M-Audio Nova mic modding- help!

A

Analogue Razor

New member
I have an M-Audio Nova that has been collecting dust for a few years. I've recently gotten interested in DIY and modding, and have already built an SCA preamp, rewired some guitars, and built an electric guitar as well. I'd love to do something with this mic and make it a useful part of my studio time, but am unsure as to what really needs work.

What should I change? Where would YOU start and how far would you take it? Basket mesh removal? Output transformer? Capacitors/resistors? Capsule? FET and re-biasing:confused:?

I have plenty of high-end mics at my disposal, so losing this one for a while isn't really a blow to my work flow. I am at an engineering school, so I have some good equipment at my disposal, helpful people around, and plenty of soldering experience.
AND there are no tubes involved so far, so I probably won't kill myself :rolleyes:...

Any way to get this thing to compete with the big boys? Or should I let sleeping mics lie and move on to a compressor?
 
Shoot a nice high-res picture of the board(s) inside it. I doubt anybody on here has disassembled one yet, as they aren't nearly as common as the MXL, CAD, Studio Projects, or Nady mics. Without a picture, I'd just be stumbling around in the dark trying to give any suggestions. :)
 
I've got one -- I opened it, and it looked like pretty high quality components. It also doesn't sound so bad (IMO) :D What don't you like about it?

But please do post pics - I'm in the middle of moving and mine's packed away.
 
M-Audio Nova Pics

Sorry for the wait, 3 digital cameras and no charger :p Still, now all works, so any more pics you need let me know. There is just the one board, one sided.

As for the Royer mod, is that the tube mod? I would prefer not having anything needing a power supply. Still, it looks like a nice idea, but I'll have to see if there is anything else I can do first on the solid state side of things.
 

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Looks like it might be ALMOST an older u87 type circuit set to cardioid.

Does it have a harsh high end?

Leave the basket alone. The transformer might be fine as it is.
Study the old Neumman u87 schematic for ideas.

The one cap that will make a difference is the one between the two 1gigs try different types.

Question what you read on the web.

SMD can be OK.

Compare the circuit to a u87 I would guess the u87 schematic will be a good help tracing this circuit.
 
I've got some polystyrene xicon caps, 50v .001uf laying around, does that sound at all like it would fit for replacing that one cap?

The stock mic does have a fair bit of high end, which I find rather nice on acoustic guitar but a bit much on pretty much anything else. It also gets rather harsh, almost clippy, in louder sound sources. Short of adding a pad, what can be done with that? I would love a smoother sound for vocals.

SMD? Is that the surface mounted components?

Tearing out a few layers of the grill seems like the easiest mod, why do you say not to do that? Would that bring in too much high end?

Being a beginner at schematics, I really need the most help in interpreting what the U87 schematic would mean to this circuit.
 
Nova mod

I know that this is an old thread, but recently a friend of mine asked me to check out his Maudio Nova, after a few mic checks I didnt like it the top is so harsh. One day I decided to open it up and looked and to my dissapoinmnt it was a surface mount, I know for sure this is not a good mod candidate. Ive read some thread on DIY prodigy and read some mods for similar mics so I decided to do a simple mod by adding a capacitor to tame the top freq, and to my surprise after the mod it sounds really, really good and no more harshness and sounds like a $500 + mic. Anyway now I have like 5 novas, 1 non surface mount and 4 with surface mount. These mics are a keeper.....Just look around I paid at the lowest $42 shipped in great condition..
 
rpagala said:
Nova mod

I know that this is an old thread, but recently a friend of mine asked me to check out his Maudio Nova, after a few mic checks I didnt like it the top is so harsh. One day I decided to open it up and looked and to my dissapoinmnt it was a surface mount, I know for sure this is not a good mod candidate. Ive read some thread on DIY prodigy and read some mods for similar mics so I decided to do a simple mod by adding a capacitor to tame the top freq, and to my surprise after the mod it sounds really, really good and no more harshness and sounds like a $500 + mic. Anyway now I have like 5 novas, 1 non surface mount and 4 with surface mount. These mics are a keeper.....Just look around I paid at the lowest $42 shipped in great condition..
Click to expand...
Hi. I know this is a real old thread. Please can you let me know what “adding a cap” mod you did. I have 2 of these. Thank you very much
 
Adding capacitance in the way they mean here is the same as adding on via the pot in a guitar. It just gently rolls down the top - and changing the value alters the frequency where the cut starts. I'm a total sceptic on mic modding, because tonal changes I firmly believe should be done in the mixer or DAW where they can be changed, not in the mic. If you capture a sound and skim off the top end - then you've no way of putting it back. In that 9 year old response to the 2009 post, he says it can sound like a $500 mic - but I think we've established now that cost is not really linked to tone!
 
The stock board is identical to the Sterling ST55. I do a full rebuild of these (using my own ST55 board which is derived from the KM84 circuit). I don't want to break the rules by posting a link but PM me if you want some info on that. I really like this mic as a donor body. It's built like a tank, has a great weight and looks cool. I fully gut the innards and just re-use the body.
 
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