Oktava MK-012 - worth the hype?

Hi Guys,

I've read a lot about the MK-012's on here, and am looking for a stereo pair of small diaphragm condenser microphones, the MK-012's are right in budget, but are there a better more versatile pair for the price?

Looking to use them to record anything from choirs, to acoustic guitars, and drum overheads.

Thanks,

Jampottt

Edit: Okay, I'll throw another little curveball in. Is the Joly $99 mod worth it too. Or is there a better alternative for $99 more than the RRP of the Oktava microphones?

[DaveUK]

The matched pair with 10 db pad, cardiod ,hyper and omni capsules are great and pretty versatile
Love mine!

[Bill@WelcomeHome]

I too bought the whole kit, back when they were quite pricy by todays standards. They stood up well against some stiff competition. I don't know what has happened though, so be careful what you buy... there were some counterfit copies running around. You can probably find out the details on the net. In the end they were not quite good enough for my uses, but at the price point they were quite a bargain.

[edva]

Modded with the omni cap sounds damn good. Depending on what you pay for them, certainly among the best for the price, IMHO.

[Jan1973]

I have two pairs; one with all capsules, one with just cardioids. I also have the figure 8 converter.

I use them on overheads (primary choice, I also have AKG 414, 214, 451, and KM 184 pairs at my disposal), acoustic guitar, choirs, orchestras (both pairs usually, omni for room wide-stereo, cardioid for OTRF in front of something, most of the times choir), just as you mentioned.

But they're usually also my high and mid tom goto (two cardioids), you can do M/S of the drumset with them instead or in addition to overheads, and they're quite good on guitar amps and also very interesting sometimes on bass amps.

I love them, best alround mics I have, and then they're extremely affordable as well.

I also like my pair of Rode M3 quite well, not as versatile though. I don't find myself using the AKGs so much in pairs as you'd expect. They're great on vocals (414), snare (214), hihat (451), but none beat the Oktavas in stereo applications for me, nor do the Neumanns (184).

[Bill@WelcomeHome]

Oh, watch the fit and finish, the screw threads can be a problem... cheap milling, rough finish. I did have to send a set back for replacement.

Okay, I'll throw another little curveball in. Is the Joly $99 mod worth it too. Or is there a better alternative for $99 more than the RRP of the Oktava microphones?

[Bill@WelcomeHome]

I'm not much for modding budget gear. Others highly disagree. I tend to buy classics because I want "that" sound. There is no question that the various possible mods to these cheap mics usually improve them in any number of areas, but you've basically put a lot of chrome and lights on a Civic. (Nothing wrong with a Civic.) If you try to sell it, expect to take a total loss on the mods (and buying with an eye towards re-selling is a questionable practice, unless you'd rather sell gear than be a musician.)

The usual rave with any mod is that 'IT SOUNDS GREAT!!!!'. That is all well and good, but it no longer sounds like what it was, and it doesn't really sound like anything else (in spite of possible claims...) so what do you have? I'd just as soon buy something better and get on with it. (And I'm a guy who built his first guitar amp from scratch, even bending the chassis, to try to save a buck.... been down that road. I still make stuff that I can make, but I leave the electronics, beyond cabling, to the pros.)

These days everyone seems to be hurting for money, and there are a LOT of AKG 451s and 460s on the used market as well as some well-thought of cheaper name brands. I would buy something like that rather than buy a budget solution then have it modified. Then I know what I've got and what to expect from it. I also know that potential clients are going to like to see AKG over Octava any day, even if I do try to convince them that these modded ones are better.

[John N]

Stock they are very good: much warmer and less toppy, with great midrange detail than most SDCs in that price range. Add the $99 Joly mod and you have a world class keeper mic that will find a permanent home in most mic lockers.

Obviously a single mic is not right for every situation, hence having a variety of mics is great. For me they shine on acoustic guitars and the like.

jn

[TurboJets]

You mean after finding thread after thread after thread on the internet about 012's?

Hundreds of threads spanning at least a decade now.

Is the 012 worth it?

Nah, don't even bother man. Spend your money on something else.

Just get a pair of 57's and be done with it.

[mcgruff]

Anything better at the price? No.

Joly? Yup! Still a good mic without the mod though.

[chet.d]

MJ mod + omni capsule -
.......... + M1 capsule -

[Jimbo]

I didn't like mine for recording. I found it woolly.

When I bought my Beyer MC930s I sold the Octava quickly.

Back when they were <$100 it was a good deal. There is better competition in the current price bracket.

- Jim

[Yerba]

Depending on exactly how far you can stretch your budget (guessing there's a little room since you're considering mods, etc), you'd do well to investigate both the Beyerdynamic MC930's that Jimbo recommends, or a matched pair of Josephson c42's.

Depending on the deal you get and what capsules/modding you're thinking of, the Joesphsons shouldn't cost much more than the the Oktavas, and the Beyers only slightly more than that.

I prefer both to the Oktavas for acoustic guitar either one mic or stereo, but there are definitely those that swear by the 012's.

Either way, yes. They're worth the money.

edit: also, if you go with the Oktavas, make sure you buy from someone reputable or really do your research first. I forget the whole story but there were quite a few Chinese counterfeits floating around, I think making their way through Guitar Center and some other big chains about 10 years ago.

I couldn't tell you exactly what the giveaway is because I've never personally seen the counterfeits, but I remember hearing that you could tell by looking at the screws, in addition to what was written on them.

[Yerba]

Here, found it for you:

Untitled Document

What to look for to avoid counterfeits.

[jpgerard]

The Line Audio CM3 is a good alternative, very tight tolerances, a lot more neutral/balanced than an MC012 with whatever capsule you screw on and very affordable.

[drBill]

Originally Posted by jampottt

Okay, I'll throw another little curveball in. Is the Joly $99 mod worth it too. Or is there a better alternative for $99 more than the RRP of the Oktava microphones?

I had mine modded right out of the gate, so I can't compare to stock, but modded, I'm more than happy to place them with my KM84's, Gefell 692/M70's, and vintage C451's. They are obviously a bit different than the above, but stand head to head with them sonically. They are most similar to the KM84's, but quieter and a bit "woodier" for lack of a better term. I have done shootouts where I could NOT tell them from KM84's due to placement. I especially like the omni capsule. Excellent. IMO, well worth the $99 to have Michael Joly mod them for you. Especially if you're doing a "pair".

I don't think there's anything in the price range that can touch a modded pair, but I am curious about the Line Audio CM3's. Hope to hear them someday.....