AKG P420 - Modified!

In which I review and then modify the AKG P420 (Perception 420).
This is one massive nerdy video!
CORRECTIONS:
-The mod makes the AKG P420 emulate a VINTAGE U87i. Not the U87ai as I say in this video.
-There are NOT two capsules back-to-back inside the P420, instead it is ONE capsule with back-to-back diaphragms.
-What can I say? I suck at things.
Buy the AKG P420 here: geni.us/VRhCHmz
Check out The Microphone Assassin: / @markyoshimotonemcoff
Watch The Microphone Assassin (Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff) compare the modified Perception 420 with the Neumann U87ai: • AKG Perception 5 Minut...
The link to KingKorg’s original mod:
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Feel free to skip to your desired chapter:
00:00 - Intro
02:45 - The P420
06:38 - A Closer Look
09:35 - Polar Patterns
10:57 - The Mod
12:24 - The Result
13:55 - Modded vs Unmodded
15:32 - A Song
17:32 - Conlusions
#AKGperception420 #AKG #AKGP420 #AKGmod #p420mod #ModifyP420 #micmod #micbuilders #capacitorswap #AKGmodification #moddedakg
With the exception of the music playing while I’m modifying the microphone, all music in this video is my own.
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-Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K - geni.us/y3TFQiW
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-Tiffen Black Pro Mist 1/8 - geni.us/rBCR
-Atomos Shinobi 5 Field Monitor - geni.us/vWBwh
-Samsung T7 Shield SSD - geni.us/0WajH6
-Canon M50 - geni.us/kUd0LJ
-Sigma 30mm 1.4 EF-M Lens - geni.us/Xh1wAHf
-Sennheiser HD25 Headphones - geni.us/gIEZ4U
-Neewer 120cm Motorized Slider - geni.us/eDOk
-Artcise 72" Video Tripod - geni.us/M7NjsSV
-Manfrotto BeFree Tripod - geni.us/EAECO
-Manfrotto Mini Tripod (MixPre Mount) - geni.us/EQiY
-Godox ML60 Continuous Light - geni.us/Slgnq7
-Aputure MC RGB Lights - geni.us/qPaezrp
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-GVM 480 LS LED light panel (backlight) - geni.us/IqFc
-Pixel G1s RGB Light - geni.us/YA23o
-Godox M1 RGB Light - geni.us/sTxzQSW
-Canadian Studio 5-in-1 Reflector - geni.us/rk7Y
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[@MarkYoshimotoNemcoff]

Great video! Love it! It sounds excellent on you. Thank you for the shout out and helping to spread the truth about this AKG that "Big Mics" is trying to hide from you. That song should be played at every High School Prom from now on.

[@TheRecordist]

Hahahaha. You just made me spit out my coffee. Hahahaha. Cheers, man!

[@wychwoodmusic]

BIG MICS

[@alex_montoya]

I really enjoy your quaint channel. It gives me peace of mind as well as good info. Keep it on!

[@TheRecordist]

Thanks very much! Cheers!

[@Ed-davies]

Another awesome video, the cap certainly took the harshness out of the mic, not that the unmodded is bad! The song was epic 😂

[@TheRecordist]

I agree fully! And thanks so much! Haha

[@mikebauer6917]

Bird-based length measurement? 100% pure Canadian.

[@TheRecordist]

Hahahahaha

[@Fl4ppers]

I used to be an AKG fan, but the recent move to that poverty-pay-rate factory in Hungary has lost a lot of respect from me. The quality of the cases is poor. The paint scratches a lot easier now. The case isnt aligned properly so the seal when shutting is now awkward and iffy. One of the feet full-on fell off and got lost whilst in transit to a gig. ....I bought 2x c414s from them about a year back and the stereo pair has a mismatch in the frequency analysis I did with the spectrography. I double checked all buttons were in the same positions and did the measurements again and got the same results. .....I too thought about getting a 420 to mod. Had one in the basket at £149, went to purchase and suddenly noticed the price hiked to £175. This was on Amazon. Someone is monitoring the baskets (or using bots/automation to do it) it seems. Cancelled my order and went and ordered an Austrian Audio pencil instead.

[@TheRecordist]

Wow. I didn’t know that. I do have some contempt for the new brass at AKG (Samsung) and do say as much in the video. It’s a shame they sold out. Glad you went to Austrian Audio instead! That’s what I’d do!

[@Fl4ppers]

@@TheRecordist I have a lot of old AKGs here, built up a collection over the 30 years of recording. The quality even in the cheap ranges used to be pretty great. I'm not into telling anyone to avoid a brand, but had to share my experiences. Lewitt and SE do a great job in that cost cutting idealism imo, and I understand are now sharing more of the profits with the workers.

[@wychwoodmusic]

Damn that sounds rich. Sounding that good with 3 polar patterns for a few hundred bucks?! This seems like cheating, but then as an addict with no money, I have no ethics, especially when it comes to BIG MICS.

[@TheRecordist]

Hahaha. Yes indeed. Rich is a great word for it!

[@Myuzu]

Have done same mod with 680pF and then with 470pF cap. 680pF cap removes too much highs for my taste, especially on instruments like piano.

[@TheRecordist]

Oooh. I might try the pF470 and see what that sounds like!

[@MargaretAudrey-v8q]

Rodriguez Jessica Rodriguez Timothy Young Melissa

[@TheRecordist]

All very fine names.

[@audiofreq]

Samsung seriously just destroyed a historic company. I now hate them with a fiery passion.

[@timotheusmiller]

That song was brilliant.

[@TheRecordist]

Thanks so much!

[@DWHarper62]

Actually, I find the P420 to not be as bright as many other "cheap" condensors... But it does sound better...

[@TheRecordist]

I agree it wasn’t the brightest mic. Still had that cheap sounding top end. Not as bad as many others. Totally agree.

[@narrator-timothymckean]

Wow! That mic is selling for $149? No wonder my used mics aren't selling on FB Marketplace. Will this replace your SE 4400?

[@TheRecordist]

Haha. Yes. Super cheap. But no, this won’t replace my sE4400. That mic is one of the best made for an allrounder. Also, different mics, different flavors. It’s good to have a diverse mic locker!

[@DearNoobs]

I should probably have a decent mic for my amateur radio setup.. the stock ones are usually a bit 'meh'. i know nothing of mics ... i guess i have to watch ALL the TPS videos now..

[@TheRecordist]

Hey! Haha. Thanks for watching! I’m currently studying for my amateur radio certificate as well! I’d love to be able to use some of my mics with radios!

[@northcoaststudios]

The background singers really fill in the song when "they' come in. Such a great sound. There also seemed to be an instrument or two I couldn't recognize. Yes, this is something I would do......IF.....I wasn't up to my eyes in other things, and I have a large diaphragm condenser I am already happy with. It's great to see these videos on ways to improve a cheaper mic to get the quality sound we seek. That goes right up my alley with getting the best bang for my buck........or for being cheap. ;)

[@TheRecordist]

Hey thanks! I think that instrument might be my electric guitar. I have a pedal called Freqout which allows only feedback sounds when switched on. I can control it like a theremin. Add some delay and it’s a really cool sound! And yes, modifying stuff to make them way better is my jam! Thanks for always watching and leaving thoughtful comments!

[@analog4ever25]

Juicy!! Thanks for sharing. I bought a P420 recently and will try this mod on it. If I'm feeling adventurous, maybe I'll try and dig further into the circuit and see if that low-cut frequency can be made more useful (seems like it might be just a one-resistor change - not totally sure yet) ... What low-cut frequency to target? 120 Hz? 150 Hz?

[@TheRecordist]

Hey no worries! I’ve put all the relevant links in my description for the video. In case you need more specifics. Yeah, that low cut at 300Hz. How weird. What would anyone use that for other than maybe a violin or maybe a flute? Well, maybe it’s exactly for those. Haha. I would shoot for no higher than 120Hz. Even an 80Hz would be plenty for a lot of situations. But for music, 120Hz is great. If you DO figure that out, let me know!

[@analog4ever25]

@@TheRecordist Traced out the circuit inside my P420 today - as near as I can tell, it's not a 300 Hz filter, but actually about a 100 Hz cutoff, 2nd order. And this part of the circuit wasn't copied from the U87... Anyway, seems like maybe they have a typo in the spec sheet? Gory details in the groupdiy thread. Cheers!

[@analog4ever25]

Oh, and while I'm here... I may as well confess that I also impulse bought a Takstar TAK55. For $109 on amazon (less on aliexpress), it's... uh... well I think we have another bargain sleeper to challenge all those Bai Fe Lis! I don't have an sE4400, but very curious to hear a comparison since that seems to be what the TAK55 is aiming at.

[@TheRecordist]

@@analog4ever25 oh. Haha. Really? That would be quite a massive typo that just never got corrected. Haha. That’s crazy! Thanks for telling me!

[@TheRecordist]

@@analog4ever25 the TAK55 you say? Hmm. Let me see if I can get a hold of one. On Amazon Canada it’s listed at $350. At that price, better to go with the sE4100. But I remain curious!

[@jongugin9621]

So glad you did this video. I have a p420 but I was considering switching to the se4400 after the video you did on it. I still think I like sound of the 4400, but this mod definitely improves the p420. Curious to know which you prefer after using them. The modded p420 or se4400?

[@TheRecordist]

Hey. Thanks! Well, I prefer the sE4400 because it’s an almost perfect mic all on its own. The 4400 doesn’t sound anything like a U87. It sounds like itself, and that self is one of the best mics I’ve ever tried. I can’t recommend that mic enough.

[@jongugin9621]

@TheRecordist thanks for the reply! Yeah I love the full low end sound of the 4400 with that bit of texture on top. Might get it and maybe try the mod on the 420 as well. Actually really like the p420 for acoustic guitar, not so much for my voice though. Keep up the good work! Great channel

[@andrewrice9383]

I like the modded sound

[@TheRecordist]

So do I! Cheers!

[@badtweed2087]

Ok video. Way too long. Seems that you have an audience for the long so called entertaining blab. For me, I wasn't really entertained, this just wasted my time. But thanks for the info, that part was helpful.

[@TheRecordist]

Happy to have helped.

[@StopSignals]

Sorry dude, I love your videos so much, but today I have to say that there is a big mistake here. Mark worked with a blue mic and it is truly a clone of the U87 because it has a transformer. All blue Perception`s have. However, Perception`s became black P for a reason. Blacks do not have transformers and therefore have a modified circuit. If you want a proper clone - look for the blue full name Perception, not just P. I modified my Perception 120 several years ago and achieved good sound by replacing the capsule with an Octave MK102 capsule.

[@MarkYoshimotoNemcoff]

P420 has a transformer, too. As does the P220.

[@TheRecordist]

Thanks for watching! I do believe you can see the transformer in the video. It’s rather big. Can’t miss it. The Octave MK102 capsule swap is rather interesting, though.