What mods did Joly do to the MXL 990?

[TillM]

I'm actually also interested in the custom capsules he made for the Rode NT5. I heard he also did mods to the Oktava MK-012 capsules, though I can't recall seeing that service listed, and I don't see why you'd want the capsules modded. My only experience with the Russian capsules are the hypercardioid pair I just got, but they sound nice.

I had them.
It seams to me, that the capsule was the same that Banzai sold with his KM84 kits.
The customs part was the fitting for the NT5.
You could unscrew the capsule from the mesh part.

 

[Icantthinkofaname]

I had them.
It seams to me, that the capsule was the same that Banzai sold with his KM84 kits.
The customs part was the fitting for the NT5.
You could unscrew the capsule from the mesh part.

So basically Joly was taking cheap but decent capsules and selling them for a lot more like with his mods?

I have no problem with people charging for a mod service, but installing a $30 capsule and changing one or two capacitors isn't worth a few hundred dollars IMO.

 

[Khron]

Perhaps, but that's a "magic mojo" capsule, and capacitors made by nude virgins in the unicorn rainforest... ;D

How can you tell me that's not worth selling off one or two unessential organs?

[end of sarcasm... for now]

As the saying goes, though - a fool and his money are soon parted...

So basically Joly was taking cheap but decent capsules and selling them for a lot more like with his mods?

I have no problem with people charging for a mod service, but installing a $30 capsule and changing one or two capacitors isn't worth a few hundred dollars IMO.

 

[rogs]

Perhaps, but that's a "magic mojo" capsule, and capacitors made by nude virgins in the unicorn rainforest... ;D

How can you tell me that's not worth selling off one or two unessential organs?

[end of sarcasm... for now]

As the saying goes, though - a fool and his money are soon parted...

You've missed the vital ingredient - for optimum results, the capsule must be secured to the saddle with wooden screws - with all the screw heads aligned towards true north 

 

[Khron]

Oh, those are just the "cherry on top" (or if we go more AvE-like, the "twist at the top" ;D )

Confirmation bias is where it's at... Especially a few weeks and a couple hundred bucks later :

You've missed the vital ingredient - for optimum results, the capsule must be secured to the saddle with wooden screws - with all the screw heads aligned towards true north 

 

[Gus]

The title of threads like this make little sense to me.

You have this forum and others as well as at least one web site that get the Schoeps circuit correctly.

Why not do some  searches and some thinking and figure out adjustments.

I do not like the term mod. Most of the time it changing some parts and adjusting some values.

 

[Seeker]

Found the cap Joly used in C20 on the NT1A...

 

[Khron]

1nF 500V silver mica. C20 being the... capsule-to-JFET-gate capacitor, or..?
(Since the only silkscreen on the NT1-A board seems to be on the "top" side, and all the SMD components are on the bottom...)

http://cdn.recordinghacks.com/images//mic_extras/rode/NT1A_pcb.jpg

Found the cap Joly used in C20 on the NT1A...

 

[Seeker]

1nF 500V silver mica. C20 being the... capsule-to-JFET-gate capacitor, or..?
(Since the only silkscreen on the NT1-A board seems to be on the "top" side, and all the SMD components are on the bottom...)

http://cdn.recordinghacks.com/images//mic_extras/rode/NT1A_pcb.jpg

C20 in that pic is the large smd cap in between the capsule connections.  It actually goes from the backplate to ground.  In this circuit the backplate is polarized and there is no cap in between the mic capsule and the jfet.  I removed this cap completely, and found that to give the best sound.

 

[Khron]

So it's the last filter cap in the polarization supply line. That makes... not a lot of sense, if i'm honest. The fact that replacing or removing it "automagically" makes everything "better", i mean.

 

[Icantthinkofaname]

The title of threads like this make little sense to me.

You have this forum and others as well as at least one web site that get the Schoeps circuit correctly.

Why not do some  searches and some thinking and figure out adjustments.

I do not like the term mod. Most of the time it changing some parts and adjusting some values.

What I was trying to find out is what changes he made to warrant the price he was asking. Because a lot of mic services I've seen either swap the capsule for a $30 Chinese one and change a couple caps, maybe add EQ to the circuit and then charge you $300-$500 bucks.

 

[Seeker]

So it's the last filter cap in the polarization supply line. That makes... not a lot of sense, if i'm honest. The fact that replacing or removing it "automagically" makes everything "better", i mean.

Well I'm no mic guru but in most mics Im aware of theres a high value resistor in between the filter caps and the mic capsule, effectively preventing the filter caps from interacting with the capsule, in this setup the cap is after the high value resistor connected to the backplate.  Wouldn't this act as a frequency dependent filter?

I can say this much, Joly heard a difference and replaced the original, and I heard a difference when I replaced his and then when I removed it completely. 

If you have a mic that has a un grounded capsule configuration like this you might try putting a cap from the backplate to ground and see if you hear tonal differences...

 

[Khron]

Slight caveat there - "usually" yes, the bias voltage is indeed fed to the capsule via a 1G resistor, BUT in those cases, the backplate is grounded, the front diaphragm is pulled up to the bias voltage, and the signal is coupled through a capacitor to the JFET gate.

In the case of the NT1-A, the capsule itself is used "as" the DC-blocking capacitor, so the bias voltage is (and needs to be) connected to the backplate, since the JFET's gate is pulled to groung through the ("other") 1G resistor.

That being said, at least apparently, there are TWO filter capacitors right after that 4.7Meg resistor. The big bulky stock "C20" is an SMD film capacitor, so at least in theory, already pretty good, all in all. I wonder if that is/was the 100nF or the 10nF one from the schematic.

It would (or rather, would have been) interesting to see some before / after measurements. Maybe i'm weird, but i tend not to believe "hearsay" all that much (no offense intended)

Well I'm no mic guru but in most mics Im aware of theres a high value resistor in between the filter caps and the mic capsule, effectively preventing the filter caps from interacting with the capsule, in this setup the cap is after the high value resistor connected to the backplate.  Wouldn't this act as a frequency dependent filter?

I can say this much, Joly heard a difference and replaced the original, and I heard a difference when I replaced his and then when I removed it completely. 

If you have a mic that has a un grounded capsule configuration like this you might try putting a cap from the backplate to ground and see if you hear tonal differences...

 

[kingkorg]

Add a switch that turns on and off the capacitor, put the mic on a stand, play some audio through speaker, turn the cap on and off. Flip the phase on one of the takes, allign them, and hear if there is any difference between the takes.

My guess would be the difference in the noise floor level if any. The same goes for capacitor type swaps. Been there, done that, never measured/heard anything. Null test is the ultimate thing, easy to do, yet never mentioned.

 

[Khron]

Yeah, but that would involve some measure of use of the scientific method, which is quite frowned upon in most(?) audio / music-related circles... ;D (especially when there are products and services to be sold...)

Null test is the ultimate thing, easy to do, yet never mentioned.

 

[cyrano]

You've missed the vital ingredient - for optimum results, the capsule must be secured to the saddle with wooden screws - with all the screw heads aligned towards true north 

Any tips for the kind of wood? ;-)

I mean, I expect fir to sound somewhat different from iron wood...

 

[rogs]

Any tips for the kind of wood? ;-)

I mean, I expect fir to sound somewhat different from iron wood...

For a full range response - especially at lower frequencies - I think the wood of the Linden tree ( also known as American Basswood)
- is generally to be preferred.  ....

 

[Khron]

Oh, so not mahogany? There's been trouble with rosewood, i hear, but what about ebony then? Bubinga, wenge? ;D

For a full range response - especially at lower frequencies - I think the wood of the Linden tree ( also known as American Basswood)
- is generally to be preferred.  ....

 

[kingkorg]

You guys just keep on joking

http://rakennetaankitara.blogspot.com/2016/02/woody-tones-microphones.html?m=1

 

[Khron]

Hey, that's cheating! We were talking "only" about wooden screws for securing the capsule to the saddle, not wooden headbaskets or veneered body-tubes ;D

But i guess that's not my first "neighbour" to dabble in fancy stuff...

You guys just keep on joking

http://rakennetaankitara.blogspot.com/2016/02/woody-tones-microphones.html?m=1