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langleyt
New member
Has anyone tried the Oktava MC319 Large Diaphragm Condenser? I see it listed for $199.99 and wondered if it was a good mic for the money. Thanks 
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Automaton
New member
take a look at the other thread dealing with the 012. the 319 is mentioned there a few times.
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Automaton
New member
The one titled Oktava MC-012 I mean... forgot there were two.
Track Rat
Just Your Average Sized Member
The 319 is one of my favorite vocal mics. Nice round sound. I got mine (and all my Octavas) at The Sound Room. You pay more but for me, the extra it of quality contrl was worth it.
http://www.oktava.com/
http://www.oktava.com/
bongolation
New member
While the phrase, "Handmade in Russia" (by underpaid, disgruntled alcoholics) should strike terror into the heart of any knowledgeable consumer, you can get good Oktavas if you look hard or pay extra. I've written fairly extensively elsewhere about the difficulties of imposing Western ideas of QC upon a manufacturing base with a history of a centralized economy with goals of quota over quality, and the Oktavas are definitely an excellent example of these problems.
I picked up a MK-319 w/shockmount yesterday after a bit of sorting. It's OK, if a bit crude. It's stinking up the studio from the paint on the shockmount and the plastic in the carrying case, but this will blow over in a week or so.
The scream of the century is the artificial "$175.00 list price" for the shockmount, a crude $5 item so poorly designed that it takes three hands to use...but once in place, it works reasonably well.
I got the MK-319 w/shockmount for $149.99 at GC. I, too, like the sound of it and it works well with my voice - but I can't be sure that there's a whole lot of difference between the sound of my MK-219s and this item beyond the usual inconsistencies of Russian product. The "more open" housing around the same innards does not seem to be that big of a deal.
You can't sweat the small stuff with Oktavas. Go for the ones with the best sound and switches that work properly and don't worry about the stripped screwheads and dings.
At some point in the future, I'll open these all up and do the tweaks that Johnson ("The Sound Room") and other Oktava mavens do, but for now they work well enough for my purposes.
I picked up a MK-319 w/shockmount yesterday after a bit of sorting. It's OK, if a bit crude. It's stinking up the studio from the paint on the shockmount and the plastic in the carrying case, but this will blow over in a week or so.
The scream of the century is the artificial "$175.00 list price" for the shockmount, a crude $5 item so poorly designed that it takes three hands to use...but once in place, it works reasonably well.
I got the MK-319 w/shockmount for $149.99 at GC. I, too, like the sound of it and it works well with my voice - but I can't be sure that there's a whole lot of difference between the sound of my MK-219s and this item beyond the usual inconsistencies of Russian product. The "more open" housing around the same innards does not seem to be that big of a deal.
You can't sweat the small stuff with Oktavas. Go for the ones with the best sound and switches that work properly and don't worry about the stripped screwheads and dings.
At some point in the future, I'll open these all up and do the tweaks that Johnson ("The Sound Room") and other Oktava mavens do, but for now they work well enough for my purposes.
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langleyt
New member
Thanks all for the input. I gatherd a lot of useful information from the other thread also about the Oktava MC-012. I'm just kind of leery of all the defects and inconsistencies. I would rather not have to be working on the thing all the time, but the effect it seems to have on the vocals by a lot of the people who posted seems tempting. The Marshall MXL mics mentioned by someone in the other thread are alluring also. I tend to think the housing and the 'innards' of the MXLs are probably better quality, but do they have the same satisfactory effect on the vocals? Thanks.
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langleyt
New member
Can you say alluring? I bet you can. Now let's try something different. Something harder...hehe 
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Track Rat
Just Your Average Sized Member
Oh Baby!! I think I feel the phantom power coming on.
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NoFO
New member
The Sound Room
Where is the Sound Room, and do they have a website?
Chris
Where is the Sound Room, and do they have a website?
Chris
Track Rat
Just Your Average Sized Member
Click on the link in my first post in this thread.
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langleyt
New member
Aww, the Sound Room will be closed from Aug. 11-19. 
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edoz
New member
have Oktavas 219&319
hi everybody,
Anyone interested in getting Oktava 219 or 319?
email me
Ed
hi everybody,
Anyone interested in getting Oktava 219 or 319?
email me
Ed
Tekker
New member
You may also want to check out the Studio Projects C1 mic, this thing has been getting some incredible reveiws.
I haven't seen a single thread in this mic forum not mention the C1 and I just had to keep the trend going.......
-tkr
I haven't seen a single thread in this mic forum not mention the C1 and I just had to keep the trend going.......
-tkr
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langleyt
New member
edoz said:
This does not sound good for the Oktavas. Sounds like you want to be rid of them
Tekker - I am already pretty convinced that the C1 is an excellent mic. The Oktava 319 was in the same price range as the C1 so i wondered about it. But the 319 doesn't sound like it's any where near the same quality.
That is what i love about this site. You can find out these things before making a purchase. I was in the mp3 clinic and listened to a song done with the Neumann TLM -103. I loved it, but even on sale it doesn't look like you can get it for less than $700.
Thanks all!
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edoz
New member
Oh yeah,
I'm getting rid of all equipment left.
You can get 2 Oktava mics for price of one C1
Edoz
I'm getting rid of all equipment left.
You can get 2 Oktava mics for price of one C1
Edoz