Screen Swap Season: A Closer Look at Ohma’s Modular Screens
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Time to read 2 min
Every Ohma mic comes with a free screen set through November 30. That means you get to choose your second sound and look. If you’re wondering which screen to pick, this guide walks through how each one changes your microphone and why modularity matters long after the promotion ends.
Technically, we make five screen types: Motif, Stripes, Windows, Scales, and Holes. For this promotion, you’ll get to choose from our three core designs: Motif, Stripes, and Windows, the foundation of the Ohma system that works beautifully across both our condenser and ribbon microphones.
Motif Screen Set
Stripes Screen Set
Windows Screen Set
How the screens work
Each screen attaches magnetically to the front and back of the mic. Swapping them changes how air and sound interact with the capsule or ribbon. The transducer stays the same, but the mic’s frequency balance, transient response, and even plosive handling shift slightly.
Think of it like switching camera lenses. The subject stays the same, but how you frame it changes.
Motif: Balanced and polished
Motif is the all-around performer. It’s the screen we designed first and the one we built every other version around. Motif captures a smooth, natural top end with a rounded low-mid character that works well on nearly any source.
If you’re new to Ohma or need one dependable sound that feels polished without extra EQ, start here. It delivers the clean, recognizable tone most people associate with our microphones.
Stripes: Focused and mid-forward
Stripes is typically our go-to for guitars. It brings out the natural resonances people associate with classic amps and cabs, adding a mid-forward musicality that helps instruments feel punchy and focused.
During a recent Ohma recording workshop, someone tried Stripes on a vocalist who struggled with strong plosives. The result surprised everyone. Because the center of the capsule is slightly less exposed than it is on Motif, the screen softened bursts of air and added a subtle low-end weight. It was an instant fix.
Stripes feels balanced overall, but it naturally draws attention to the midrange. That balance between its controlled top and full low end gives mids more clarity without exaggeration.
Windows: Wide open and honest
Windows is our most open design and also our darkest. It’s almost completely unobstructed, which lets the mic capture sound as naturally as possible.
On ribbons, Windows delivers space and realism, with the richest low-end response of all our screens when placed at a distance. On condensers, it opens up the soundstage while keeping the tone smooth and grounded, giving drums, strings, and live rooms a natural depth that feels larger than life.
Windows is the “what you hear is what you get” option. It reveals the true weight of the source and rewards careful placement.
Why modularity matters
When I was younger, I had one beautiful tube mic on long-term loan. It sounded incredible on everything, so I used it on everything: vocals, guitar, percussion, you name it. But when I mixed the tracks later, the same frequency curve kept stacking up, and the high mids and low end started burying other frequencies.
With Ohma screens, you avoid that buildup. Each screen shifts the response slightly, so you can record multiple instruments with the same mic without those frequencies piling up. It saves time, keeps mixes clean, and makes one mic feel like an entire collection.
Swapping Season
For the Screen Swap Season promotion, you can choose one free set: Motif, Stripes, or Windows with any mic purchased through November 30. Each set matches your mic’s finish and can be swapped in seconds.This offer applies to both ready-to-ship and custom microphones.
After the promotion, additional screens remain available as part of the Ohma modular system for $50–$100, depending on color and finish. You can always expand your collection or experiment with new tones later.
Pro Tip: Always match the front and back screens. Mixing different styles can create unexpected phase effects (which can sound cool… or strange).
Happy swapping!
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