Very nice and concise. I have been cleaning U47s and such for years, I use other solvents I can find in Venezuela, but your best bet IS 99% alcohol (or rubbing alcohol) to not damage that gold plating. Some mics have the connecting screw in the middle, and tightening that is very delicate since it tends to warp the foil if you move it. Be wary and dedicated, do not rush and use magnifying glasses to see mini-faults. Great video, appreciated...!

Nice! Just received a friends AT 4040 so seeing a vid like this is great for learning capsule maintenance while I figure out why there is no output. Thank you!

Thanks so much. Been looking for information from what least appears credible and experienced sources on this topic. 90% Tell you NO...and NEVER..when it comes to capsule cleaning..but I know better. Thank you sir. Do you have any further advice or input that may pertain to tube amplified microphones? I’ll assume no..but figured I might as well ask while thanking you. P.S. I do a lot of work on micro electronics. About a year ago I put away my magnifying clip-on/flip in magnifiers for something that works substantially better for me. I had my “last” larger screen Cell Phone. I affixed it to an adjustable mount. Now I use it as my magnifier..it magnifies AMAZING. The pixel resolution is such that the digital zoom even is more than enough to outclass my magnifiers.As well..it has the very bright LED on it that is much better than dodging around or tilting objects to see minute debris or markings on IC chips. I just leave the charge cord plugged to it while it’s in use. Figured I’d mention as it may be a good tool for you as well. @FreddysFrets

I dabbled in capsule cleaning several years back, honestly had great success. Have to have a steady hand as to not apply too much pressure and accidentally damage the membrane (some people may not be able to do this), and of course use very soft brushes, but totally doable. I had some MICs that would cut out / make noise if you even lightly got near them with your breath, but after some careful cleaning, they worked 100% again. Replacing the capsules seems totally unnecessary when many can be cleaned. Nice video on the subject, wasn't much at all on this process years ago. Good work as well.

Excellent tutorial! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks. Two 414 to be cleaned. Old ones that sounds pretty dull. Great help

Excellent! Not only well done but well voiced throughout. Thank you.

The precision of a surgeon.

Don't do like I do, listen to this man! I just screwed apart my ~10 year old Røde NT1-A because the XLR bit became lose recently (because I started to use a tightly fitting cable probably). I didn't find a way to repair the XLR bit, could glue it in maybe... Anyway, I saw similar debris on the diaphragm and proceeded to clean it with cotton buds and water because I had none of that fancy stuff at home. I managed to puncture or rather peel off the diaphragm in two places. Not sure yet whether it sounds better with damage than with debris. Can't tell yet as it's drying in the sun. Almost certainly a bad idea as well.

Thank you for sharing your skill set!

Watching in 2020.... Worked like a charm.... Thanks so much man....

Great video, thanks! Is that a dry brush you're using on the high impedance board initially? Are you brushing over the gold contacts as well before applying contact solution?

Usually, 2 ways are used to deposit a thin layer of gold on the mic membrane: electroplating and sputtering. The first is cheap, but the film that is formed is more fragile and usually has less adherence. Sputtering is a more expensive process (the metal is vaporized in a stream of electrons, in a low pressure chamber, and this metal vapor is the one that adheres to what we want to cover) but the adherence is much greater. Reading the comments, there are many who "peeled" their capsule, that's almost certainly a sign that the capsule was electroplated, not sputtered. (in an old Rode brochure, they specify that the NT1A capsule is "gold plated", while the K2 is "gold sputtered") I don't know if they keep the same processes now, check the specifications of your mics before doing anything

Nice work! It got like new and crisp!

What a great video . Thanks a million .

I really appreciated your video, and then assembled everything I'd need to clean my own C414. First, I thought I'd practice on my old Rode NT1A, the 25% alcohol solution took the gold right off the capsule! Cold fear and cold feet for me, I think I'll re-think cleaning the C414, it's the most expensive mic I own.

Hi, thanks for this great video. I just used your video as a guide to repair a loud hum i used to have on mine. The hum is gone but i still get some interference when my finger touches the pad or filter switches (not the pattern). But its gone when i take it out.

Really well done video. Nice Job.

Astounding technique! Do you think it would it be useable for cleaning an electret condenser?

Really really useful video mate, thank you!!

Thanks a lot! I got a problem in my AKG P170. Do you ever fix one smal diafragm condenser mic? Thanks

Great info! Thanks!

Wow. It was very brave. I have to do the same with my MXL cr89...

Excellent video. I was wondering, would this process work on an Audix Om5 hypercardioid?

Maaaan, thank you I was just about to buy a new microphone but I'll make sure to try this first

Excellent video THANKS for info. Could you do a video on mics that work for a period then cuts out then work again 10 minutes later or cuts out when vocalist comes to close and let's out a big note. Rode NT1 guilty as charged

Wouldn't it be wiser starting from the end and keeping the work on the golden covered membrane as last move? Cleaning step by step the desk each time?

Hi @FreddysFrets ! Hi have a quick question : for a Dynamic microphones the cleaning process is the same? (I want to try to clean a vintage Davoli Krundaal K607 capsule) . Thank you so much!

Hi Freddy, I own a C214 and im trying to find out if I could paint again the chasis because the paint is constantly pulling off. Is there any inconvenient ?

What capsule does a mxl 4000 use? I need to replace it because i was cleaning it and took gold off

thank you for this! i have an old U87 capsule that Neumann said about... " we cannot clean capsules" that was in '92, so i replaced the cap, but kept the original. i will put it into a kit i am building

Great instruction! Thank you very much! Please, answer for 3 questions: 1) Can I clean my Shure SM7B this way? 2) Capsule of SM7B has a complex structure, and I'm not sure that I can take it apart to clean all the layers. So I have idea to immerse it in a bath of alcohol or distilled water, and then dry it. Is this a bad idea? 3) Can I clear the capsule by isopropyl alcohol (I heard, that isopropyl alcohol better then regular alcohol)?

Great guide! There's an AKG C4000B that is not noisy but sounds like a lowpass filter is applied to it's sound. Do you think cleaning might help with such a condition or you have some sort of advice for me? Thanks in advance!

Very helpfull... Thank you very much...

Nice! Thank you. You know you can buy special qtips with no lint ...

BIG ISSUE... I did exactly what you shared to a RODE NT2000... Can you tell me why the gold color on the mylar on the capsule started to melt off and what affect that might have on the mic. You can see through the mylar as it made it more clear in a spotty pattern...

Top Video Sir. Thank you for making this Vid.

Very nice!!! Do you have a video cleaning the U87ai? I have 2 and the problem is in 1 capsule. I changed the capsules and the bodys of each one and the problem is in the capsule of one of them. The sound is off, appears for a while and go way, appears again and go way again. How can I fix it?

In you opinion its worth paying extra 150 euro for the shockmount? For the TLM 103 ?

I might clean it but only would try distilled water....is it worth it tho?

Hello. Can cleaning also be done with demineralized water? Thanks.

Good video I started to put a full time pantyhose sock on all my condenser mics. It is a section of pantyhose material that is wrapped around the grill section and held with an elastic band around the mic. The pantyhose material filters out the high frequency shrills and protects the Condenser capsule.

thanks a lot for this uniq video. it helped me to clean my c414 :) peace!

Can you clarify what is the difference between brushes?

Excellent. Many Thanks.

how do u stop the constant buzzing and it freaking oit

great video. thanks a lot

Chiming in that on my SP-B1 LDC mic (which had become too noisy due to improper storage anyways, and is cheap so no biggie) the first solution made the gold flake off, thus requiring a new capsule, rendering the old one broken. Oh well! Might work better on more expensive diaphragms perhaps?

Can you explain again...alcohol and water mixing percentage??

Hi Tomxico here from Portugal. My studio condenser mic works just fine but sometimes then the signal is very low or even vanish away. Is there a bad condenser or something ? It's not about fantom Power cos I have oneother condenser mic and works just fine. Can someone help me ? Please I am locked a home due to the virus. Health to you all.

Thanks for the education, I'm considering doing this same procedure to my very dirty Neumann U67 capsule. I'd like to try and save some $$$ because sending it off to get it done will be expensive. If I do it exactly as you demonstrate do you foresee any problems being a vintage Neumann ??

I get this intermittent low frequency rumble whenever I try using my microphone. I suspect humidity might be responsible because I live in the RGV close to the coast.

I touched and rubbed mine with my t shirt and spit now a little part of the mylar came off. Should I be worried even though it works?

Can I do this same stuff with Rode NT-1 A?

Great video, but have a question, can i rub the same way, a Perception 200 capsul diafragm? Cause there's a wire conected right in the middle of the capsule (as the U87 capsule), so i don't know what to do, thanks for your help

I've a ground co'nnecting problem, when I press the grids the ground re connected.,. what can I do. thks master

I might experiment like this on a cheap Chinese mic but when the mics are high dollar, I might send them out, if a shop wrecks it, they eat it. I would think that a fine dry flat artists brush would remove loose dust materials from a diaphram without soaking it. Were these mics used in a barn or something?

Around 9:12 there is a cut. The debris collected on the capsule, how do you get that off, just using the brush, or do you use the dried brush like in the next session to pull it off?

Hello. What Brand distilled water did you Use ?

it looks like glued mebrane. doesnt the alcohol desolve the glue?

Thank you bro

Thanks for this tutorial

Do you just slow-dry the capsule by leaving it alone for several hours?

Thanks a lot!

Also, can the water get inside the capsule somehow, like through the outside edge?

Whats the reason for using 3 studio monitors? great video!

Dip the entire mic in tyre shine! Job done!

hi, I have and old akg c414xlii, and in the pas, sunds perfect, but from about 3 monts agou, it does not soun anymore, only makes a bad noise when i conec it, and its soud just a litle, what dou think about that. please help i am en Dom. Rep., and there are not replacement here.

Is it possible to use pure ethanol (household spiritus without bittering agents) instead of isopropyl alcohol?

can you tell me what happens if the diaphram gets a small puncture? (I was working on a mic doing a mount repair for the element and ended up doing some tiny tiny indentations in the gold side. the other side looks like a plastic disk.

Nice cleaning friend..👍🎙🙂☕🇲🇨🙏thank you gor sharing ..🙏🙏🙂☕🇲🇨

awesome dude!

Would this also work with Hydrogen Peroxide 3%? Mold issues.

All that with a camera in his lap. Nice work!

I don't know why microphones capsule cleaning vidoes make me feel relaxed

How does a microphone get dirty??? I always use a pop filter and never keep it exposed outside of the box for over a few hours or I will cover it with a plastic bag on the mic stand

Hello, do you also do c414 repairs?

Thank you so much for this video!

Are you using natural or synthetic brushes? Are the white ones synthetic?

What about using no fluid and just lightly using a brush to get rid of the dust and build-up? I feel like this might still help and be safer for cheaper mics.

Can I do that to my Rode NT1A? Suddenly the signal it's receiving is way too low.... And the company experts say maybe it has some fungus on it..... They are asking for a huge amount of money for the cleaning and servicing plus way too much time

Try using a pop filter to avoid the spit and moisture accumulation

Hi. I have a neumman m149. The problem is that the volume of mic, goes down and goes up. It is posible that can be a diapraghm problem?

Well Done! I just put mine in the dishwasher on gentle cycle and all done! Thanks for sharing!

yes sir.my c 214. needs this. nicotine is also bad for these capsules. thanks

I would not suggest to do this with your microphone capsule. I have done the same very carefully step by step like in this tutorial and now parts of gold has detached from my Rode nt1000 capsule. very disappointing

Bravo Bravissimo!

thanks !

nice video

For the last step, a natural fiber brush as used for watercolor painting would suck up the water

How much would you charge to clean a U87 Microphone?

Felix TheCat is correct I did this to a cheap CAD mic(as a test) and hosed it.

Why not blow dry with compressed air ?

Hi, I have a problem with my Rode Nt2a. I sent him to repair ... I was told he took moisture and can not fix it ... that I can throw it. Sometimes it makes a noise, a breath. According to you, can I fix it by cleaning the capsule? But should I do it for the sides of the capsule? Sorry for my poor English. Great video. Thank you in advance.

Why not soak the grills in some Alcohol, and dry with a lint free cloth, then with compressed air? I know they do not affect the sound, but if there is spit and dirt on the diaphragms there is more on the grills; it might make them smell fresher.

Hello, my name is Diego and i lve in Brasil.I have an C414 that are working but have a low h=gain issue.Can you help me with this? im asking for help because i can not find an schematic online .Thanks in advance.

wouldnt you want to finish with an alcohol-heavy solution for the drying benefits?

3 years ago, I don't know why you didn't use cotton to suck the water up?

What happens when a condenser microphone loses signal for about 3 seconds and comes back on and works great for 2 minutes and does this all over again?

A gentle hand will rule the land 🙂