Tarnish on diaphram, is it even an issue?

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Athos

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I have an AT4040 that I love to death.
I've had it for almost 10 years. The diaphram has a every so slight tarnish to it, sort of pinkish.
I've heard this can reduce clarity. Not sure if that's true.
Is there a safe way to clean the tarnish? Or is it best left alone?
Seems like it would have to be pretty severe oxidization to cause a problem.

Thanks!
 
I think any marking or material on the diaphragm would add weight and reduce it's flexibility.

Whether it's noticeable or not is hard to say, but i can say it's not advisable to clean it yourself.

Sure, there are DIY guides online, but personally i wouldn't be trying it unless i was practicing on a dead mic or something.

It's a pretty specialist procedure because of how delicate the materials are, but you can pay to have it done in plenty of places.

Fire up a photo, see what the pros think.
 
That tarnish is what gives that particular microphone it's character. It now reproduces like no other 4040.
You must have developed as it did and you've grown to like it's character.
I would just leave it alone until you have to do something about, for it may out live you in it's current condition.
 
Yeah ..... you might want to post up a picture of the anomaly. It could be terminal!
 
I would not expect a thin film of metal oxide to significantly change the flexibility of the diaphragm, which is ultimately the key factor as far as sound quality goes.

Perhaps more importantly, if the diaphragm is made of a material that oxidizes, it's just going to start oxidizing again as soon as you clean it, and every time it does, you're losing a little more metal. It is probably better to leave it on there, as it probably provides a barrier to further oxidization.

This is as opposed to grime on the diaphragm, which as others have mentioned, adds significant mass. (Oxide layers have significantly more mass than the original metal, too, but the single-digit-nanometer-thick passivation layer started out with little mass to begin with, so the mass difference should be inconsequential.)
 
If you're worried about it, then take it to a mic expert and show them. Ashley Styles (at saturn sound) knows as much as just about anyone. I've had him repair several mics of mine, and I thoroughly recommend him. He does tend to get quite busy though, so email him!
 
Not sure about simply removing "tarnish" as that tends to get etched into the gold. I've seen some "shadows" on some of my mic capsules, yet the capsules are clean and smooth, so I don't bother with that.
What you want to clean off is the spit, particles, gunk that may be on there.
I use an artist's brush, which has very smooth/soft bristles that allow you to whisk away the loose stuff. If there is obvious spit/gunk stuck to parts of the capsule...a very soft Q-Tip (w/paper stick) dipped in some water (distilled is best). Gently dab it away...very gently. It might take a lot of gentle swipes, but that's better than pushing hard. If the spit/gunk is not dissolving, some isopropyl alcohol will help.
I've only done this to a few capsules where I had to take the mic apart for various reasons, and then also I checked the capsule. Otherwise, if it sounds good, and you are not having any issues....leave it alone. :)

This guy gives some detailed advice about it...similar process.

http://www.josephson.com/clean.txt
 
not sure how this relates to your 4040, but I have owned and cheapo-modded plenty of chinese mics over the years, and I've found that by FAR the best sounding apex 460 LDC tube mic I've ever heard with the stock capsule is the old one I bought from a producer friend of mine that has plenty of discoloration on the front capsule side. It was a home studio but professionally used vocal mic in it's previous life and I guess that lots of human moisture got on the diaphram.

I've a/b the front and back and heard a much better tone from the discolored side. I've a/b it with another 460 that is brand new and both sides of the new one sounds like the back of this older one.

So let me put it like this - if you dislike the harsh brightness of your mic, then it could actually be improved by that sort of discoloration of the capsule diaphram. like with the bright apex 460 :-)

with a 4040, I think it might add character to the mic alright. I'd leave your mic alone if you're happy wtih the sound. the 4040 is a solid studio workhorse mic, but it doesn't have any particular character or magical sheen of it's own (compared to a magical vintage U87 for a common example).

maybe you're actually getting something a little extra out of that well loved capsule? I know I'll never replace or clean this apex 460's capsule :-)
 
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