A quick demo: stock Oktava MK219

Here's a quick demo of one of my stock 1994 Oktava MK219s. These are very distinctive mics with lively transients and a slight and quite pleasant grittiness in the upper mids. I think there's a light dip in the 1-2kHz region of the frequency response.
They haven't been available from new for many years. The model was replaced by the MK319 and I gather also by the MK119, both of which have the same capsule as the MK219.
MK219s sometimes come up second-hand for good prices, though it may take some luck and effort to find a good one: quality control was a bit variable (some of the joints in mine needed re-soldering, and this may also be true of some second hand copies of the mics) and time will have taken its toll.
The mic is plugged into a Steinberg UR22C.
I explain how I came by mine, how I use them now (HPF, close-to and with a foam windshield), how I reduce body resonance, and something of what I think about them.

[@darkicefilms]

Thank you for the great video. I bought a trio of the Oktava MK219 in 2003 and used them quite a bit for recording live music sessions at McMurdo Station. I'm not sure I had them set up properly, but they did a decent job even in my ignorance. Your video has made me a bit less ignorant, which I appreciate. Also, thanks for including the screen grabs. I've just pulled them out of storage and am using them again. Sounds crisp!

[@yo3429]

Pragmatic and good sounding :)

[@GavinAtkin]

Thanks. I think they're quite nice on some sources that benefit from their particular mid-forward quality, but I'm sure they would benefit from a better room than I've got, or am ever likely to have.