. I'd recommend getting some more from GC - they are having one of their massive sales just now apparently - their Oktava valve mic is only $99.

I would do anything to get one of them, but I live in the UK.

Roddy

 

[Vetsen]

Look here for a post

http://www.groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=7771&highlight=

 

[roberflas]

Thank you Vetsen for pics on Dorsey´s article

 

[giobinein]

I want to mod my 319 but I can't find the Toshiba 2SK170BL fet !!
Where can I find it in Europe ?? Is there any suitable substitute to these FET ??
Thanks !!

 

[kvintus]

www.elfa.se

It's a 2sk170GR7, not a 2sk170BL

I don't know what the difference is.

/Anders

 

[Gus]

When you read this remember this is IMO. Maybe there is a reason GC sold them so cheap. Maybe someone(s) like the sound of this 219 capsule?

I just looked at the article. I have two 219s that I modded some time ago. I don't think there is anything wrong with the stock fets. Heck the resistors are even selected for the fet.

I might be one of the few that is not fan of the 170 fet in microphones Read about fets and how they are used in microphones. Look at the fet type neumann,schoeps etc use for a BIG hint.

I removed the baffles and used good films, damped the body they still sound boring to me.

Anyway if you remove the baffle you might not want to cut away the bars they might be helpful to the sound.

That capsule design has a lot of dead area behind the skin ( big opening that don't add to the output because there is no cap added)

A capsule is a balance of active area to damping and delay holes as well as distance between the skin and back plate.....................

Funny thing the 219s I have might have sounded better with the stock parts and a damped body.

I built a microphone to use a 219 capsule, tapered machined capsule base open grill good circuit with good parts Baffle on or off still does not sound good to me. This makes me believe the stock circuit is not that bad.

I also don't believe the idea every microphone might be good for something. Good microphone get used on a lot of different thing, other microphones stay in the box on the shelf etc.. I think a 57 with a good pre sounds better than a 219.

If you are new here look up my microphone posts

 

[Svart]

Gus has a lot of work under his belt on these mics and I tend to agree with most of his findings about the stock circuit sounding best in these, however I have a modded mic, (mostly dampening and some cap changes) which I actually tend to like. While I have not found them to be the most detailed and pure sounding mic out there, they are somewhat neutral to my ears. I ended up putting most of the original stuff back in mine which as Gus says seems more matched to the capsule and overall sound than just blindly sticking in the "best" parts. Doing so might actually bring the capsule's shortcomings out in a hurry which I tend to believe happened with mine. sk170bl FET and caps hyped the upper mids to a point where it was nasal and irritating (which I have found to be the case with all of my oktava mics). I replaced with the originals and found I liked it much better that way.

Rooms will have a lot to do with this also, lets not underestimate that. I have a room that hypes mids a bit and adding components to mics that further hype the mids just creates a nasal mix that can't be EQ'd out. These mics seem to work in synergy with my room's conditions.

I am sure that other people will find that either these mics or other mics will work/not work with their rooms/equipment. This is really a case of knowing your equipment and surroundings and being able to pick the best for the use. I have a cabinet full of cheap and not so cheap mics that I never use and may or may not ever use..

57 with a good preamp better? not likely.. :green: but to each his own. I rather like condensers better than dynamics but again that is just taste.

Now if I could afford to stock the studio with 1k a piece mics then I would but until then, and maybe even after :shock: I would still tinker and tweak.

 

[kvintus]

Giobinein,

If you don't want to order directly from elfa, just send me a pm and I'll buy a couple of extras the next time I order from them, probably in january. I think´Elfa has a minimum ??? for foreign orders.

/Anders

 

[giobinein]

Very thanks to all !! :grin: :grin:
kvintus , I'll let you know if I need them, you are very kind !! Thanks

 

[Svart]

i did some more mods to my mic, mainly dampening. I found that spray in undercoating for cars dampens the life out of the mic body (mk219)!

it's sounds much better now

 

[Guest]

[quote author="giobinein"]
2SK170BL fet !! [/quote]

www.ges.cz have it. They possible can send it.
BL = cca 10 mA Idss
GR have different Idss, if remember, cca 6 mA???? {what may be irelevant if DC working point
is well stabilised}

xvlk

 

[Clevelandaudio]

I've had my 219 apart several times, fiddled with it a few different ways. I took the phase plate out at one point, then decided to put it back, it just seems to work better...

I think the resonance that you can actually hear in the output of the mic is much less from the body and more from the shell around the capsule.... I damped the snot out of the body with very little change in the sound, but I figured out that setting a piece of "moon gel" (don't recall the brand name, maybe that's it. its used on drums) on the very top of the mic took care of most of it. I cut some of the weight out of the very top of the grille with a dremel tool which took the resonance up in pitch and down in intensity considerably.

I think the only real solution to the resonance is to cast the entire microphone in a bucket of cement. Make sure to connect a high-quality gold-plated XLR before doing this mod, it is difficult to remove for cleaning. Also, expect reduced high-frequency response.

But seriously, I use the damn thing all the time, resonance or not. It's just got it's own character... I've got some fantastic vocals out of it with the right singer - the weak cardioid pattern allows even deep voices to get up close and personal with it.... a trip thru a dynamite later and I usually end up with nice waay up front vocals hummin with low end ready to take my unabashed abuse of buss EQ....

not always... but what do you want for $100? I use it way more than my way more expensive AT's. I was going to mess with it further, but after reading this thread I'm just going to leave it alone. Useful is useful, and a ziptie is as good as a bolt on a hundai...

right?

Ryan