MXL 603s

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Hmm, I have a pair of those. I really like them, specially on acoustic guitar. I'd be interested in trying that out, but I'm about 90% sure I'd screw something up and end up ruining my mic's.

Anybody out there try this with success?
 
I was actually one of the ones that originally helped Shane out with this modification over at the Lab. I have performed this mod several times, but to be honest, I like them better stock, at least on acoustic guitars, anyway. No doubt that the capacitors used are far superior to the stock ones, but it wasn’t really an improvement – only different. To my ears, it was less harsh, but some of the dynamics were missing. I have ordered other types of capacitors to try. Hopefully I’ll find a happy medium somewhere.

On another note, I did the same mod to a MXL 990 which uses the same circuit and capsule, only there I tested it with vocals instead of acoustic guitar. It was a great improvement to my ears. Much smoother, less harsh top-end.

One thing about mic mods – the differences can appear very subtle at first listen. Sometimes you won’t notice any immediate difference at all. Then all of a sudden your ear picks up on it and it’s like “BOOM”! Once your ear is trained on what to listen for, you can’t help but not hear the difference.
 
Flatpicker said:
One thing about mic mods – the differences can appear very subtle at first listen. Sometimes you won’t notice any immediate difference at all. Then all of a sudden your ear picks up on it and it’s like “BOOM”! Once your ear is trained on what to listen for, you can’t help but not hear the difference.
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I don't get it. Why mod some crap, to just improve the crap slightly? Would you want a MXL 990 to sound more like a V67G, a V77, or a TLM-103. Now I would mod a 990 to make it sound like a TLM-103 any day.

I'm not saying that you guys are wrong for doing mods, heck its your stuff do with it what you like. I guess I don't see the benefit. I would just buy the V67G and not waste my money on the 990.
 
reshp1 said:
Would this mod affect the matching of a matched pair? or is that more of a function of the capsule.

I would be interested to do this considering my weird problem described in this post.
https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=145451
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A mod will always change the effect of a mic, which will affect the way the pair interact if only one is modified. You may want to do a lot more trouble shooting on your mic, before you decide to mod it. Ensure it's not a dirty power supply, your computer adding some noise, or something in the room that happens to interact with that one mic.
 
Dracon said:
...Why mod some crap, to just improve the crap slightly? Would you want a MXL 990 to sound more like a V67G...
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Because sometimes the difference is a vast improvement. I was just pointing out that in this case, I'm looking for alternate ways to do the 603 mods.

BTW, the V67G is one of the ones that can be greatly improved. For example, the V69 is basically a modified V67 - the mxl guys opened the hood and dropped in a decent tube circuit (they had to make the body longer to do it). Otherwise, it's the same capsule and grille design. All that's left are the electronics. Does the V69 sound better? Most folks here say yes!
 
Dracon said:
I'm not saying that you guys are wrong for doing mods, heck its your stuff do with it what you like. I guess I don't see the benefit.
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It takes a couple of minutes to change a few caps or try out a different fet, if don't like the way it sounds you change it back. If you do like it then you have a new mic that you like better than an old one and it took ten minutes and cost a few cents. Now if you can't see the point in that then theres no point in anyone trying to explain.

Contrast that with the amount of time you spend researching, trying out or buying a new mic and then the amount of time and hassle it takes to send it back if you decide that its crap.
 
Flatpicker said:
Because sometimes the difference is a vast improvement. I was just pointing out that in this case, I'm looking for alternate ways to do the 603 mods.

BTW, the V67G is one of the ones that can be greatly improved. For example, the V69 is basically a modified V67 - the mxl guys opened the hood and dropped in a decent tube circuit (they had to make the body longer to do it). Otherwise, it's the same capsule and grille design. All that's left are the electronics. Does the V69 sound better? Most folks here say yes!
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Take a good mic and make it better? Fuck Yeah! Take a bad mic and improve it just a bit? Hell no!
Now, Let's say (theoretically since I own two mics) that I'm recording some headbanger dude and he smashes a condenser (after I kill him). I may take the smashed condenser (perform some ceremony to comemorate its life) and perhaps try to revive it using a crappy mic electronics (just using the circuitry or the shell, or god knows what).

Now, taking a basic design of a mic and re-engineering the electronics to make a tube mic it's beyond mod. I mean, it's a mod the way perhaps a rock crawling jeep it's a mod. The only thing left it's the name and a few parts here and there but otherwise it's something else.
If I take the engine out of my honda civic and put the engine of a acura integra. It's no longer a mod ('cause I have to change the suspension, the drive shaft, the gear box, motor mounts, blah, blah).

Maybe, I'm wrong. I'm not against mod, not at all. Hell, you wanna buy a cheap mic like the MXL 990 take it all apart and replace everything (perhaps make your own circuitry) to make something much better. Go for it. I just don't see the point in buying an MXL 990 to replace a couple of resistors.
 
reshp1 said:
Would this mod affect the matching of a matched pair? or is that more of a function of the capsule.

I would be interested to do this considering my weird problem described in this post.
https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=145451
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If you are sending it back for repair then you'd better send back the pair - any repair to one could easily throw them well out of match e.g replacement capsule, entire unit replaced, components on the other end of tolerance

If you're doing the mod you should remember: a pair with one mic hissing could hardly be described as matched.
 
paddyponchero said:
Contrast that with the amount of time you spend researching, trying out or buying a new mic and then the amount of time and hassle it takes to send it back if you decide that its crap.
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Now, see that makes sense!!! Yes. You bought a whatever because your cousins, 1/2 sister's boyfriend's dad told you that the whatever was an awsome mic. You went down to GW and bought it, but because you spit on it (according to GW) you can't return it. Well, sure mod it, sell it on e-bay whatever.
However, to go down to GW and buy a whatever just so you can mod it? That's what I'm saying I don't see the point. Instead of wasting my money in buying crap, spending time in doing a mod, to just have an improved piece of crap I would rather save money and get something I like.

However, I'm just one guy. I rather waste my time reading this forum and watching porn that modding anything. :D :D
 
Dracon said:
Now, see that makes sense!!! Yes. You bought a whatever because your cousins, 1/2 sister's boyfriend's dad told you that the whatever was an awsome mic. You went down to GW and bought it, but because you spit on it (according to GW) you can't return it. Well, sure mod it, sell it on e-bay whatever.
However, to go down to GW and buy a whatever just so you can mod it? That's what I'm saying I don't see the point. Instead of wasting my money in buying crap, spending time in doing a mod, to just have an improved piece of crap I would rather save money and get something I like.

However, I'm just one guy. I rather waste my time reading this forum and watching porn that modding anything. :D :D
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You never took apart the Tv as a child ... I can tell :p

Unfortunately when you live in the styx like I do, you can't go down to anywhere and pick up a mic unless its a nady wireless, a SM58, 57, D112 or a feckin' U87 (at last count) - all of which I'm not too fond of.

For me its a choice of catch a plane to london, paris or berlin to audition a few mics I may or may not like or take a gamble and buy something your 'cousins, 1/2 sister's boyfriend's dad' told you was ok. I'm not much of a gambler so I gamble cheap :)

Also working in electronics I'm up to my eyeballs in likely substitute components so it costs me nada.
 
paddyponchero said:
Also working in electronics I'm up to my eyeballs in likely substitute components so it costs me nada.
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I read my own post, and I have to apologize for being a Jackass. I sometimes get tunnel vision on these threads, and start frothing at the mouth (or so it seems by the post) about crap that really doesn't matter.

Yes! There are very legit reasons for people to want to mod their equipment. One of them being for fun, or to try something new, or to learn something, or out of necessity or whatever. So, once again sorry for spewing crap.

On a more positive note - I looked at the mods and they look pretty good. I may mod my V67G :eek: :eek: (Just kidding). :D ;)
 
paddyponchero said:
You never took apart the Tv as a child ... I can tell :p
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No, not the TV. When I was growing up TVs were very expensive, and I wasn't allowed to touch them. I did however, take apart my transistor radio (not that I knew what the hell I was going to do), and my calculator, and my BB gun. Then I got to highschool, and I replaced my cousins car stereo (took out the carpet, and put the wiring under the carpet, included a 150W amp under the seat, and one of those famous bass box in the back of the Celica hatchback) all with his money. I can keep going, but yeah I can say that I tinkered.
 
Dracon said:
No, not the TV. When I was growing up TVs were very expensive, and I wasn't allowed to touch them. I did however, take apart my transistor radio (not that I knew what the hell I was going to do), and my calculator, and my BB gun. Then I got to highschool, and I replaced my cousins car stereo (took out the carpet, and put the wiring under the carpet, included a 150W amp under the seat, and one of those famous bass box in the back of the Celica hatchback) all with his money. I can keep going, but yeah I can say that I tinkered.
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Oh GOD - a souped up celica - there are many names for such things here

Did it have the full skirt that made it impossible to traverse a speed hump, the uv lights underneath, the momo arrow wheels, the 'resonant' muffler that made everyones windows rattle - hehe
 
paddyponchero said:
Oh GOD - a souped up celica - there are many names for such things here

Did it have the full skirt that made it impossible to traverse a speed hump, the uv lights underneath, the momo arrow wheels, the 'resonant' muffler that made everyones windows rattle - hehe
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This was the time before UV lights underneath (by about ten years), and lowering your vehicle had just gotten started. About five years after that, my cousin took his Conquest to a shop and had the UV lights in the back of the hatchback with hydraulics that lifted and showed the amps through a mirror. By then you could hear my cousin about 2 1/2 blocks away from the house. I never got into rap, so I never got into that. I was also poor (hence the I installed the stereo in his car with his money - note he didn't do jack- I take that back he brought me coca-cola every once in while).
 
Dracon said:
This was the time before UV lights underneath (by about ten years), and lowering your vehicle had just gotten started. About five years after that, my cousin took his Conquest to a shop and had the UV lights in the back of the hatchback with hydraulics that lifted and showed the amps through a mirror. By then you could hear my cousin about 2 1/2 blocks away from the house. I never got into rap, so I never got into that. I was also poor (hence the I installed the stereo in his car with his money - note he didn't do jack- I take that back he brought me coca-cola every once in while).
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:) :)

My brother drives a carburettor integra, really nice car no electronic crap - rev limiters etc. Anyway after patching the exhaust a few times he decided it needed a new one, he couldn't get an original exhaust so ordered a big shiny stainless steel one on ebay - you can imagine the result :D

Biggest problem isn't the noise though it the kind of people a car like that attracts, guys come up to him at the lights trying to buy offering him cash there and then for the car :rolleyes:
 
paddyponchero said:
:) :)

My brother drives a carburettor integra, really nice car no electronic crap - rev limiters etc. Anyway after patching the exhaust a few times he decided it needed a new one, he couldn't get an original exhaust so ordered a big shiny stainless steel one on ebay - you can imagine the result :D

Biggest problem isn't the noise though it the kind of people a car like that attracts, guys come up to him at the lights trying to buy offering him cash there and then for the car :rolleyes:
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Sweet. Nothing like showing up at your house on foot with $9-$10,000 of cash in your pocket.
 
Just took a close-up shot of the capsule end (top) [commercial content removed] that shows the enlarged vent area used to reduce capsule brightness. This modification reverses the vent size tactic used by Neumann to make the KM 184 brighter (middle mic) than the KM 84 (bottom mic) - even though both mics use the same KM 84 capsule.
 
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[commercial content removed]

The main complaints about original microphone (and capsule being the main contributor) is lack of bass, peaky high frequency response and crappy cardioid pattern. To address this issues I turn this capsule from two-chambered design into three-chambered one. That is, original capsule has only one plastic piece behind the backplate giving us two chambers—1st between the diaphragm and backplate and the 2nd between backplate and plastic time delay piece. I add one more plastic piece for completely different time delay parameters, which also affects the voicing and also gives much more flexibility in the capsule’s fine tuning, as well as resulting in a much tighter cardioid pattern over original capsule.

With the three-chamber design I get the flexibility of tuning the capsule and voicing it hundreds different ways--from very rich ribbon-like sound with thick low end and rolled off top, through the honky type of sound with accentuated mids, to ruler flat response, i.e. I can manipulate with any range of interest, and custom voice them for any application.

[commercial content removed]

Best, M
 
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