The Oktava MK-012 (and MC-012) have garnered attention for years as an affordable yet surprisingly high quality small diaphragm condenser microphone—one of the few cheaper condensers not known for being plagued with a harsh high end. Though the PCBs are very fragile and therefore this mod may be best reserved for experienced DIYers, replacing a few resisters, capacitors, and the FET in these mics can drastically improve the sound and noise performance.

Full instructions for the mod are available from Scott Dorsey’s article for Recording Magazine.

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