Acoustic Guitar Recording Stereo ... Oktava mk012's or Marshall MXL 603's?

  • Thread starter Thread starter foreverdown
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foreverdown said:
haha, yay, thanks DJ! and thanks to everyone that has contributed in anyway!
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I got the party a little late, so please forgive. Anyway, you're deciding on a pair of small condensers. In addition to the Octava MC-012 and the MXL 603s, you shoul also consider the following, similarly priced mics (in no particular order):

Rode NT5
Cascade M-1
ADK SC-1
Studio Projects C4

These budget SDs, along with the Octava and MXLs, have generally received good reviews.
 
ooh, thanks for the info... anyone else have suggestions on any of the ones sdel mentioned?
 
I am personally familiar with the Oktavas, the MXL 603's, the C-4's, the NT5's. This is one where I agree with DJL. I prefer the Oktavas as overheads and the 603's on guitar. I personally prefer the C-4's to any of the above for either application. They are brighter than the Oktavas, darker than the 603's, and more accurate than either of the above. At their current price point, with the case, the shock mounts, cardioid and omni capsules, they are extremely versatile. There is, however, some material where I prefer the Oktavas for overheads, but the C-4's are the best I've heard on acoustic guitar until you get into higher priced alternatives- AKG C451, Neumann KM184, Josephson C42, Schoeps, Earthworks, DPA.
I'm holding my breath, because in about 3 weeks, I get a pair of Schoeps CMC 64's. I intend to hang onto the C-4's for a pair of omnis, and as remote recording mics. The Shoeps are just too pricey to use in clubs.-Richie
 
I bought my MK012's from GC when they had them on sale for two for $100. I didn't get to try them out, as a matter of fact he had to get them from another store for me. They sound the same to me. I did a quick level test by setting them side by side in front of a monitor. Played pink noise through the monitor, set the levels on each to make them even and then switched channels. They were still even in volume. So AFAICT they are very well matched.

Blessings, Terry
 
im not sure why everyone seems to be blameing me when i post...but, i didn't bring up the b1 issue and dont normally talk about oktavas.... just to let you know. and the qc of them is not between the 2 paird mics..its those paird mics compared to the other paird mics. so...you might have 2 really shitty mics that sound equally shitty and vice versa. my only point.
 
btr31 said:
im not sure why everyone seems to be blameing me when i post...but, i didn't bring up the b1 issue and dont normally talk about oktavas.... just to let you know. and the qc of them is not between the 2 paird mics..its those paird mics compared to the other paird mics. so...you might have 2 really shitty mics that sound equally shitty and vice versa. my only point.
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Well, actually I have 4 MC-012's... two from the SoundRoom and two from MF.... anyway, I don't blame you, I just used your post to try and get all the people on this bbs to comment about their MC/MK-012's so forverdown would know what everyone has experienced with their mics. With that said... please forgive me if I made you feel like I was picking on you.

BTW... if you have Oktava MC/MK-012's please comment on them. Thanks
 
Well, I guess I'll weigh in here..

Can't add much that hasn't been said except to reinforce that the 603s have a richer tone on the lower high frequencies which is why they work better on acoustic guitar. The Oktava MC12s have less response in this range and you get a crispier result which is not always desirable but does set an acoustic back in the track, if that is what your after.

The 12s can handle extremely high frequencies in a more stable fashion without warbling which makes them a better choice for OHs.

GC is offering the 603 (re-labeled the 991) along with the 990 mic for $99 dollars which is a good deal for a first timer on a budget. The 990 is flat and uncolored but can do a pretty decent job on vocals while the 603 is excellent for acoustic guitar.

(The 990 works pretty well on high pressure sources such as kick and guitar amps)
 
And the 990 and 603 use the same capsule... but sound entirely different because of the housing and etc.
 
thanks everyone... so the 603s are the same thing as the 991s?

Thanks!
 
foreverdown said:
thanks everyone... so the 603s are the same thing as the 991s?

Thanks!
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I don't know... but it would be nice to know... and to know where the info came from. For example... I got the 990/603S capsule info from Harvey Gerst... and know the two mics sound different from experience.
 
I just finished laughing out loud at the SP B1 comments, which always seem to go haywire in each thread in which they appear.
It's a peculiar thing, really, which I have learned to expect every time I see "SP B1" in a thread.

That said, I'd vote for the SP B1 for a budget mic for acoustic guitars. I've a semi-pro studio guitarist for 20 years and consider this mic as my best bang-for-buck workhorse (for guitars) in my home studio. I'm producing some (humbly stated) beautiful acoustic stuff with these super-low-cost mics, reminding me that it's not always necessary to spend big bucks for good results.
(I have a pair or these B1s--no, not matched, but they sound darned close--for use on some solo guitar stuff I do from time to time.

I've heard good things about the other mics you mention, though,
and can't offer any first-hand comparison beyond the fact that the SP B1s are doing a heckuva job for me (on a tight budget).

Good luck,

J.
 
To a lesser extent, acoustic guitars are like human voices, and they get along with certan signal chains, or not. This will vary by the room, the mic placement, temperature, and humidity. The mic/pre combo that sounds good in one setting, with a certain guitar, etc., could seriously suck in another environment. Like human vocal mics, all you can do is buy cheap mics that work for somebody sometimes, and save for more expensive mics that sound good hopefully a significantly greater percentage of the time.
Start at the beginning, for jollies, with an SM57 and a good pre. That's a tutorial in the effects of mic placement. There are a bunch of ways to mic up an acoustic. There do seem to be some guitars that just sound better through a large diaphragm condenser. The majority use two SD's or one of each.
When you tire of moving that 57 around, play mix and match.
A short list of basic SD's from dirt cheap to ooh baby- Note there are several lines I'm not familiar with, such as CAD, T.H.E. ADK. My bad.:
Behringer B-5,Oktava MC012, MXL603/611, Studio Projects C-4, Rode NT5, Shure SM-81, AKG C451,Neumann , T.H.E.,Earthworks,Josephson,Shoeps, DPA (Oh my God)
LD's that somebody likes: Studio Projects B-1,Oktava MK319, MXL V67, AKG C2000B,Audio Technica 4033,Rode N-T 1/1a, NTK, (oh oh, my first tube mic).AKG414B-ULS, Shure KSM32/44. There are a bizzillion more. The competition gets fierce, here, as there are dozens of models that could be listed here in that $500-850 or so range- B.L.U.E. Baby Bottle, Neumann TLM 103, etc.. Now the entire list of badass vocal mics get into the lists of possibilities-Brauner, Soundelux, Lawson, Neumann/Gefell (a host of classic mics) Then ribbons. Many great tracks have been done with them on guitar. Royer, AEA, RCA seem popular for this. Big bucks.
There you have it. You can make good sound sometime, somewhere, with almost any combination of good mics. Instead of zeroing in on what will make a wood guitar sound good, just get some mics, at least an LD and a couple of SD's and go play. Get good, proven, versatile tools, and move them around a lot. I like 2 C-4's and/or an AKG C414, but that's just my guitar, in my room.
I wish you all good luck in the quest for that great acoustic tone. You have entered a forest with many paths.-Richie
 
That shouldn't surprise anybody. Richie's stuff is consistently good reading. Kudos to you sir.
 
Yea I know... and his above post could be used to answer about 90% of the newbee questions on this mic bbs too... but then we would just be saying the same thing over and over and over again. Then again, the same questions are asked here over and over and over again. But, then we would lose you because you don't like reading the same thing over and over and over again do you? :D

Sorry, I just woke up and haven't had my coffee yet... and I see H2osphil has been just sitting there with his flame thrower waiting to pounce in and torch things up... so I thought I'd have some fun and help him get his thrower warmed up... because it's almost B1 Friday... lol. :D
 
No flame thrower lit over here...this thread is devoid of anything but good info. If all the threads you and I participated in were like this one, we'd have no issues.

Besides, I'm too busy to mess with you this weekend...I've got a CD to finish that we wanted to release in February...we're running a little behind, but everything is finally tracked. Now it's all up to me...

:D
 
Thanks, gentlemen, for your kind words. I can just feel the love. My wife, who is a fair harper and a fair singer is the one who taught me that instuments have voices. I taught her that microphones have them, too.-Richie
 
Here is a track recorded with Oktava 012:



Here is with MXL603:



And for your amusement here is a track recorded with modded MXL603

 
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