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Post by Guitar on Feb 25, 2019 14:07:13 GMT -6
Since everyone is talking about KM84, Soyuz, and Warm WA84, I thought I would stick this here drive.google.com/file/d/1cvfl-M8thJecVqljDmeIfoTkR987l0-m/view?usp=sharingIt's four minutes of me screwing around on a Taylor 114 in various mic/room/guitar positions. You can hear the singing off axis if you want to judge that. I think it sounds pretty good, I'll be using these. I replaced C2 with a 10 uF Vishay tantalum, and a .01 uF polypropylene film on the opposite side of the board as a bypass cap. It sounds better, but I didn't do an A/B test of stock/mod. It just sounds better. A little more clear in the highs and lows. Just took a little mud out. Circuit board traces are very delicate so you have to be very gentle with the tools. The newer Oktavas don't need many mods, this was the only real difference I could find when comparing what was there, to the Dorsey mod values. Other than some insignificant differences in part values. I decided not to mess with the FET or transistor. I paid about $200 for the mics on ebay. You can get a brand new pair from Thomann.de for about $300 but you'll have to wait for overseas shipping if you don't live in germany. I'm kind of impressed, I think these are a go-to pick for the price range. I just need the omni caps now. |
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Post by drbill on Feb 25, 2019 15:18:36 GMT -6
I just need the omni caps now. And the hypers, and the Fig 8's and ESPECIALLY the JOLY K47H LDC caps!!  Those are to die for!! |
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Post by mdmitch2 on Feb 25, 2019 15:33:20 GMT -6
They're great mics for the money. I modded one of mine and kept the other one stock (if I recall I liked the stock one better strumming on acoustic). It was the closest mic to the KM84 that I could find after shooting out about 15 SDCs. Very similar tonally, but lacking some depth and dimensionality compared to the neumann.
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Post by stormymondays on Feb 25, 2019 15:58:38 GMT -6
and ESPECIALLY the JOLY K47H LDC caps!! Those are to die for!! Sold out many months ago, never to be available again. I have one, it would have been cool to have a pair. It kills on Front-Of-Kit position. And I made a whole record with it when it was my only vocal mic, it wasn't bad at all. |
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Post by drbill on Feb 25, 2019 16:34:52 GMT -6
and ESPECIALLY the JOLY K47H LDC caps!! Those are to die for!! Sold out many months ago, never to be available again. I have one, it would have been cool to have a pair. It kills on Front-Of-Kit position. And I made a whole record with it when it was my only vocal mic, it wasn't bad at all. yeah, that's some tough luck. Luckily I got Michael to pull a pair and match them when he first started distributing. I had a pair of the K47's for the MXL 603/604's, and they were HUGE sounding, but overall, I like these better due to the 012's body electronics. |
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Post by Guitar on Feb 25, 2019 16:43:07 GMT -6
They're great mics for the money. I modded one of mine and kept the other one stock (if I recall I liked the stock one better strumming on acoustic). It was the closest mic to the KM84 that I could find after shooting out about 15 SDCs. Very similar tonally, but lacking some depth and dimensionality compared to the neumann. I agree. These don't have the sparkle and spooky vibes of the KM184 I used to have, but they are darn fine mics in their own right. I expect they will see a lot of use over the coming months and years. I also sold off probably a dozen SDC mics in the past decade. I don't know why, it seems like a hard design to get right. |
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Post by mcirish on Feb 26, 2019 10:35:41 GMT -6
I did a session last night where we recorded an Irish bouzouki. I don't have the KM84 to use anymore so I put up a MC-012 (MK-012) and it sounded wonderful. Great sounding SDC for not much money.
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Post by Guitar on Feb 26, 2019 10:42:39 GMT -6
I did a session last night where we recorded an Irish bouzouki. I don't have the KM84 to use anymore so I put up a MC-012 (MK-012) and it sounded wonderful. Great sounding SDC for not much money. I was watching some SDC shootouts on YouTube, various acoustic instruments, the MK 012 kind of made my jaw drop on some of them. I think that's why I pulled the trigger, again, (I owned a pair of these years ago.) I wish I had more going on here besides acoustic guitar and hand drums. I should probably buy a fiddle, a uke, mando... hmm. |
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Post by mcirish on Feb 26, 2019 12:02:11 GMT -6
I did a session last night where we recorded an Irish bouzouki. I don't have the KM84 to use anymore so I put up a MC-012 (MK-012) and it sounded wonderful. Great sounding SDC for not much money. I was watching some SDC shootouts on YouTube, various acoustic instruments, the MK 012 kind of made my jaw drop on some of them. I think that's why I pulled the trigger, again, (I owned a pair of these years ago.) I wish I had more going on here besides acoustic guitar and hand drums. I should probably buy a fiddle, a uke, mando... hmm. Don't get into mandolin. Talk about expensive! They really are an instrument that you get what you pay for. You can get something barely playable and very thin sounding for under $1k. Then something that plays better but still isn't a "keeper" for under $4k. I finally saved and went shopping while on tour and got a real nice Gibson Fern (2016) for a bit under $10K. It's great but I still look for that one that is better. (marginally) I think the next price point is near $20k. That can buy a lot recording gear. |
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Post by Guitar on Feb 26, 2019 15:18:23 GMT -6
I was watching some SDC shootouts on YouTube, various acoustic instruments, the MK 012 kind of made my jaw drop on some of them. I think that's why I pulled the trigger, again, (I owned a pair of these years ago.) I wish I had more going on here besides acoustic guitar and hand drums. I should probably buy a fiddle, a uke, mando... hmm. Don't get into mandolin. Talk about expensive! They really are an instrument that you get what you pay for. You can get something barely playable and very thin sounding for under $1k. Then something that plays better but still isn't a "keeper" for under $4k. I finally saved and went shopping while on tour and got a real nice Gibson Fern (2016) for a bit under $10K. It's great but I still look for that one that is better. (marginally) I think the next price point is near $20k. That can buy a lot recording gear. I had no idea... that is "insane." I've heard Randy Kohrs talk about instrument prices, but I didn't realize it was that bad almost all around. We need a Behringer mandolin company haha. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2019 15:20:18 GMT -6
Behringer don't hand build classic acoustic instruments. People that do deserve to be paid what they do. Same reason I'm still saving for a £9k Lowden...
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Post by Guitar on Feb 26, 2019 15:22:57 GMT -6
Behringer don't hand build classic acoustic instruments. People that do deserve to be paid what they do. Same reason I'm still saving for a £9k Lowden... I'm sort of dreaming of a custom electric guitar. Don't know when, or where, but it would be nice to have a one-of-a-kind instrument. I'm not currently saving, but I really want a Martin D-28 of some sort. In the sense of your post that it is worth what you pay for it. |
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Post by sirthought on Feb 26, 2019 16:16:12 GMT -6
I just need the omni caps now. And the hypers, and the Fig 8's and ESPECIALLY the JOLY K47H LDC caps!! Those are to die for!! Isn't that the same capsule Joly used in his 319 modifications? I have a pair of those and the 012s. I never bought the K47 attachment for 012 because I thought it would be redundant. Maybe that was wrong. |
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Post by Guitar on Feb 26, 2019 16:20:25 GMT -6
And the hypers, and the Fig 8's and ESPECIALLY the JOLY K47H LDC caps!! Those are to die for!! Isn't that the same capsule Joly used in his 319 modifications? I have a pair of those and the 012s. I never bought the K47 attachment for 012 because I thought it would be redundant. Maybe that was wrong. These days I'd suspect the Roswell Mini K47 would be a mic that does "something like that." I haven't owned one but they are appealing to me at the price point, I'd be willing to try a pair. Sort of non-DIY option of something that became known from DIY history. Not so much a historical microphone. |
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Post by sirthought on Feb 26, 2019 16:26:31 GMT -6
Well those are sure talked about a lot. I don't track usually more than four or five musicians at any one time, so I haven't needed a bunch of more stuff. But since I already have the Joly modded 012, I thought that head attachment might be something to pull out in certain situations. I know he also did one with Cascade that had a ribbon head attachment. Never heard one in person.
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Post by Guitar on Feb 26, 2019 16:29:10 GMT -6
Well those are sure talked about a lot. I don't track usually more than four or five musicians at any one time, so I haven't needed a bunch of more stuff. But since I already have the Joly modded 012, I thought that head attachment might be something to pull out in certain situations. I know he also did one with Cascade that had a ribbon head attachment. Never heard one in person. Cool, I've never heard of the ribbon one, that's interesting. I know Joly was doing ribbon mods for a while too. I think I probably learned a few tricks from reading his info. |
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Post by Quint on Feb 26, 2019 16:32:35 GMT -6
I did a session last night where we recorded an Irish bouzouki. I don't have the KM84 to use anymore so I put up a MC-012 (MK-012) and it sounded wonderful. Great sounding SDC for not much money. I was watching some SDC shootouts on YouTube, various acoustic instruments, the MK 012 kind of made my jaw drop on some of them. I think that's why I pulled the trigger, again, (I owned a pair of these years ago.) I wish I had more going on here besides acoustic guitar and hand drums. I should probably buy a fiddle, a uke, mando... hmm. That's how I felt the first time I used a pair of the 012s. They may not be the sexiest name out there and they may not cost that much or be "as good" as the high priced vintage stuff, but I think they sound great, even in stock form. I've kicked around getting my pair modded for years, but I can't ever bring myself to do it because I like them so much as they are. I should probably just buy another pair and mod those. |
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Post by Guitar on Feb 26, 2019 16:45:29 GMT -6
I was watching some SDC shootouts on YouTube, various acoustic instruments, the MK 012 kind of made my jaw drop on some of them. I think that's why I pulled the trigger, again, (I owned a pair of these years ago.) I wish I had more going on here besides acoustic guitar and hand drums. I should probably buy a fiddle, a uke, mando... hmm. That's how I felt the first time I used a pair of the 012s. They may not be the sexiest name out there and they may not cost that much or be "as good" as the high priced vintage stuff, but I think they sound great, even in stock form. I've kicked around getting my pair modded for years, but I can't ever bring myself to do it because I like them so much as they are. I should probably just buy another pair and mod those. I was tempted not to mod mine as well. But of course I couldn't leave well enough alone. It's cheap enough to have two pairs so I say why not? |
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Post by drbill on Feb 26, 2019 17:21:08 GMT -6
And the hypers, and the Fig 8's and ESPECIALLY the JOLY K47H LDC caps!! Those are to die for!! Isn't that the same capsule Joly used in his 319 modifications? I have a pair of those and the 012s. I never bought the K47 attachment for 012 because I thought it would be redundant. Maybe that was wrong. Nope - completely different capsule. To the best of my knowledge, Michael never changed capsules in the 319's. Only the electronics. |
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Post by sirthought on Feb 26, 2019 17:25:10 GMT -6
Isn't that the same capsule Joly used in his 319 modifications? I have a pair of those and the 012s. I never bought the K47 attachment for 012 because I thought it would be redundant. Maybe that was wrong. Nope - completely different capsule. To the best of my knowledge, Michael never changed capsules in the 319's. Only the electronics. I'm 95% certain he did change the capsule. And his ad copy talked endlessly about his developed capsule. I probably have the description of the work somewhere in my files, but it'd be a pain to look up. You could order different levels of service on these. I got the higher level. He did not change capsules on the 012. |
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Post by drbill on Feb 26, 2019 17:33:59 GMT -6
Nope - completely different capsule. To the best of my knowledge, Michael never changed capsules in the 319's. Only the electronics. I'm 95% certain he did change the capsule. And his ad copy talked endlessly about his developed capsule. I probably have the description of the work somewhere in my files, but it'd be a pain to look up. You could order different levels of service on these. I got the higher level. He did not change capsules on the 012. Nope. Not on the 219 or 319. On the Chinese stuff he changed capsules almost everywhere.... |
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Post by svart on Feb 27, 2019 11:15:41 GMT -6
I had the original mc012's from Russia. Bought them in the early 2000's.
Modded them with the mods we came up with on gdiy before Joly stole the mods and started his business up. Definitely opened up the sound some..
But..
Ended up selling them after I got some km184's.
They never held up to the Neumanns.
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Post by Guitar on Feb 27, 2019 11:57:55 GMT -6
I had the original mc012's from Russia. Bought them in the early 2000's. Modded them with the mods we came up with on gdiy before Joly stole the mods and started his business up. Definitely opened up the sound some.. But.. Ended up selling them after I got some km184's. They never held up to the Neumanns. KM184 is my "one that got away" I need to save up for a pair. I never really understood the redheaded step child reputation with them, they always sounded just right to me. I think these modded Oktavas are going to be a little bit darker than the 184 though, they have that dark oktava vibe sort of. Works with my super bright taylor 114. They are even darker and smoother after the C2 mod that I did, compared to the stock tests with the same guitar. The "weirdness" went away after the cap change. It's a satisfying mod because it took me maybe 20 minutes or so for two mics. I'm thinking about the capsule to fet coupling cap but I'm not sure if I'll mess with it. That would be an even easier change. I just don't have the C0G caps in hand |
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Post by rob61 on Feb 27, 2019 12:06:25 GMT -6
I have a pair of Neumann KM-140. Very nice mics. A couple years ago, I purchased a matched pair of the Octava 012s with all three capsules : cardiod, hyper-cardiod, and omni. I did the mod myself (parts were $99 for the matched pair). For what it's worth, I now find myself reaching for the Octava pair more often for guitar, overheads, and grand piano.
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Post by svart on Feb 27, 2019 12:22:39 GMT -6
I had the original mc012's from Russia. Bought them in the early 2000's. Modded them with the mods we came up with on gdiy before Joly stole the mods and started his business up. Definitely opened up the sound some.. But.. Ended up selling them after I got some km184's. They never held up to the Neumanns. KM184 is my "one that got away" I need to save up for a pair. I never really understood the redheaded step child reputation with them, they always sounded just right to me. I think these modded Oktavas are going to be a little bit darker than the 184 though, they have that dark oktava vibe sort of. Works with my super bright taylor 114. They are even darker and smoother after the C2 mod that I did, compared to the stock tests with the same guitar. The "weirdness" went away after the cap change. It's a satisfying mod because it took me maybe 20 minutes or so for two mics. I'm thinking about the capsule to fet coupling cap but I'm not sure if I'll mess with it. That would be an even easier change. I just don't have the C0G caps in hand The km184 are just a tad brighter than the km84 but not overly so, especially not to the degree that folks claim. They still have the same km "thing" in the mid to high frequencies, which I think is mostly the capsule. |
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