Octava 319

[daav]

I got one of these in the Guitar Center sell off that happened while ago.

I've modded mine with the fairly low-impact mods that Michael Jolly has described- removed the HF disks, the inner layer of the wire mesh cage, and put in some foam diffusion in the bottom of the cage below the diaphram. This is my first LDC, and I did the mods shortly after i got it so i have little refence for the specific details of the improvements, I notice some additional clarity i suppose, but my ear is not really there yet and this is the only LDC i've reallyknown. Most of the test recordings i have done with it have been just my voice in voice over stuff, but I find it to be a bit flattering, dark, but maybe a little prone to boominess. I've done nothing with effects, compression or EQ though.

Anyway, most of the good stuff I have heard about this mic is pretty old, wondering if people still get good use out of it, or if it was a mic-of-the-day at some point, and people find it limited.

Also, i would love suggestions of how to apply it specifically best, and some good complements to it in the $100-$400 range. i appreciate all comments. Eq suggestions, comments on using the pad and roll off (bad idea?), etc?

Daav

 

[MichaelJoly]

Daav - you would notice additional clarity and frequency response extension if you upgraded circuit components and shortened the signal path by bypassing the LF cut and level pad switches.

re: Mic of the day - I'm hearing from clients that it was a mic of the day in the mid to late '90s, got shelved when inexpensive Chinese LDCs arrived and is now experiencing a re-birth as a welcome alternative to the strident and scooped sound of many of those mics.

With the help of a West Coast studio owner I'm planning an OktavaMod shootout against some expensive and highly regarded mics that should be ear opening. Early in the new year I'll post results.

 

[VinceNY]

Michael,
I have found the same problems in the LF cut circuit that you have described. That 270PF cap is on the high impedance side of the transformer and is resonating with the leakage inductance, causing ringing in the time domain behavior. It is definitely best to remove all of those components and use the LF cut feature of most good Mic preamps.
VinceNY

 

[FALKEN]

I loved my 319 until I compared it to a 4050. made the 319 sound brittle and grainy across the entire spectrum.

 

[daav]

Thanks Michael, and Sorry to mispell yourlast nameinmyoriginalpost

I've done only a little sodering, so I am a bit reluctant to start trying to switch out the circuit components yet, but I will try to eliminate the switches as you reccomend.

Daav - you would notice additional clarity and frequency response extension if you upgraded circuit components and shortened the signal path by bypassing the LF cut and level pad switches. Is there a straightforward guide for this? Am i just conneecting the vaious wires to themselves, and eliminating the switches, or does this somehow get done on the baord itself?
I may be a bit too inexperienced to do this one without very clear instructions, i think.

Thanks all for the input.

Daav

re: Mic of the day - I'm hearing from clients that it was a mic of the day in the mid to late '90s, got shelved when inexpensive Chinese LDCs arrived and is now experiencing a re-birth as a welcome alternative to the strident and scooped sound of many of those mics.

With the help of a West Coast studio owner I'm planning an OktavaMod shootout against some expensive and highly regarded mics that should be ear opening. Early in the new year I'll post results.

 

[demto]

To Michaeljoly

Would be very interested in how you get on in the shootout.

I remember we had a long discussion about modding the 319 some time ago.

Nice to see you are still a fan of the 319

Will scan the forum from time to time to see if you manage the shootout, and
how the 319 compares.

Regards Demto

 

[Richard Monroe]

It's weird. By now, I've acquired mics that beat the MK319 up for most applications, but it's still a consistent go-to mic for backing female vocals, layered or not - at least all 3 that I work with- a contralto, an alto, and a mezzo soprano. For $99, it's a pleasant surprise. For lead vox, we usually use other mics.-Richie

 

[MichaelJoly]

Would be very interested in how you get on in the shootout.

Demto, the audio files are here:
http://www.oktavamod.com/audio.html

 

[Robert D]

The 319 will always have a place in my mic locker (such that it is). I think the C1 was more of a "mic of the day", which most find a bit too crisp now. The 319 was always this kind of understated honest mic that doesn't wow, it just sounds good on the right sources. It's hardly ever the first mic I put up, but time after time it ends up being the mic that stays up. It's funny, I keep going through this process re-discovering it. I ignore it for a while as that cheap mic, then I'll be not getting the sound I want, pull the 319 out, and for the umpteenth time go "that's it, I forgot how good this mic sounds".

 

[Robert D]

Demto, the audio files are here:
http://www.oktavamod.com/audio.html

Michael - Why all the 219 samples, and no 319 samples? I know the 219 needs help more than the 319, but I would think that more people serious enough to get thier mic modded would have been serious enough to get a 319 instead of the not very recommended 219.

 

[MichaelJoly]

The studio owner where the tests were done had a number of NOS MK-219s. We did a deal where I modified his 219s in exchange for his performing and engineering work.

The improvements are similar in both cases. The 319 does start with a less-restrictive headbasket so it is less boxy sounding stock than a 219. But the 319 suffers from a long capsule-to-FET signal path which degrades HF transient and frequency response relative to the 219.

The grille mesh, capsule, capsule platform, signal path length and component upgrades are the same in both mics. The 219 tests I heard correlate well with the HF detail improvements I hear in modified 319s. I felt some audio samples would be better than no samples and posted the results from the controlled tests I had available to me.

There's actually a huge number of MK-219s that are languishing on shelves because their owners have grown into better mics over time. People are pleased that these upgrades enable them to put their investment back into play along side their go-to mics and also bring a little "old school" sound to the mix as well.

 

[expatguy]

Hello Michael,

After reading the various threads on Oktava Mk-319 mods I dedided to try out the simpler ones (removing the front and back HF discs and removing the inner layer of mesh). The sound is definitely smoother, less "boxy", but the most noticable change is in the high end. The "brittleness" is gone, which is a good thing, but the highs are don't come out as well either, which is a drawback (though, on the whole, I'll take the quieter but smoother highs).

I was wondering if putting the back HF disc back on would be useful at all in bringing out the highs a little more, or if this is an electronics related issue. I thought I'd ask first since every time I take a screwdriver into my less-than-steady hand, there's always the possibility of instantly turning my Oktava into a rather expensive paperweight.

Thanks

 

[MichaelJoly]

I was wondering if putting the back HF disc back on would be useful at all in bringing out the highs a little more, or if this is an electronics related issue.

Leaving the disc off and upgrading the signal path is the way to go. The stock signal path robs HF extension and smears detail - boosting HF with a mechanical resonator only makes existing problems worse. There's a rat's nest of long wires between the capsule and FET impedance converter that should be eliminated to get rid of stray capacitance responsible for some of the HF extension and detail loss. The stock signal path components should be upgraded as well.

The mods are really cumulative. Doing one makes a difference but doing a full suite of them makes a profound change. Even my lowest price mod - the MK-319 Standard has nine individual upgrades. (Including a new RFI shielding improvement which I've never discussed publicly).

 

[expatguy]

I guess I'll leave well enough alone for now. Thanks for the reply, and for sharing your expertise.