Oktava MC-012 ?

ISedlacek · 20th July 2003, 11:32 PM

Has anyone worked with a pair of Oktava MC-012 ? I heard lot of positive comments, someone even mentioned that a cardiod version is the best vocal mic for him. I am thinking of a secondary mic pair to my Schoeps. Are the other capsules (omni , hypercardioid) worth to consider ? How does the sound quality stand comparing to standard Neumanns, Schoeps or Sennheiser?

Steve · 21st July 2003, 12:19 AM

We like them better than the Neuman KM184. The place to buy them if you want quality is the Soundroom at oktava.com. They get the cream of the crop from the factory in Russia and then precision match them for freq. response. A matched pair with 2 capsules mic clips and a nice pine box runs $426. They sound smooth and full on overheads and awesome for stereo acoustic guitar tracks. Haven't tried them on vocals but have heard good things from others who have.

Musiclab · 21st July 2003, 02:36 AM

The omni caps are probably the best of the bunch

Tim L · 21st July 2003, 02:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Musiclab
The omni caps are probably the best of the bunch

Agreed... I've got Sound Room matched "012's" (Hyper/Card/Omni) and the omni's are my fav's... I hear nice things about the Lomo cap's and am considering grabbing those as well.

jbuntz · 21st July 2003, 07:53 AM

What's up with the Musician's friend/Guitar center ones?

jon · 21st July 2003, 08:44 AM

In 1998 I once bought 20 of them at the factory in Tula, Russia while on tour in the country. $2000 cash for the 20. Probably 3-4 of them had reliability problems fairly quickly on though...not the best quality-control on those things. I still use the MK219s every now and then on guitars or guide vox.

Bernd G · 21st July 2003, 03:01 PM

Well, we have had four pairs of MC012s for the last four years and they work just fine. Personally, I would not put my Neumann 184s away, they do sound different. The Oktava's sound brighter to my ears, but we do use them with the omni capsules quite a bit and the price was hard to beat. Until now. I just bought a matched pair of Studio Projects C-4s and have been using them on orchestral recordings (ww spots) etc. for the last four weeks. The matched pair including omni capsules AND shockmounts + flightcase for around $ 350.00 (street) !!! They are quite nice and the workmanship appears much more consistent than the Russian stuff - needless to say, the Oktavas haven't been used since. Oh, and yes, they do work in high humidity (problems with the Russians on occasion!). Darn - I am starting to sound like a gear pimp for Studio Projects - they should pay me commission. No, but honestly - check them out - I think they are the BEST deal around, truly.

alanhyatt · 24th July 2003, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bernd G
Darn - I am starting to sound like a gear pimp for Studio Projects - they should pay me commission. No, but honestly - check them out - I think they are the BEST deal around, truly.

Where do I send the check????

Only kidding, but thank you for the kind words on our C4's. We try hard to get the quality of our products about as good as it gets.

Mark · 24th July 2003, 09:58 AM

Do you know Britain's Digital Village charges as much for Oktava mics as The Sound Room?

Could someone else please try and care about this!?

alanhyatt · 24th July 2003, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mark
Do you know Britain's Digital Village charges as much for Oktava mics as The Sound Room?

Could someone else please try and care about this!?

Hey man, I reduced my prices, but I don't see Octava hanging around here.....

Mark · 24th July 2003, 06:58 PM

I know. That's why I'll probably be more likely to buy your mics than theirs

Bernd G · 25th July 2003, 03:02 PM

Hey Alan,
here is one comment for improvement of the C-4 package:
I think there is a slight design flaw in the shockmounts. The plastic tabs that hold the rubber rings seem to bend too easily (rubber too tight, hmm, I heard that before somewhere) and they pop off in inopportune moments (ie. in the middle of a concert) causing the studio monitors to land on my lap. I wonder if you could take a look at this and let me know what a good solution would be. Otherwise, thumbs up on your products !

Cheers

alanhyatt · 25th July 2003, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bernd G
Hey Alan,
here is one comment for improvement of the C-4 package:
I think there is a slight design flaw in the shockmounts. The plastic tabs that hold the rubber rings seem to bend too easily (rubber too tight, hmm, I heard that before somewhere) and they pop off in inopportune moments (ie. in the middle of a concert) causing the studio monitors to land on my lap. I wonder if you could take a look at this and let me know what a good solution would be. Otherwise, thumbs up on your products !

Cheers

We have redone the C4 mounts and have been replacing free sets to all who ask. The first set of mounts was to loose...the new ones are very tight. Problem solved!

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Oktava MK-012	Sound Chaser	Remote Possibilities in Acoustic Music & Location Recording	28	5th November 2007 09:31 PM
Oktava 012	dobz	Low End Theory	6	10th July 2007 11:39 PM
Oktava Mk-012-01	Bslane82	So much gear, so little time!	9	14th July 2004 08:11 AM
Oktava MC-012	eberrong	Remote Possibilities in Acoustic Music & Location Recording	24	29th June 2004 01:02 AM

20th July 2003, 11:32 PM	#1
ISedlacek Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Czech mountains and forests Posts: 2,873	Oktava MC-012 ? Has anyone worked with a pair of Oktava MC-012 ? I heard lot of positive comments, someone even mentioned that a cardiod version is the best vocal mic for him. I am thinking of a secondary mic pair to my Schoeps. Are the other capsules (omni , hypercardioid) worth to consider ? How does the sound quality stand comparing to standard Neumanns, Schoeps or Sennheiser?

21st July 2003, 02:36 AM	#3
Musiclab Lives for gear Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Elmont NY Posts: 3,202	The omni caps are probably the best of the bunch __________________ Lou Gimenez www.musiclabnyc.com

21st July 2003, 03:01 PM	#7
Bernd G Gear addict Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: NY Posts: 337	MC-012 and Studio Projects C-4 Well, we have had four pairs of MC012s for the last four years and they work just fine. Personally, I would not put my Neumann 184s away, they do sound different. The Oktava's sound brighter to my ears, but we do use them with the omni capsules quite a bit and the price was hard to beat. Until now. I just bought a matched pair of Studio Projects C-4s and have been using them on orchestral recordings (ww spots) etc. for the last four weeks. The matched pair including omni capsules AND shockmounts + flightcase for around $ 350.00 (street) !!! They are quite nice and the workmanship appears much more consistent than the Russian stuff - needless to say, the Oktavas haven't been used since. Oh, and yes, they do work in high humidity (problems with the Russians on occasion!). Darn - I am starting to sound like a gear pimp for Studio Projects - they should pay me commission. No, but honestly - check them out - I think they are the BEST deal around, truly. __________________ BG

25th July 2003, 03:02 PM	#12
Bernd G Gear addict Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: NY Posts: 337	Improvement for C-4 Hey Alan, here is one comment for improvement of the C-4 package: I think there is a slight design flaw in the shockmounts. The plastic tabs that hold the rubber rings seem to bend too easily (rubber too tight, hmm, I heard that before somewhere) and they pop off in inopportune moments (ie. in the middle of a concert) causing the studio monitors to land on my lap. I wonder if you could take a look at this and let me know what a good solution would be. Otherwise, thumbs up on your products ! Cheers __________________ BG

21st July 2003, 12:19 AM	#2
Steve Gear interested Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 14	We like them better than the Neuman KM184. The place to buy them if you want quality is the Soundroom at oktava.com. They get the cream of the crop from the factory in Russia and then precision match them for freq. response. A matched pair with 2 capsules mic clips and a nice pine box runs $426. They sound smooth and full on overheads and awesome for stereo acoustic guitar tracks. Haven't tried them on vocals but have heard good things from others who have.

21st July 2003, 07:53 AM	#5
jbuntz Lives for gear Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 1,651	What's up with the Musician's friend/Guitar center ones?

21st July 2003, 08:44 AM	#6
jon Capitol Studios Paris Join Date: May 2002 Location: Paris, France Posts: 1,315	In 1998 I once bought 20 of them at the factory in Tula, Russia while on tour in the country. $2000 cash for the 20. Probably 3-4 of them had reliability problems fairly quickly on though...not the best quality-control on those things. I still use the MK219s every now and then on guitars or guide vox.

24th July 2003, 09:58 AM	#9
Mark Gear addict Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: I'm Behind You! Oh, okay, I'm in England. Posts: 357	Do you know Britain's Digital Village charges as much for Oktava mics as The Sound Room? Could someone else please try and care about this!?

24th July 2003, 06:58 PM	#11
Mark Gear addict Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: I'm Behind You! Oh, okay, I'm in England. Posts: 357	I know. That's why I'll probably be more likely to buy your mics than theirs

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes	Rate This Thread
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode	Rate This Thread: