I Explored Oktava‘s History to Test This Microphone
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- Опубліковано 3 лип 2024
- What does the Oktava MK 012 microphone sound like when used from a distance, off camera? I also test it with the BAE 1073 DMP Preamp and Distressor compressor.
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You can get the microphone here: • Video
Off-camera microphone: Oktava MK 012
I've owned a pair of these for over a decade and haven't really used them much. I'm just inquiring about them. I'm about to start making YT vids. Great vid. Love to see the mod.
Thanks a lot, please do the Oktava follow up to this video
I backed into the Oktava MK 012 for my Zoom setup as I don’t like a mic in my face for a person doing 6-7 hours a day on cam. It’s been terrific for me. Loved getting the history.
That's great to hear. It's freeing to be able to communicate freely, knowing that you're getting great sound.
Just found you. I like watching mic videos. Do narrations. Use boom mics for video calls and filming... hypercardioid indoors, cardioid outdoors. Also have two modded mics. One with the circuit modded to a flat frequency, and the other, with a modular SDC capsule with the cardioid swapped out for a 3rd party hypercardioid. So, your topics are right up my alley. Thanks. -- BTW, I didn't know there was a mod kit for the Oktava MK 012.
Hi Joe! Thrilled to have you around. What are the two microphones that you modded?
Love that your signal chain for this video is one that i use a lot too! I got my oktava mics modded by Michael joly. He no longer does the mods so it’s a gem! The updated electronics put it at or better than a Neumann KM 84. Otherwise they’re a great killer deal! I got my first pair in like 2007 or earlier. Worth every penny (thanks glenn fricker for the tip back in the day).
Oh yeah, I discovered Michael Joly while making this video and went down the rathole of exploring the history of his mic mod business. So cool that you have one of those! I noticed there's a mod kit that you can get here that I was thinking about trying: www.billsrecording.com/BSRS/Mod012.html
@@simonpeck nice! If it is anything like the joly mod it’s well worth the money!
Super interesting! Thanks!
Glad you liked it! I want to start exploring microphones while uncovering some of the stories behind them and I"m hoping there's an audience for that.
Lots of good info here, but it is not a "shotgun" mic. It doesn't have an Interference Tube like a shotgun mic does. I am trying to decide between this and the Audix SCX-1HC and listening to a lot of samplings. The Audix should be the better choice, but they seem awfully close. I think a little tweak in post negates the difference in cost between this and the Audix.
Thanks for the correction. I had a nagging sensation in the back of my head that this was incorrect. Octava USA does refer to it as a shotgun style microphone and I thought the slits on the side indicated a really short interference tube. In hindsight, I think those are there solely for the polar pattern and I should have referred to it only as a small-diaphragm condenser. If I had done the math, I would have realized a 1cm interference tube would only work at frequencies of about 34kHz and above, hah!
Regarding the Audix -- I haven't tried that microphone in person, so it's hard for me to have an opinion on it. If you're at that price point, I would seriously consider looking at the Neumann KM184. I've used it on voice, acoustic guitar and on drums -- hi-hat and overhead. It is simply outstanding in ways that are hard to describe with words or illustrate on UA-cam. I guess its cost has gone up recently due to inflation effects, but you may be able to find one used for the cost of a new Audix.
I see you went down the Neve rabbit hole. I thought about doing API 500 lunch boxes, but cost and the fact I'm not doing music production stopped me.
Yes I did! I’d love to get the API 3124 for recording drums… I have to say a real preamp makes a bigger difference than you can tell watching most UA-cam videos. There’s nothing like trying out a piece of gear in your own setup. What would you be using it for?
@@simonpeck ... Zoom meetings. 😂
I currently use a Tascam 2x2 HR and a RE-20.
@EllisGL That's a good enough cause in my book if your meetings are important! 😂 But then again, I care about this stuff too much. You do have a good setup, though. If you wanted to add something that would have a big impact, in my opinion, it would be a compressor like the FMR RNC. I find a compressor to be indispensable in meetings, because I can go from a low speaking voice to excitable while maintaining a consistent level to the other participants.
Hey Simon, happy to sell you my API 3124 (especially if you are in the LA area)! I’m not doing drums much anymore since covid. And like you, can’t record in my home space. Happy to help a fellow creator get better stuff! Also I’ve been thinking about going 500 series myself.
@@CreativeMindsAudio Yeah, I might be interested in that! Which version do you have? You can reach me at the contact info in my about page: www.youtube.com/@simonpeck/about
Nice episode. Thanks. Oktava MK 012 sounds great, but in major music stores in Europe, this product is no longer available
Oh, that’s unfortunate. They can often be found on Reverb to ship to Europe.
I have a weird question. When did you buy this specific Oktava? The logo on the side is not the common or typical logo version you see in most reviews from the past 6 years or more. The reason I ask is because I just bought one with the SAME logo style as yours. In a video I saw that was 5 years old, the UA-camr said it was the "current version" of the mic, yet most of that mics from that time have a different logo. I am very confused why so few of the MK-012s have THIS specific logo. Would you happen to have any insight on that? It's a variable I cannot account for and its messing with my head. 😜Thanks!
I think the reason so few have this logo is that it's a new logo! I bought it in March of 2023 from Oktava USA in Williamsburg, IA. I think there was a note in the box about the new logo. Looks like both of them can be seen here: www.oktavausa.com/mics/?attachment_id=1649
@@simonpeck - Hey ,thanks for answering this. I got mine used off of eBay and expected it to be at least several years old, and even a decade old. It didn't have the box or the clip, both of which doesn't phase me at all. It is a hyper-cardioid mic with the 10db pad and I only paid $140 for it. It works perfectly. However, since the logo was different from just about every other one I've seen on UA-cam I wasn't sure what was up with that, and how that came into play figuring out how old it is. I'm surprised it is so current! Thanks again!!