AKG mics part III- Condensers

Richard Monroe

Well-known member
Well, what the hell? I might as well finish the set. It wasn't really my intention to cover AKG condensers, as they are better known than the confusing array of dynamics. Moreover, there are a bunch of AKG condensers I'm not really familiar with directly, so I can only discuss them in the most general terms, or report what other people have said. So I'll get those out of the way real fast. I'd rather say very little than try to manufacture baffling bullshit. Mics I have no direct experience with:

The Blue Line Series- This is a modular small diaphragm mic system which uses interchangeable capsules. They seem to be intended mostly for theater and live stage sound reinforcement, as in Broadway plays and theater, as well as for announcers. It is based on a single power module, the SE300B. It is transformerless, with a 12db 75hz bass cut switch and a 10db pad. Available capsules include:
CK91 (cardioid)
CK92 (omni)
CK93 (hypercardioid)
CK94 (figure 8)
CK97-O (omni lapel)
CK97-C (an "invisible" omni with a wireless body pack option)
CK97 CVR (cardioid podium mic)
CK98 (shotgun)

Are they any good? No clue. I just thought the whole system was versatile enough to be worthy of mention.

Perception 100/Perception 200- AKG's newest entry into dirt cheap studio condensers. These are intended to go head to head with Studio Projects B-1, AT3035, Nady, CAD, etc. The jury is still out. I've never used these mics, but like a lot of other people, I'm waiting for someone else to pony up the $100 or so.

C12/C12VR- The flagship of the AKG line, a 9-pattern tube mic. The old ones, which at first resembled the C414, are prized studio mics, said to be bright as hell. The newer C12VR is one wicked expensive mic ($5000 give or take), and the people I trust on high end mics (Fletcher, particularly) believe your big bucks could be better spent on Brauner, Gefell, et al. Sorry, too rich for my blood.

C430- A small diaphragm mic that I believe is just overpriced. At $200 apiece, I'll reach for Oktava or MXL. I've heard it as a live overhead, but have never had one in the studio to mess with.

C4500BC- A LD cardioid condenser intended for broadcast applications, it looks a lot like a C4000B. I have no experience with this mic- Anybody have some insight?

Note that there are literally dozens of current and discontinued AKG specialty mics that I will not even touch on here. What follows is a list of the most common AKG studio condensers which I *do* have experience with. Not surprisingly, they are mostly in AKG's "project studio" series.

C1000S- A rather large pencil mic, more of a "pepperoni", it is cheap and available everywhere. I think it makes a pretty good nightstick. It's not bad on snare or shaker, can be run on batteries, and is generally bright, harsh, and brittle. What can I say? I basically hate it. Some fairly good remote recordings have been made with it by people who really understand it.

C2000B- A small diaphragm mic in a larger housing, I think it is one of the most versatile cheap condensers around. To my ears, it sounds a lot like Oktava MC012, but without the tendancy to pop. It has a 10db pad and a usable bass cut. It's good on many vocalists, percussion, as an overhead, and rocks on hand percussion. It is adequate on acoustic, and shines on cheap acoustics. It's pretty colored, like the little Oktava, but often in a good way. I think you could do worse for a first condenser, and it tends to get stuck up when I run out of mics that are perfect for the job, but I need one more mic.

C3000B- A cardioid-only large diaphragm condenser, it is flat out beaten by the competition. It's not that it totally sucks, it's just that there are so many other mics I'd rather own. CAD M179, Studio Projects C-3, etc., even Oktava MK-319. It's no mistake that these are being pushed in a marked-down studio pack with C1000S. They made millions of these mics and can't give them away. I'd be looking at Audio-Technica, or ADK, or something. Its predecessor, C3000, is a little better, but not much. This and C1000S are the fat, ugly girls of the AKG line. You can dress them up, but it won't help.

C4000B- multipattern large diaphragm condenser. It is omni, cardioid, and hypercardioid, but *not* figure 8. This is everything C3000B should be, but isn't- a pretty good mic. It's rather good on some vocals, and a fair all-around studio workhorse. While perfectly usable, in the U.S., the likes of AT4050 are more attractive to me. In Europe, exchange rates might make it a better choice. It doesn't suck, but there are less expensive alternatives, at least in the U.S. It kind of makes you want to just spend the damn money and buy a C414.

C414- There are 5 main versions, 3 of them discontinued.
C414EB- The classic original. Simply one of the most versatile studio workhorses ever made. With 2 stage pad and bass cut, It is cardioid, hypercardioid, omni, and figure 8. A *great* drum overhead, an excellent acoustic guitar mic, very good on cabs, and the right vocal mic for certain vocalists. It can be truly excellent for female voiceovers. Its uses include everything from hand percussion to harp to piano to woodwinds. What's not to love? Yeah it's bright, but it's the kind of bright we call "high end detail".

C414B-ULS/C414TLII- These 2 mics replaced the EB, and there are many out there, including new in box. They use the same body but different capsules. The TLII is supposedly tuned for vocals, and uses a capsule "adapted" from the C12VR, whatever that means. They are both bright, a little more than the EB, and the old time purists generally prefer the slightly flatter EB. The TLII is set apart by its gold colored grill. I am in the minority that prefers B-ULS to TLII. I simply admit that its function is more as an instrument mic than a vocal mic. There are still those singers that will shine through one or the other, but for the everyday necessities of guitar, percussion, harp, mandolin, or whatever, C414B-ULS gets the job done for me. If my main use was vocals,and the secondary use was instruments, I'd be looking at Shure KSM44 or AT4050. If you want a mic to stick in front of that Taylor/Martin/Breedlove/whatever, this mic is hard to beat, especially as it is discontinued, and the price is dropping. The difference between the two is not that great.

C414B-XLS/C414B-XLII- These are the newest kids on the block, and the price goes up. The pad and bass cut are now 3 stage, and there's a new polar pattern- wide cardioid. The body is transformerless, and polar pattern selection now involves LED indicators, and can be switched with the mic powered up. I've gotten to use the XLS version, but not XLII. Like their predecessors, they are great mics. What's really impressive is that even people who don't particularly care for the sound of a C414 like these mics. There are people out there who think they are overpriced, but very few people actually hate either one of them. They are the closest thing I know of, along with KSM44 and Soundelux ifet7, to mics that can be used to record anything you have. The damn thing can handle 140-158db, depending on the polar pattern. I've never used one on kick, but I'm not saying it wouldn't work. I will admit the only thing I don't use the 414 on is strings, as that capacity for high end detail can get a little nasty on bow scratch. That's just me, and I know they have been used on strings with very good results by people with more sophisticated EQ, and better ears, than me.

C451- A classic small diaphragm, a very good overhead. This is another one where there are many other alternatives, and except for overheads, I generally prefer Shure SM81. I find them a little too bright for acoustic guitar.
This is a mic that is due for an update, but is still very usable. If you can find a pair fairly cheap, go for it.

Solid Tube- Last and perhaps most enigmatic, this cardioid-only tube mic can't figure out what price it is. It started out as a $1000 tube mic. It is everything the 9-pattern C12VR isn't- namely- dark and brooding. It was made for high SPL handling- 130db/145db with the pad engaged. It needs a fairly loud signal to get the tube cooking. Then somebody figured out if you rip the silly foam screen out of it, it opens up and becomes a very useful all around tube mic. Half of that darkness is the internal screen. Well, nobody wanted it for $1000, so it reached the point where it was easy to find them on ebay for $400. Then people started to figure that maybe it was a pretty good mic, and the price began climbing. Now it's about $1000 new, and $600-$800 used. It went from an overated $1000 mic to an underated $500 mic and back again. My conclusion? It's a good mic for a belter, a chanteuse, a blues singer with a strong voice. Put it in front of a B.B. King or a Linda Rondstadt, rip out the foam screen, and it will shine. It is not what I would pick for Joni Mitchell. At $1000, I'd be looking at K2 or AT4060. If you can find one for around $500, give it a chance. It's not good for everything, but on some things, it rocks.

Well- sorry about the series of long posts, but I felt that there are so many AKG mics out there that it's almost impossible to figure out what they all are.
Hope this helped, rather than confusing everybody more. If you disagree with my opinions, that's OK. There's just too much for us to agree on everything.-Richie
 
Well, Mark7, let's lt somebody do AT that has more hands-on experience with them than me. And Phillwildman, not to worry. First, lots of people have made perfectly good recordings with mics somebody else didn't care for. Put it on ebay and you'll probably make enough to buy a C2000B, and you'll be perfectly happy.-Richie
 
AKG c426b--9 polar pattern dual diaphragm mic.

love mine..

got it for a steal!

AKG is good stuff

thanks Richard
 
good info.

thanks for the threads. I wish I had done some research before I bought the C1000s. Like you said, it was cheap and ran on a 9v battery. The only good review I've read about it was that it was good on fiddle in a live setting. I've used it on dobro with decent results but I have other mics that work on that. Anyhow thanks for the good information.
 
Thank You Sir! Much appreciated.

I have two C414-ULS and they are great for acoustic guitar, but not totally dazzling on my voice. Sounded good on a couple of female vocs I had in, but haven't had a chance to try them on brass or winds yet. That is coming next summer.

Cant wait to try the Mid-Side thing with the figure 8 pattern. I am also going to try putting a SDC (NT5 maybe) out from the 12th fret and putting the 414 over my shoulder next to my ear to catch that "WYHIWYG" sound.

Great info, Richard! Thanks! - SC
 
Yo Tommy2! Well as far as 3000B goes, you are, as I said, entitled to your opinion. As far as Solid Tube being brighter tha C414, not unless you've got *one hell* of an unusual pair of mics. It's not just my opinion. C414 is one of the brightest mics in common studio use, and Solid Tube is one of the darkest. Check Dot's graph on "The listening sessions" below. I don't always agree completely with Dot, but in this case, we pretty much agree.- Richie

http://studioforums.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/1526095781/m/6776029135
 
Richie,
Here are some thoughts from different guys of this web site and the listenin session 1. How do you comment? I think there is not only one truth with the sound of microphones.

”AKG Solid Tube - Seemed a little harsh on the top end”

” AKG C3000 - This one is clearly the winner of the bunch. Nice and smooth capture, no harshness, really nice low S/N ratio and it just the best mic of the bunch”

” If I had to pick a mic from the above list based on this listening, I would pick the AKG C3000 without a question”

” Pretty much what I'd expect, although the C-3000 really surprized me with how little it sucked, and the SP mics created a vaccum with their sheer suck factor”

” AKG C3000 - cant think of anything bad to say surprisingly”

” AKG SolidTube - This mic emphasizes the sibilance of her voice. Other than that, I like the timbre. Good proximity effect”

” C3000 - nice high-end bump, but not as airy sounding as the AT”

” Solidtube - I liked this a lot - seemed warm and detailed. Less sibilance than some of the others”

” C3000 - kinda ok except for the ear-piercing sibilance ... the other mics brought it out but this one turned it into breaking glass IMVHO”

” The solidtube & the SE seem to have similar tonality, perhaps a bit too bright”

” I could live with either the C3000 or 4047 no probs, they seem the most neutral here”

” Again, clips can help but you have no idea what's making that AKG mic sound better than another”

” C3000 sounds great, but there doesn't seem to be any real consistency in the recordings themselves. Levels change, the singer's proximity to the mic changes... although I agree that the C3000 leans more toward the good side”

”I was, perhaps, a little hard on the AKG 3000. I wanted to hate it, but it actually was decent”

” didn't have very high expectations for the C3000. However, in my list it ended at the top (based on the recording - not real life)”
 
It's difficult to assess the comments above out of context. First, it is not clear whether the commenters above are referring to C3000 or C3000B, which are really not the same mic. It is also not possible to tell whether they are referring to the same mic, or different C3000's. I agree that there is not one truth about what sounds good, and my impression, without any other context, is that the commenters were testing a good mic. One thing for sure is that not all mics with the same model number on them sound the same, like cheap guitars, you have to go through more of them to find one that sounds good and plays well. There are a lot of people on this board, including me, who have owned a C3000B and gotten rid of it, but that isn't a universal conclusion. Maybe Dot will comment, which would be helpful. He knows a whole lot about how the tests were conducted, what the conclusions were, and how those conclusions have stood up over time. The first big question is- were they testing a 3000 or a 3000B? Dot- any insights?-Richie
 
Sure the model was the newer develpment of the C3000, the B model. The older one was not as big success. The B is the best selling model of the AKG LDC produkt line.
 
You missed the C535, AKG's stage vocal condenser. It's a fairly bright mic, often favored for female vocalists. It tends toward sibilance, though, and you may find that you need to de-ess tracks made with the 535. I've used a pair quite successfully as drum overheads, and it can also be used for acoustic instruments. Some have complained about its off-axis response, but I've never noticed a problem.

I used a C535 to record Leon Redbone a few years ago. I was surprised at just how good it sounded on his deep baritone voice. He normally uses a vintage RCA ribbon mic in the studio, but the 535 really sounded great on his voice on stage.
 
Akg C3000b

All I know is I hate mine for vocals.
I bought it to start doing some home studio recording for demos, but I had better results with my Live mic , a 'Beyer Dynamic TGX480' :cool: , which sounds silky smooth as opposed to the AKG C3000B :eek: harsh toppy scratchy sound.

I think it is more suited to acoustic Guitar or something. Maybe female vocals would be OK, but not my voice that's for sure.

I was recommended it by the music shop guy who had good results with an AKG C2000.
We figured that the next model up would be better, but big mistake.
The shop wouldn't take it back for exchange of course, so I'm thinking of selling it and buying something else.
Rode NT1000 or ADK Hamburg perhaps?
 
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