mk012 vs. sm81

Guernica

Guernica

Active member
Hi guys,

.....im not looking for a value call here, ..just 'which is better'.

I want to use a pair for acoustic guitar, and maybe drum overheads in the future. Ive done some searching here, and read opinions on both, but i really want opinions on which mic pair is "better" for those two applications.

thanks
 
on the one hand i own neither... but have used both though not side by side... i would expect the shure to be head and shoulders above the octave'...
 
As long as they're real MK-012s, I would pit the MK-012 against the SM81 any day and twice on Sunday. I've found the Shure condensers to lack any real body to the sound. I might be tempted to use them as a stereo pair for concert recording, but I've never been impressed with them for close recording. YMMV.

Overheads and acoustic guitar are two areas where the MK-012 shines, IMHO. Again, YMMV.
 
I own a bunch of both. I would probably choose the Okatava in 8 or 9 of 10 situations, judging solely on sound and not on price.
 
I don't have much experience with the Shure SM81, but the Oktava is a recent addition to my collection... I did think that these mics were in the same ballpark, at least they are relatively close in terms of cost. and the Oktava is usually touted as a great "bang for the buck" mic, so that led me to believe its better than it price would seem to indicate...

I would think that neither mic is going to hold you back and you can get good results with either one.
 
Some things to consider:

Oktava MK012 Factory matched pair = $500
Shure SM81 pair = $700
Josephson C42 pair = $800, Factory matched pair = $900
Peluso CEMC6 pair = $600, Stereo kit with shockmounts & case = $680
AT 4041 pair = $450 (this might be the best deal of all)
 
One good thing about the SM81s is that you can get two used ones and be fairly sure they'll work for stereo - don't think that's true for the MK-012 (and beware of the Chinese ones, too).

I've been using SM81s for a while now for acoustic guitar, and like them, but just recently got one MK-012, with a capsule set. dgatwood's right - it does sound fuller than the SM81s, yes (and he was easily able to distinguish the two in a recent post I did comparing sound clips - scroll down some and you'll probably see it - the one with the porcelain bell). From now on, I'll probably use the MK-012 when I want to "feature" the acoustic, and when I want it to part of a rhythmic blend, I'll go with the SM81s (or when I want to do stereo, until I have a matched pair of MK-012s, I guess).

Another thing to note is that the omni capsule for the SM81 is about as rare as rocking horse poo, but omni (and super-cardioid) capsules (and other ones like lomo?) are in plentiful supply for the MK-012.

If you want to get the MK-012 - read this page first:

http://oktava.tula.net/fake/

to help you spot the Chinese fakes.
 
antichef said:
From now on, I'll probably use the MK-012 when I want to "feature" the acoustic, and when I want it to part of a rhythmic blend, I'll go with the SM81s (or when I want to do stereo, until I have a matched pair of MK-012s, I guess).
Click to expand...

That's a very good point about the SM81 being good for rhythm guitar. It would be an excellent choice if you find that your guitar sounds too present in the mix and you want to make it more of a background thing. The denser the mix, the more likely it is that you should go with an SM81 or similar. For a more exposed mix with fewer instruments, the 012 would tend to be a better choice so that the guitar wouldn't sound thin.

So for acoustic and voice, probably go with the 012. If you're doing a set with electric, acoustic, piano or electric piano, bass, kit, brass, strings, lead voice, and background vocals, go with the SM81... unless the guitar disappears too much, in which case go with the 012 again. :)

I wouldn't worry too terribly about getting a matched pair of the 012s. I have two that were just random buys off eBay and they've worked relatively well as a stereo pair for drum overheads. They may not be perfectly matched---I haven't really done critical listening with them pointed at a single source---but they don't sound radically different or anything.

That said, QC is sometimes inconsistent with the Russian mics, and a few MK-012s are duds, so it is certainly possible that you'd end up with a consistency problem buying two random MK-012s, but I suspect the odds would be in favor of them being reasonably usable as a pair, and if they weren't... buy a third and sell whichever one is way off from the other two on eBay. :D
 
I usually prefer the SM81 as a guitar mic and the Oktavas for overheads. I think of the SM81 as a "just the facts ma'am" mic, and the Oktava as good makeup. I would use SM81 for a really good acoustic, and the Oktava on a cheap guitar. I think the "fullness" described above is coloration, plain and simple. I don't want color on an acoustic guitar, if it's any good. As a drum overhead, the Oktava shines. I would prefer SM81 for general stereo recording. They are both very useful mics. I rarely use either anymore, as most of what they did for me has been replaced by a pair of KM184's. I still use the Oktavas for rock and blues drum overheads.-Richie
 
tdukex said:
Some things to consider:

Oktava MK012 Factory matched pair = $500
Shure SM81 pair = $700
Josephson C42 pair = $800, Factory matched pair = $900
Peluso CEMC6 pair = $600, Stereo kit with shockmounts & case = $680
AT 4041 pair = $450 (this might be the best deal of all)
Click to expand...

Just know that the C42 has a noticeable HF peak, while the SM-81 does not, so they sound considerably different and have different uses. Also, the SM-81 can be modified by removing the slotted disk before the diaphragm. That reduces the high end resonance added to keep the response flat to 20K. You lose a couple of dB at 18 K but gain a smoother sound. I'm not sure just how easy it is to do. I bought mine from Scott Dorsey already modded.

Cheers,

Otto
 
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