Oktava MK-319 Mods ???

[Simmons]

Does anyone know anything about a modifications that you can make to the MK-319 to make it sound better? Check out this link below.....the first reviewer mentions some kind of modification.

http://www.harmony-central.com/Effects/Data/Oktava/MK_319-01.html

"After modifications which resulted in having to give up the pad and hi-pass switches, the mics are gems. Very big, articulate and detailed sound without hi-end hype, equal or somewhat better than German mics IMO. Can take hi SPL."

I've performed searches here and haven't found anything referencing a mod to the MK-319 specifically. Any idea?

 

[Marik]

Simmons,

I have no idea which mod they refer to, however the problems in these mics are in next areas:

1) Transformer quality--you can use Lundahl in place.
2) Upgrade capacitors. The chipo ~1000pf from the capsule change to Wima MKP-3. All coupling low value electrolitics change to good quality film ones of the same rating. Personally, I like polypropilenes. The power filtering electrolitics upgrade to low ESR ones, preferably Black Gates, or at least bypass them with 0.01 COG ceramics, or ECG-V films.
3) Grill changes. Michael Joly had a very good post on it:

http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?threadid=111505

Another thing which is very often neglected--use very high quality cables. They can make more difference than any upgrades.

 

[Flatpicker]

Actually, the transformer is pretty decent and probably sounds better then the capsule needs it to, so I doubt a $60 Lundahl will make $60 of a difference.

I didn’t reply to this thread initially because I spent a good part of New Years weekend modding mine and never come up with anything I liked better than the original sound. I did get a lot of different sounds, but none I particularly preferred over the original. There’s more to this one then just swapping out parts, but I’ve yet to put my finger on what it is as it seems to defy all logic.

I’ve ordered some more parts to try since then, so if I come up with something I like when I ever get back to it, I’ll be sure and post about it.

 

[bongolation]

Scott Dorsey also believes the stock transformer in the MK-219/MK-319 is fine.

The only mods I remember him recommending are changing the Hi-Z resistors to the highest value Victoreens you can find and going to a higher value NPO capacitor in that end of the circuit - and replacing the electrolytics if they were the old leaky wet-slug military tantalums from older mic production, but otherwise leaving them alone if they were straight electrolytics.

Oh, and doing some case damping with silicone goop and doing a thorough deflux and cleaning of the whole board and a subsequent conformal coating.

 

[MichaelJoly]

Citroen 2cv...Renault 4cv...Octava Mk219/319

Some people love small French cars (I do) and some people love vintage Russian mics (I do).

My love of the large diaphragm Oktava capsule is not rational. But what love is?

This is a capsule that, while loved by many, is misunderstood and disparaged by many more. Their loss. Here we have a unique mechanical design and sonic "vision" of what an LDC should sound like. This capsule has a personality, and embodies its place of manufacture in a very tangible way.

Listening to sound transduced through a properly modified 219/319 is like listening to sound coming in through a time tunnel tuned in to the deepest days of the cold war...early 1960's. (the 219 dates from that time and descends from even earlier LDCs).

The 219/319 is soviet era sound, not post 1947 German sound or late '90's "people economic democracy" Chinese sound. How can bits of metal and wire have a time-stamped sound? Because humans lived particular experiences, heard certain sounds, and were affected by these sounds went to work as engineers and distilled their experiences into sound objects.

To use an MK219 is to hold hands with lovers of sound from a distant time and place.

Let's remember that the MK219 was designed and in put into production way before the current crop of largely identical Chinese mics and way before the first "more affordable" Audio Technica LDC mics where introduced in the early 90's.

Using an Oktava large diaphragm is like getting a new pair of vintage ears.

best, MJ

 

[Flatpicker]

Re: Citroen 2cv...Renault 4cv...Octava Mk219/319

...Using an Oktava large diaphragm is like getting a new pair of vintage ears...

Well, that certainly is a unique way of putting it and I agree, it is a different sounding capsule.

I really liked it’s sound before I started messing with it. I corresponded with Scott D. a bit about this and yes, normally you’d raise the bias and leak resister to at least a gig (not as critical with LD mics as with SD mics, though, as the capsule measures a bit differently). I raised it to 2gig, actually. I’m not entirely sure that didn’t cause some of the problem, though, because I can’t seem to get back to the original sound and the resisters are the only thing I’m haven’t reversed.

Like I said before, I ‘aint thru yet! Success could be just right around the corner!

 

[chessrock]

Re: Citroen 2cv...Renault 4cv...Octava Mk219/319

To use an MK219 is to hold hands with lovers of sound from a distant time and place.

This is some great stuff. Dude, if you're not already doing it -- you have to get in to writing marketing literature. You've got a knack for it.

 

[Marik]

<normally you’d raise the bias and leak resister to at least a gig (not as critical with LD mics as with SD mics, though, as the capsule measures a bit differently). I raised it to 2gig, actually. I’m not entirely sure that didn’t cause some of the problem, though, because I can’t seem to get back to the original sound and the resisters are the only thing I’m haven’t reversed.>

Interesting thing about all these Russian stuff. All the schematics are very well engeneered, but the main problems are lack of really good parts and assembling quality. I had the 319 for one day to mod for somebody. That particular mic was very 'midrangy'. Torquing the bolts which connect backplates took care of it. Cap from the capsule was ceramic disk (!), and it also had some tantalums. After replacing these caps and bypassing electrolitics, I could definitely hear improvement in clarity.

<This is some great stuff. Dude, if you're not already doing it -- you have to get in to writing marketing literature. You've got a knack for it.>

To me it sounds quite poetic... Definitely not marketing BS.

 

[Wireneck]

Quoting a Quote from the first Post

"Very big, articulate and detailed sound without hi-end hype"

Maybe its just me but I have never heard anyone describe the 319's high end as being hyped. Just thought that was sort of strange. This is usually regarded as a dark mic isn't it?

 

[MichaelJoly]

Technics + Poetics

Chess, Marik -

Thanks for the kind words about my writing. I have an interest in the metaphysical aspect of sound as well as the technical. I owe much to Hazrat Inayat Khan: http://www.om-guru.com/html/saints/khan.html

 

[Rossi]

Michael, I don't know much about Indian culture, but your above statement is easily the most beautifully written I've seen on this board. Pure poetry, and damn: it does work as marketing, too. I really wanna buy one now!

 

[Simmons]

MichaelJoly...

....and as far as the Citroen deux chevaux goes...they are cool in a "I'm a farmer taking my eggs to the town market" kind of way (which is how they were originally marketed in France). They are becoming collectors items here....sort of like the old Beetles in the US. Great little cars.

 

[bongolation]

> To use an MK219 is to hold hands with lovers of sound from a
> distant time and place.

I thought the MK-219 only dated back to the late '90s.

And what do you regard as "properly modified"?

Soviet sound is pretty remarkable, though few in the West have ever heard it. During the Cold War, I often monitored Radio Tikhiy Okean, the entertainment broadcasts to the Soviet Pacific Fleet out of Vladivostok, which came in all-fives where I was. They had warm AM sound down, and exploited the psychological effect to its maximum. They had the most evocative, sentimental guitar-accordion music and the sexiest-sounding female announcer I've ever heard before or since.

Of course, the Cold War ended with most of the old USSR coming to live the good life in California (I hear Russians frolicking in the nearby park in the balmy 65°F February afternoon as I write this). I was listening to local Russian AM radio here, and to my astonishment, I heard Russian commercials for area businesses which had that sound!. I wonder how they did it.

 

[MichaelJoly]

> what do you regard as "properly modified"?

The full electro-mechanical gamut: upgrading signal path caps, FET change if nessesary, ( or install a Royer tube mode), removal of HF lift disc, cut out cast metal grille peices on the 219 (replace the entire head assembly on the 319) remove one layer of grille mesh leaving just a single layer and dampening the body resonance.

The 10-year old Harris liturature I have for the MK219 (Harris was the original US distributor) dates the 219 as "...an early 1960's design...". Michael Vladimirsky of www.microphones.ru could probably comment on this and more about Russian sound.


Re: Soviet sound and the allure of shortwave voices

oh yeah! Did you listen to Russian language broadcasts? I used to love the sound of Radio Moscow's English b'casts, particularly the diction of the announcers which always implied "come over to our side comrade..."

 

[Marik]

<Soviet sound is pretty remarkable, though few in the West have ever heard it.>

<oh yeah! Did you listen to Russian language broadcasts? I used to love the sound of Radio Moscow's English b'casts, particularly the diction of the announcers which always implied "come over to our side comrade...">

I was born and spent my first 27 years in Russia. I know very well what kind of sound you guys are talking about. At the time of the cold war, when 'grandady' Brezhnev was ruling, then later (by inertia, I guess) we used to hate this sound. The general notion was--everything Russian is crap--big, bulky, agly, bad sounding, etc. Yeah, you know, the amps were built like T-34 tank. To take it apart would take at least an hour work--it was made as a puzzle and amused us--why it was built that way. When something broke (which happened a lot), people would not swap a new board, but would find exactly what the problem and fix it. Mind you, there was no return policy for anything, for any reason.
The model was Western, or Japanese small and elegant stuff. Crapy Japanese plastic walkman would be seen as an example of 'design wonder' and 'sound miracle' with all associated legends of its '50 years waranty' and 'don't open it, as it will blow'--we thought that manufacturers put a little bomb inside to proctect the design from copying.
I still remember that once I almost bought one of those on black market. It was 200 roubles. My father is a professor in college. His monthly salary was 180 roubles at the time.
In studios we used some imported equipment, mostly Hungarian 'Beag' and whatever else--don't remember--it was long time ago. Yeah, we had some Neumanns and Shoeps as well.
I will never forget those huge Russian tube 1/4" two tracks. They were about 4' tall, made of cast metall, full of tubes and transformers inside, weight at least a ton (I am telling ya!). They were probably very fine sounding mashines, but we used absolutely hate them. ABSOLUTELY HATE.

Isn't it ironic?

I still have some tube and SS old mics I brought many years ago from Russia. They lived with me in different countries, and I love them.

 

[MichaelJoly]

<

I still have some tube and SS old mics I brought many years ago from Russia. They lived with me in different countries, and I love them.

This is a good example of audio electronics inspiring reverence, love and, and I'll bet, being used to produce very special recordings. I believe loving the equipment is essential to getting really good results from it. Because this love of the equipment breeds patience, sonic understanding and ways of hearing exactly what a peice of equipment is good for. In other words, if we see equipment as a brother.

So, to return to the thread topic, I would argue from a metaphysical standpoint that great recordings can be made with modified Oktava MK-219s - if you love and understand them.

peace y'all, MJ

 

[Marik]

<So, to return to the thread topic, I would argue from a metaphysical standpoint that great recordings can be made with modified Oktava MK-219s - if you love and understand them.>

Michael,

Great recordings can be made even with unmodified MK219s. I believe that at least 80% of recording quality is proper micing. If you know and understand your mics, as well as instruments you record; if you understand style and character of music and personality of performer; if you have enough experience, knowledge, and intuition to choose right mic for this particular situation, you will be able to make it, even with not that good mics. If you don't love what you are doing, or don't aim for great, why to bother doing it?

 

[bongolation]

The full electro-mechanical gamut: upgrading signal path caps, FET change if nessesary, ( or install a Royer tube mode), removal of HF lift disc, cut out cast metal grille peices on the 219 (replace the entire head assembly on the 319) remove one layer of grille mesh leaving just a single layer and dampening the body resonance.

The 10-year old Harris liturature I have for the MK219 (Harris was the original US distributor) dates the 219 as "...an early 1960's design...".

I have some misgivings about doinking around with the guts of my Oktavas, given that afterwards some have not liked the results of these putative improvements, but that said, why couldn't one simply unscrew and remove the screen cover on the MK-319 when recording and just use a typical external blast filter, if the screen is a problem?

The general circuit/capsule design of the 219/319 I believe is older, but I'm fairly sure both of these as distinct models date from the post-USSR period. I have seen pictures of old '60s Oktavas that sort of resembled MK-219s, but they were far from the same microphone. I haven't personally encountered any MK-219s or MK-319s that were made before the mid-'90s. I have read that they were post-Soviet export models (which would still be consistent with Harris distributing them then).

This information could certainly be wrong, but I've looked for older examples before, with no luck. [shrug]

Just out of curiosity, what were they selling for in US$ in 1994?

 

[Marik]

<why couldn't one simply unscrew and remove the screen cover on the MK-319 when recording and just use a typical external blast filter, if the screen is a problem?>

It would be OK with ribbon mics because they are essentially balanced design. In condencers you will get a lot of RF noise and other noises. The wire mesh works as a shield.

 

[bongolation]

In condencers you will get a lot of RF noise and other noises. The wire mesh works as a shield.

Sure. Makes perfect sense.

Of course, this assumes the screens are grounded properly to the chassis. I've never really checked. With Oktavas, you can't take that kind of stuff for granted.