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Ah, the AKG C414. An incredibly versatile mic with a rather rich history. Perhaps one of the most ubiquitous studio condenser mics of the last 30 or 40 years, it has spawned a fair few clones from shameless coat-tailers…but of course, what iconic mic hasn’t these days?
AKG/Harman finally updated the 414 a few years back to get rid of those thrice-cursed custom switches (see my previous post). Unfortunately, Harman’s service department no longer provides the covers for these switches on the old model, and I’ve run across quite a few that need them.
The switch covers slide onto the dual layers of the grill and keep dust out of your microphone and complete the look of the body. I recently repaired 3 AKG C414B-ULS as a favor to my alma mater, and one of them was missing two of the switch covers (and had a completely cracked chassis, but that’s a whole other post eventually about the pros and cons of die-cast Zamak framing!).
After fruitlessly trying to chase a few switch covers down, I eventually decided it was time to 3D print my own. I quickly modelled the switch cover in my CAD program, as you can see here.
The first-try model. After printing, I made some fine-tuned adjustments to the final version which I’ve hosted below.
The first print revealed a couple minor imperfections (also, my 7-year-old cheap 3D printer doesn’t do the best with fine details or bridging!), so I made a couple of adjustments to the final file.
One of these is 3D printed from black PLA, and one is the original diecast piece from AKG.
Testing the fit.
So after all that, I’ve decided to host the STL and STP files so that other folks don’t have to go through the same fol-de-rol just to repair their own AKG C414B. Since all 3D printers behave a little differently when it comes to tolerances, I’ve included an STP file so you can tweak it to fit your printer.
Download the STL file for the AKG C414B-ULS and C414B-XLS Plastic Switch Cover here.
Download the STP 3D CAD file for the AKG C414B-ULS and C414B-XLS Plastic Switch Cover here.
Of course, if you don’t want to do your own repairs on this incredibly tricky microphone, you can always email me at derek@vanguardaudiolabs.com. I still do microphones repairs on the side and can get your AKG C414B-ULS or C414B-XLS back up and running whether its capsule cleaning, switch replacement, noise, loss of signal, or something else!
DEREK BARGAEHR
Co-Founder/Mic Nerd, Vanguard Audio Labs
