If you asked me last year if I was interested in modding a microphone, my response would have been, “No way.”
First of all, I hadn’t even opened up a mic to see what was inside, much less have the skills to solder anything on a circuit board. — Come to think of it, I don’t think I even knew what was INSIDE a mic body, other than the capsule!
But then again, that was last year at this time.
How would I know, out of curiosity, I would begin wondering why my first “professional” studio mic would start sounding “eshy” or sibilant. Even to the point of hurting my ears. — Was I listening on my headphones too loud? Perhaps.
Anyway, that’s how my slippery slide down the mic modding rabbit hole began.
In one four-day stretch, I read (and learned) more about microphones than I ever previously wanted to know. Where did I learn, you ask? Well, for starters, it was in forums. Then, by visiting websites of mic-modders. Guys who would hot rod your mic. Using words like, “smooth”, “silky”, “airy”… and other descriptions that might not be so enticing unless, like me, you couldn’t get that screechiness from your own mic out of your head.
Enter Microphone-Parts.com.
Suddenly, I hit the motherlode. More information about mics, than I could digest in just one sitting. — So, I digested in many, many sittings.
That’s right, there was so much information these guys had about more mics than I even knew existed. I knew right then and there, if I was going to mod my own mic, I was going to get one of the capsules they offer. Mine would be an RK47, for my Rode NT1A. That ought to help those high frequencies from hurting my ear drums.
Besides capsules, they sell mic mod kits, DIY microphone kits, and also have Tutorials. These guys know their stuff.
Anyway, before you shell out over $1000 for any mic, do yourself a favor, and visit Microphone-Parts.com and educate yourself about how your prospective mic measures up. They have a database of mic information, with their own comments about each mic. — Not like info you read in marketing material. They give it it to you straight.
You never know. You might end up building your own.