MXL 990 Simple Mod: Pics & Clips

[abaga129]

I did a little research and found on multiple places that people had taken the inner screen on the head basket out of the 990 and said that it really "opened it up" Since it's an inexpensive mic, I figured why not?



Inside of the Headbasket with the screen removed


Decided to put a little foam around the inside of it to dampen any possible resonating.


The only source I had available to test with was a little 15watt Marshall amp and my Barber Direct Drive. So I reamped guitar tracks through it. I was very careful to get the mic placement as close as possible both times.


Before:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/56167527/Stock 990.mp3

After:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/56167527/Modded 990.mp3

So what do you guys think? Was it a positive improvement? I know it is definitely noticeable.
I also have a mod kit in the mail that I ordered off of ebay. It's just a few caps and resistors that are higher quality than the ones in it but is supposed to make a pretty good improvement. Maybe one day I'll buy a K-47 capsule and make this thing a beast.

 

[FarBeyondMetal]

To me it is noticeable but not a night and day difference. I actually prefer the slightly less bright tone that the unmodified mic has on guitar, but I have a feeling on vocals or as a room mic it would benefit from the added brightness of the mod.

 

[abaga129]

Now that I've listened to it again I think you're right. Last night I was on the other side of the fence.

 

[rvs0002]

Throw a new capsule in there and you'll really have a nice mic. You can get a replacement capsule for around 100 bucks that will blow that one away and it is a very easy mod to do.

 

[abaga129]

I intend to do that sometime in the near future actually! I'm also expecting that "mod kit" to come in the mail today or tomorrow and i'll post some clips of the difference those make to it as well. I'm glad i bought this mic a few years ago because it's turning out to be a great platform for DIY stuff.

 

[JonWormwood]

I bought enough parts to mod 2 990 and 2 991 but never did. Bought some oktavas instead.

http://microphone-parts.com/mod-kits/mxl-990-upgrades/

 

[abaga129]

Nice. Those are a bit out of my price range In trying to expand my mix locker though. I'm trying to get a decent but inexpensive overhead pair (probably behringer C-2's or mxl 603's), an Audi i5, and I'm not sure about a kick mic. I want a D6 but they are pretty pricey.

 

[JonWormwood]

Nice. Those are a bit out of my price range In trying to expand my mix locker though. I'm trying to get a decent but inexpensive overhead pair (probably behringer C-2's or mxl 603's), an Audi i5, and I'm not sure about a kick mic. I want a D6 but they are pretty pricey.

I've got 603 that aren't so bad. There's a bunch of info on modding if you are handy

 

[LBTM]

anybody got tests with that mod in anything else than guitars?

in these clips the difference is big..!

 

[abaga129]

Unfortunately guitar was all I had to test with and I couldnt find clips anywhere on the interwebz. I just kinda took a risk

A few days ago I used the "mod kit" that i ordered for it and did the exact same test. Mic position on each was as similar as I could get.

Here's Before:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/56167527/Part 2 Before.mp3

And After:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/56167527/Part 2 After.mp3

It's not a huge difference, but I think it sounds a little clearer now.

All I did was replaced c3 c4 and c13 with higher quality caps.

 

[bobdamit]

Have a look at what Rock Science does with these (and other) mics. https://rockscience.net/mic-custom-shop/