which pair for OH and stereo recording?

F

frequency_

New member
i ve been using a pair of c1000s for recording overheads and acoustic guitar using the xy technique...so i m going to upgrade. i m thinking to go for a pair of oktava MK-012, but i m not sure if thats the best i can get for that money, i can afford up to 1k for the pair. i d apreciate any help, thanx
 
Well my suggestions are usually based on what kind of room(s) you'll be recording in, but I basically suggest you check these out:

Josephson C42s
Avenson STO-1s
Peluso CEMC6s
AT4050s
Shure SM81s


All well within your budget. All depends on your needs. Do some research on the Internet and read the various reviews on those mics.

Personally, I would avoid the C1000s - they were pretty "harsh" in many of the situations I've tried them in. The Octava's are great but I only have experience with the original batch - I have no idea how the newer ones compare.

Happy Hunting, Rez
 
Now that the Tula factory isn't shipping every fricken thing that puts out a signal to meet the crush of demand from Guitar Center, the Oktava QC issues should be long over with, and the 012's distributed by Oktava USA should be good quality mics. As always though, for an extra level of assurance, buying from The Sound Room is a good idea.

So, for $650 you can get a matched stereo pair of 012s with 3 matched sets of capsules (cardiod, hyper-cardiod, and omni). Then for another $400 you could get a pair of RED large diaphram lollipop capsules for them.....
http://www.vintagemicrophone.com/JShop/product.php?xProd=45
That setup would give you a lot of flexability!

Or, if you wanted just one LD capsule, you could get a LOMO head for $329 from the Sound Room.
 
I have a pairs of Josephson C42s, AT-4051s, AT-4053s, AT 4049s (omni), Beyer MCE93s, and GT AM-40/GT-44s. While all of these are pretty good, if I was shopping (what am I saying? -- I'm always shopping) for a new pair of SD mics, I'd look really hard at the Beyer MC930s. I really like Beyer mics and these have received a lot of positive reviews on various sites including GS FWIW. $765.95 for a stereo pair at B&H. You have to ask for the "better price" off their website for the stereo pair. Street otherwise runs about $1000 or so. If you price them individually, they are $419.95 each from B&H - go figure. I'm actually thinking about buying a pair and then selling my Josephsons if I like them better.

Oh, and while I'm mostly thinking about SDs, I've used my pair of AT-4050s as overheads and they've been just fine.
 
pohaku said:
I'd look really hard at the Beyer MC930s. I really like Beyer mics and these have received a lot of positive reviews on various sites including GS FWIW. $765.95 for a stereo pair at B&H. You have to ask for the "better price" off their website for the stereo pair. Street otherwise runs about $1000 or so. If you price them individually, they are $419.95 each from B&H - go figure. I'm actually thinking about buying a pair and then selling my Josephsons if I like them better.
Click to expand...

I have a pair of MC930's, as well as several Oktava MC012's.

A point to consider is that the Oktavas give you the option of changing capsules; with the Beyers you are stuck with cardiod.

The Beyers are more extended than the Oktavas. The low mids and lows are cleaner. There is a bump around 15k, which gives a little air the Oktavas don't have. The Oktavas sound slightly smeared to me in comparison, but they are still great mics.

The Beyers have higher output, which will help reduce any noise added by your preamp. The output is high enough to possibly clip your preamp, but they have a pad switch on the mic.

If drums and acoustic guitar are the main targets, the Oktavas are always strong on those. The Beyers are "better" mics, but on some sources you might prefer the Oktavas. Different flavors...

If you want to save money, I'd get some Oktavas. If you want to build a heavy mic collection and you won't miss the bread, check out the Beyers or some of the other usual suspects already mentioned.
 
FWIW, the AT 4051a (card), 4053a (hypercard), 4049a (omni) line of SDs also have exchangeable capsules. These are all the same mic body, but with different capsules. Often go for @$250 each (complete mic) used on e-bay. I like them alot. They are flatter than the Josephsons and many other modern SDs. The capsules are bit pricey new - @$200 each, but they sometimes come up on e-bay as well.
 
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