"...upgrade the inexpensive Oktava
012 mic from
good
to phenomenal"
Recording Magazine
The
modification replaces all the critical electronic parts with
higher
quality parts, making a good microphone sound even better. It improves
the high
and low end response, detail, and lowers the noise level. If your
microphones
are not in good working order
before the modification there may be an reasonable additional repair
charge. The repair fee will range from $15 to a max of $54,
depending on the complexity of the repair.
If you would
like to do
the modification yourself, all the parts are available in kit form with
complete instructions
Brand
new
012 mics benefit just as much as older ones.
On searching the
Internet I find a
significant amount of
confusion on this
topic. Many speculate that brand new
012’s have all the improvements already incorporated, so the
modification will
have no effect on performance. This is
simply not true. Here are the facts, based on years of experience
working with
these microphones. New mics have two basic changes in addition to
serial
numbers. (1) New mics are slightly longer to accommodate a new style
XLR base.
(2) Oktava no longer uses any wet-slug
capacitors in the 012. Old mics
typically used wet-slug caps for C3, C4, and C5, and sometimes even C2.
These
wet-slug caps are prone to leakage and can even damage the circuit
board. Most
new mics use BBC caps, like the ones in the kit, for C3, C4, and C5.
But
beware; even brand new mics can use different brands of lower quality
and
various values. The majority of the sound improvement comes from the
changes on
the front of the board, where Oktava has made no improvements. In fact
I see
more variation of factory parts than on older mics. So YES, the sound
improvement from modification is just as evident on new mics as older
ones!
The
modification is
only for
true
Russian made Oktava's. True Russian
Oktava
012's came with the 10db pad and the metal mic clip and can
be
labeled MC or MK 012. Only newer ones (2002) have serial numbers. Click
HERE
for more info on fake
Oktava 012's.
Good soldering skills are
required to
perform the
modification, especially the premium mod. The Circuit board is small
and delicate and can be easily
damaged. If you do not feel comfortable doing the
modification
yourself,
you should send your mic(s) in for modification.
A
difference you can Hear!
"Greetings
from Australia.Thought i'd drop you a line and confirm the 012 mod is a
must
for all 012's .It's cheeze & chalk difference!! .Amazing
clarity
compared
to the original .I will not be parting with these mic's ever.Even the
tech who
did the mod was amazed!!In fact i might buy 2 more Oktava 012's and
respective
mod kits regards Robert b Dillon Aria Award winning Recording
Engineer:Blues&Roots. Melbourne Australia"
Robert B. Dillon
Emre
"One thing is for certain, these little mics sound great now and are far more useful. In some cases, I might even go to them instead of my KM184s."
Joseph Bregande"
The
kit contains
the
following parts, individually packaged and labeled:
- R1 - 1G Thick Film Resistor
- R2 - 1G Thick Film Resistor
- C1 - COG ceramic capacitor
- C2
-
Tantalum capacitor (C2
Film by-pass capacitor now also included!)
- C3 - electrolytic capacitor
- C4 - electrolytic capacitor
- C5 - electrolytic capacitor
- Q1 - Toshiba Audio FET
- Q2 - Toshiba transistor
- Instructions
US domestic shipping is FREE regardless of the number of kits purchased. Available to addresses worldwide: International shipping is a fixed $20 regardless of the number of kits purchased.
For the modification service, return USPS Priority Mail shipping is a
fixed $17.00 for the first microphone and $7 for each additional
microphone. This includes $250 insurance for each microphone. The modification service is
available internationally, please send an email for a return shipping
estimate.
Sales
tax
added to sales in Massachusetts.
If you do not want to use the shopping cart please send an email.
-NEW- I now offer the Premium Modification for the 012 in a kit. The premium mod provides a slight improvement in clarity over the standard mod for those who want the very best. The premium mod uses four 1G resistors in the front end. Please only consider doing this yourself if you have experience working with small electronics, the space is very tight.
Quantities can be changed in the shopping cart.