SDC upgrade from 603 suggestions?

dkelley said:
You get what you pay for, if you can't afford those then maybe get the 603s modded.

I have YET to hear a modded mic with before/after a/b recordings that didn't still sound very similar to the original tone, albeit with obvious improvements. Generally the way a mic improves is in lowered distortion, more linear frequency response and sometimes off axis response, and sometimes a subtle improvement in bass (totally generalizing on mic mods here, not 603 specific or directly related to the mods discussed here). If you dislike the tone of your 603s, you may well dislike them after spending lots of money on them since they will still have the same capsule which is designed to have a very bright top end, no modding (other than stuffing the mic into a few layers of socks LoL) will reduce the overall brightness of the mics.
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As an end user I can speak to the value of a Michael Joly modded MXL603. I had the electronics mod done to my 603 before the newer mod adressing the body was available.

I have to agree with many aspects of your statement. The color of the mic is much the same after the mods. However, the lower mids are so much clearer, and the highs, (although still very bright) are so much better behaved, that it makes the mic much more useable in many more situations for me. So the bottom line is, the mod was of value to me.

Here are my comments from the Oktavmod site:

http://www.oktavamodshop.com/product_reviews_info.php?products_id=117&reviews_id=323
 
Mshilarious -thanks for the clarification.

One criticism of these boards is that opinions are very rarely accompanied by sound samples or photos illustrating the opinion. The sound samples were offered in the context of a discussion around the design of the Neumann KM 184 and MXL 603 and were intended to provide a sonic illustration of the design feature under discussion.
 
MichaelJoly said:
Mshilarious -thanks for the clarification.

One criticism of these boards is that opinions are very rarely accompanied by sound samples or photos illustrating the opinion. The sound samples were offered in the context of a discussion around the design of the Neumann KM 184 and MXL 603 and were intended to provide a sonic illustration of the design feature under discussion.
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Well, I am kind of confused. One place you talk about similarity with KM84, another KM184... go figure :confused:.

As a microphone designer, in the context of technical discussion I am actually much more interested in hearing "before and after modification" tracks, rather than some cheesy "Neumann" or "Gefell" comparison (which to me anyway sound like a marketing trick, but that might be just me).

Best, M
 
I am a fan of both Joly and Marik and am grateful for the posts regarding mic mods in general and info regarding the mods they offer, but this passive aggressive exchange over 603 mods is wearing a little thin for me.:(
One thing is for certain, Both of you guys know your stuff and if I ever get to have 603s modded by both of you i bet I would enjoy them both.:D
 
Rust E-Z said:
I am a fan of both Joly and Marik and am grateful for the posts regarding mic mods in general and info regarding the mods they offer, but this passive aggressive exchange over 603 mods is wearing a little thin for me.:(
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Why :confused::confused::confused:
Sure, both me and M.Joly like what we do and believe whatever we do is the only the right way to do. However, life is way too short for some minor issue like that to get too close to you. You know, the microphones are all about music, which should give you good and pleasant emotions. If our differences do wear little thin for you then it does not sound right, to start with.
In fact, there is no issue. The way I see it, is like... If you are after the sound of KM184 (which personally I don't care for) then definitely go with M. Joly (i.e. OktavaMod). If you'd like some custom MXL603 voicing like KM84, or Schoeps, or whatever else, then... well, I hate to spell it for obvious reasons to be accused of spamming, but somehow I could be of service.

Best, M
 
Marik said:
Why :confused::confused::confused:
Sure, both me and M.Joly like what we do and believe whatever we do is the only the right way to do. However, life is way too short for some minor issue like that to get too close to you. You know, the microphones are all about music, which should give you good and pleasant emotions. If our differences do wear little thin for you then it does not sound right, to start with.
In fact, there is no issue. The way I see it, is like... If you are after the sound of KM184 (which personally I don't care for) then definitely go with M. Joly (i.e. OktavaMod). If you'd like some custom MXL603 voicing like KM84, or Schoeps, or whatever else, then... well, I hate to spell it for obvious reasons to be accused of spamming, but somehow I could be of service.

Best, M
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you spell it out pretty good...:D

do a have a diagram of the mod that you do on the 603's?
 
santiu said:
Don, thanks for the advice. How do you think the beyer MC930's stack up against the AKG C535EB's?

I'm thinking right now to do the simple mod of replacing some capacitors on the 603s myself, and just live with them for a bit longer while i save up for the MC930s.
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I have a pair of the AKGs. Rarely use them now. Not a bad all purpose condenser, especially for vocal performance, but I'd get the Gefells. Much, much better SD mic, IMHO. There are better vocal performing condensers as well such as the Audix VX-10 and the AT AE5400.
 
Audio Technica Pro 37

Hi,

For an inexpensive solution to upgrading your 603s consider these Audio Technica SDCs.

The Audio Technica Pro 37r is the same mic and was the original model. For some reason AT dropped the r but didn't change the mic.

I did a/b comparisons with my 603 through DMP2 preamps. I felt that the Pro 37s had a more detailed high end contributing to improved nuance. I use mine on acoustic guitar as well as for drum overheads.

All the drums on the Hungarians "Blues For Peace" CD were recorded with Pro 37 overheads, an ATM25 kick mic, and an SM57 on snare.

http://archive.org/details/blues_for_peace_cd

I happily spam my free music all over the place. Dizzie Gillespie said "You got to blow your own horn."

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
noisedude said:
Hey Marik, have you ever posted photos of these sorts of mods? I'd quite like to see what goes on in terms of changing the insides of a microphone, both in terms of the electronics and the physical parts.
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Hey Noisedude,

Everything I could share on this mic I already posted (and of course, as always, will be more than happy to answer any further questions). However, the mods I make commercially are already considered trade-secret. I ship the mics with body sealed and the broken seal voids the warranty. Sorry :o

Best, M
 
Marik said:
Hey Noisedude,

Everything I could share on this mic I already posted (and of course, as always, will be more than happy to answer any further questions). However, the mods I make commercially are already considered trade-secret. I ship the mics with body sealed and the broken seal voids the warranty. Sorry :o

Best, M
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Haha well it's probably best that you don't post anything that commercially important to you if we're keep an eye on the rules anyway!!

Cheers though.
 
I had two mxl 603 mics that I didnt like much so I decided to give Michael Joly a try on modding one of them. When I got it back I was very pleased with what he had done for my mic.
I will be sending the other one his way and maybe more.
In my opinion I dont think there is another sdc out there that you can buy that is going to sound anywhere near as good as my modded 603 for the small amount I have invested in it.

And as far as Akg 535,s I had one of those and got rid of it. There is another well know guy that mods recording gear that will fix that mic for you for a mere 150.00. Alot more than it cost me to get my 603 turned into a very nice microphone.
 
"No offense, but I think if you are after the sound of a KM184 you should pony up and buy a KM184."

Well I am offended! Really offended!! I can't believe you would say something so offensive! People like you really burn me up:mad:!!! :D:D:D:DJ/K
 
FWIW, I was doing background vocal overdubs yesterday and on a whim decided to use a 603s with Marik's capsule. This was on my voice, which of course I am intimately familiar with! :)

The vocal tracks sat perfectly in the mix and sounded great underneath the main vocal, which was tracked with a Shure 330 ribbon (re-ribboned my Marik as well). No EQ was necessary. I tracked four harmony parts and they all sounded fantastic and sat right in the mix. I was just using the preamps on my Topaz as well, no fancy preamps.

This capsule modification is a winner, folks!


On another note, I agree with the assessment of the Audio Technica Pro37r. They are very high quality mics. I've used them as drum overheads and on acoustic guitar and the results were very good. They actually beat out my mod'd 603s on acoustic guitar (both the Royer tube circuit mod'd 603s and the capacitor mod'd 603s), but that was before I got Marik's new capsule.

I have a buddy coming over tonight with a beautiful Hofner arch-top jazz guitar and I'm going mic it with Marik's capsule on a 603s and a Pro37 and compare.
 
If it were not for discussions in these forums i would not know who offers services to mod inexpensive mics, or to buy hand crafted mics such as the naiants at a low cost. These gentlemen seem to to offer their services to help us get decent products without having to mortgaging our houses. I'm an enthusiastic reader of their posts. If they make a few bucks at it, no big deal as long as their main interest is to honestly help us to achieve our goals.
 
Beatbug makes a good point. If I may be objective, the comparison of mics or mic capsules before and after AND with major products IS useful, both are. In what I'd heard, the mic mods are not only better / worse (for certain applications) they are just plain different. For example. If one wanted a guitar to really poke out of a busy, midrangey mix, the Marik 603 capsule mod would be useful from what I'd heard. Though honestly, for solo guitar, at least in how I like to mix, I'd have preferred the stock version.

It's kind of how 'talking about music is like dancing about architecture'. Not only is mic choice application-specific, it's EAR specific. Having used the more high end Neumann and Gefell mics, I'm glad I can hear comparisons to those. And I've yet to hear ANY modded mic beat a Gefell as far as what I look for. Your mileage may vary. I know a guy who owns a studio with Mackie HR 824 monitors with the treble switch BOOSTED 2db. I had it DOWN 2db when I tried them and it still was too much high end for my taste.
 
beatbug said:
If it were not for discussions in these forums i would not know who offers services to mod inexpensive mics, or to buy hand crafted mics such as the naiants at a low cost. These gentlemen seem to to offer their services to help us get decent products without having to mortgaging our houses. I'm an enthusiastic reader of their posts. If they make a few bucks at it, no big deal as long as their main interest is to honestly help us to achieve our goals.
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Aye. I think the trick is in people being aware of your business (such as Naiant) without plugging it in your posts. :)
 
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