I think everytime I have asked about akg mics for vocals and or instruments, not many ppl even bother to comment. I guess THEY SUCK?

akg is good, especially on midclass. I rate their C414's very high as insrument condensor (rather clean for voice) and the C12VR reissue is good, but very overpriced (should be half of the price)

the C480 and the C491 SDC's are also good, but not topclass like DPA, Neumann KM series or Josephons. You see them a lot in live setups over here actually, mainly for strings, woodwinds and as overhead.

the D112 (or the orignal D12) is a good kickmic, but rather aggresive in my opnion, mainly fit for rock, and mainly the harder forms of it.

and their legendaric original C12 can compete against an U47 for me, but it's hard to find one in good shape i noticed and they are very espensive.

Some of their cheap models (AKG C3000B and AKG Solitube) are also a good price/quality buy, mostly better than the similar priced models of Rode

but they also got real rubbish, like the C1000S and the C2000

If a 414B-ULS really sucks then I'll eat my hat. It may not be the greatest mic ever built but, it's very usefull on a variety of sources IMHO. I've never used or even seen one but the C12's reputation preceeds it. And suck or not the D-112 is a widely used kick drum mic.

I tend to favour the older ones myself. I have a pair of 451E mics that I use all the time and an old D12E that I use frequently as well. I had some C414B ULS and while I did sell them, they are a damn fine workhorse of a microphone.

In retrospect I would still like to have a pair, but I made some cash on mine when I sold them to buy more outboard. I could use at least one for various duties.

I have an original 451 with the omni capsule that I absolutely love. The capsule is pretty interesting looking, it looks like they took the cardioid capsule and slapped a metal plate on the front address portion leaving the side ports to capture everything. It sounds amazing and I will never sell it.

414, 451b, c12, c12vr, etc. AKG mics are almost always a very good choice. If you're in doubt, eve Bruce Swedien loves them.
Regards Tamas Dragon

That's the CK-22 omni capsule. This one is omni up to 20k hz unlike the CK-2 or CK-62. Sounds real nice on a 460 body with the reduction ring.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

I love my AKG 426b! I also love the 422 and c33e, and 414eb, and c34..dont care for much of the new stuff. Not that it is horrible, but ive found better mics for my work. Namely, gefells.

Also dont like the fact that they moved a product line to China. dfegad

Why there is no love for AKG?
Well they used to make some of the best mics in recording history, but now adays they just do mediocer stuff.
Like already said if you take a "modern" AKG and look at the price and listen to the sound you will always find something that sounds better for the same price or something cheaper that sounds as good.

I think there's a huge gap between what people write on Gearslutz and reality.


Case and point: anything but the original 414 gets a lot of hate when it comes to 414's.

Reality: Every studio I've worked at has 3 to 4 414's of various types. Usually a pair or two. I own a pair of 414s. Want some hand percussion to stand up in the mix? Break out a pair of 414 TLII's.

The deal is, the 414 is a great utility mic. It works on many things pretty well. It doesn't slay vocals. It doesn't guarantee amazing overhead sound. They're tools. In a pinch and need to do midside? Your 414's will do. Need to do a choir today? Jazz date the next? 414's will do.

And hence, because it doesn't rock the casbah like insert mic here on this source, it doesn't get the favorable buzz on GS.


My philosophy: Buy a lot of great mics. It takes time to do this, as I'm not well off by any means, but is completely worth it. My 414TLII's spend time in the closet for weeks on end, only to be put into heavy service for the next couple. Why? Because I like to have a wide range of brushes to paint with. Same thing with my D112. Love it! A month will go by and it won't see the light of day, then (bam) in use on a couple sessions.


My final, parting shot: Don't dismiss AKG because of the hype. Dismiss AKG because you've tried it and don't like it.

Whenever I hear someone comment and say it "SUCKS", its a dead giveaway for inexperience.

David Brown

A C414 would be my desert island mic.

-synthoid

I remember when I was in engineering school and we had set up an entire iso room full of simultaniously connected mics. Then one of the teachers would go on from mic to mic so we can A/B all of them on the fly. And let me tell you, AKG mics are some of the best, most afordable microphones I have heard even up against the big dogs like the U87. Of course we all know it depends on the project and what your recording, but honestly, AKG for the money and sound can not be beat. IMO.

The D112 is great for adding some balls to your kick, the Solitube is awesome for some warmth on vox, and the 414 is the swiss army knife of mics in my opinion.

And I have to add, I couldn't agree more with you David.

AKG is good stuff all around. I just think the 414 is overrated or over used. I don't dig them on piano, but I like the AKG C60 and 451 on piano. I like the C12 and C12A. The old D12, not D112, but D12 is great on acoustic bass. Gets a classic jazz sound.

Didn't they, that is AKG, produce the ELA-m 251 for Tele? That's a popular mic. Or at least "slutty".

Not to say the 414 sucks. It is clean and multi-pattern. I think there are better choices for most of the applications I've seen them used for.

I LOVE my AKGs

Keep in mind that you are on the internet. Many of the opinions offered are imparted by elitists, technophiles, novices, and those who read lots of magazine reveiws in an attempt to convey a modicum of wisdom- if only a facade. It's a melting pot. You just have to wade through the muck in order to find those who are willing to share pertinent information. They are out there.

AKG is fine by me.

In a nutshell, no one mentions AKG mics because they are not esoteric and "fun" to talk about.
Then again hammers, pliers, slot head screwdrivers and other common tools that you use everyday don't have much mystique either.

Like one poster said: an AKG414 is a "swiss army knife" or a "desert island mic"
I have used a lot of mics on OHs, but 414s just seem to work.
A horn section
GTR amp room mic (I'd prefer a U87)
percussion
STRINGS!!!! (you can't have enough 414s when cutting strings!)

451s are another extremely usefull mic. Personally, I'd probebly pull out a KM86 as my prefered choice, but there have been jilllion ACSTC guitars tracks cut with 451s.

D112s are often maligned to a degree, but their design does so much of the work for you on kick drum before you even switch on EQ. I can vividly recall when they were introduced. Ever since the first time I used one I have been thankful that they allowed me to get a kick drum sound that was use-able in really short amount of time. This means A.) more time to jack with the snare sound (kidding) or B.) more time to spend getting a good take.

I have been fortunate enough to use one of the most pristine examples of a C24 on this planet and all I can say is... magic. This mic was owned by Mr. Tony Arnold and because I allowed him use of my studio during the day, he allowed me to use his mic locker at night. Fair trade I'd say! This C24 had been in AKG's product display case at their headquarters for years. Tony was able to trade for it. It was a true N.O.S. C24 that had been preserved in a time capsule. That was one gorgeous mic!

Now, the 3000s are terrible, but they are cheap, too!
I'm not crazy over a D12 on kick (needs too much EQ.)
I have never tried the "Tube" or any other AKG mi EXCEPT for D12s, D112s, 414s (most all flavors) and 451s (never tried anything other than the cardiod capsule.)

414s, D112s and 451s just work.

Danny Brown

I've done plenty of orchestra dates, big and small, and I've never seen a 414 on strings.

Lots of Coles, B&K, Schoeps, TLM 170, M50, km 84, km 86 and at Clinton even U47 and M49. No 414s.

Perhaps you can't enough 414s when cutting strings is because cellists like to use them as a "rock stop".

PS. AKG C12 is good on harp.

I guess that I'm just a dumbass that doesn't know what the F*CK I'm talking about ajfarber?

I don't live in New York and I don't cut strings at Clinton Recording.
Maybe if I did I would use other mics.

I do live in Dallas, Texas and I have cut probebly more than a hundred string dates and used 414s on almost all of them. I also used TLM170s, KM86s and other mics.

Of course the sessions cut in NYC at Clinton were superior to those we did in Dallas, but I promise that if you turn on either your radio or TV you will hear one of these recordings within 48 hrs. WE made a truckload of money, too.

What do we know? We must have been pulling the wool over AT&T, The Home Depot, Coors Light, Sports Illustrated, Pepsi and the rest of those national ad agencies by useing inferior AKG 414s. We fooled them for twentyfive yeras, but now you come along and talk about how when you were at Clinton Recording you never saw a 414 used on strings.

I'm not a gear snob, but I can make a good recording and get paid with about anything available in almost all circumstances.

Your post contributes to the snobery that I mentioned.

Danny Brown

Mick Jagger was shown on that television documentary on ABC singing vocals in the studio on a 414TLII.

I've got two 414B-ULS and love them on acoustic guitar, drum OH, electric guitar amps and occasionally vocals. Once recorded an entire band with one 414B-ULS in omni mode. Like the man said, they can be great utility mics. Also, I even think the C1000S can be useful. I like it on snare better than a 57 sometimes. I've had success on drum OH with a pair X/Y.

In the end, it all depends on what results you can get with the tool. If it works for you, so be it. Someone like me in project studio land with a max mic spending threshold of about $800 is glad to have a couple of 414s.

I bought my C1000S because I needed to do a one-off location recording and had no way to power any of my other mics. I only used it that one time but have decided to sell it purely on other people's opinions. How sad is that? The irony is that people are going mad for it on ebay and it looks like I might get close to what I paid for it!! heh

My D112 sounds great on amps and acoustic bass and my pair of C451b's are incredibly useful and could not be replaced with anything else remotely in their class for what they'd probably go for.

To the snobby posters writing that I must be a novice indicative of the use of my word "SUCK" ....well your right! I am new to recording. However, let's talk about guitar, vocals and musical composition, shall we? Anway, I deliberately chose the word " SUCK" to spark a little more than the usual 2-5 replies as well as the people who own and love their akg with their reasons. I think I was successful. THanks Mates!

BTW I agree that most replies on here are too opinionated, or selling something. However, be very intuitive, I am a very sifter of the garbage so to speak, so that is fine with me.

I don't know, I wouldn't claim that those who don't like 414's are all going to be novices or whatever. In fact, in this thread it seems like it would be easier to agree with what everyone else is saying.

I've used them (the different flavors) extensively on vox, acoustic instruments, horns percussion and yes, strings too.

I don't like them too much, truthfully. But I agree, they are a good utility mic (as are many others).

The reason I've used them as much as I have is due to the fact that the some of the studios where I've freelanced are pretty limited when it comes to their mic selections. Honestly most of the time when given the choice I would use something else, but they will work pretty well if that's what you've got (no one complained about the sounds I've gotten with them).

But this is just one guy's opinion. I don't mind them or D112's but given other choices, many times they aren't my first choice for everything is all I'm saying.

Good post man.

I've got a 414TLII. It's nice. If Mick Jagger ever wanted to use it, I'd be more than happy to accomodate.

As far as their slipping off the radar, it seems to me that the bang-for-the-buck condensor wars of the past decade made the 414 less attractive. A lot of the same people who might have bought 414s 10 years ago are now buying RODEs, Shures, Blue, etc.

there's always the 414 as workhorse, but most conversations tend to be about mics that are either more expensive or less expensive.

Like your style

Sorry Dan, I think you're taking it the wrong way. Im not suggesting that you would give your clients enything less than a pro sounding product. I just mean to say I, and the engineers that I work with prefer the sound of other sh#t on 414s. You've been doing this for 25 years, and you and I both know that your EARS are the best gear you have and if you had to, you could track a string date or whatever with sm57s and you'll make it work.

I didn't mean to imply that NYC has better studios than Dallas. One thing I will say with conviction. NYC has better bagels than Dallas.

Also, I must add, that alot of this is a matter of personal taste. Like some folks dig Yammaha pianos and others prefer Steinway and still others like Mason&Hamlin. I suppose there is no right answer.

Didn't mean to sound snobbish. I'm better in person than typing.

Oh yea, and that "rock stop" thing was a joke.

Now thats a nice apology...Cmon guys.....shake hands now...

I use u87 on strings but when i have used 414s they really sounded sweet, Ive never heard a 414 suck on anything, i use them live and studio.

I love my 414 TLII on acoustic guitars and some female vox. My C3000 is my fav in my voice.

What makes a mic "terrible"?
Is blue a better color than yellow?


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Insomnio