mic newbie question about the akg c1000

[ghetto3jon]

(in the same price range) what can compete with the c1000? i'm looking for an all around, very versitle condenser mic for a home studio.

i have the opportunity to get two c1000's for $200, but was just wondering of some alternatives before i make the purchase.

thanks.

 

[chessrock]

That's a good deal you are getting. Personally, I might also consider looking at two of the Marshall MXL603S's. You could have that setup for about $160 new. But I guess you can't argue with getting a couple of C1000's for 200 bones.

 

[tdukex]

I've only heard the C1000--never used one. But I wouldn't buy one even for $100.

Other choices:
Marshall MXL 603s ($79) great review from Harvey Gerst
Oktava MC O12 ($99) great reviews from many pros
Behringer ECM 8000 ($40 omni) another Harvey Gerst recommendation.
Marshall V67 ($129 large condensor) still another Harvey Gerst recommendation

If you don't need two small condensors I'd seriously consider the Marshall MXL 603s and V67 combo. This would provide you with a small and large condensor and a very versatile/quality recording package for only $210.

Even as I write I'm scheming on how to get my wife to allow me to
buy another mic (V67) as I just got two (MXL 603s and ECM 8000) mics for Christmas.

 

[cominginsecond]

I've used most of the mics the tdukex recommends there, and they're all good. But $200 for a pair of C1000s is great. I wouldn't recommend getting the pair of C1000s if that's all you have the money for. My first choice (if that's all I were going to get) would be a couple of mxl V67s if you can get them for the $129 price from Mars. That's currently my favorite mic that I own and use.

However, if you want a clean-toned electric guitar track or an auxilary percussion track, or a bell track, or a snare track to cut through the mix, nothing beats a C1000 in my limited experience. It's not the most "natural" sounding mic, but in my experience, it has many uses.

 

[cominginsecond]

p.s. Where can you get an Oktava MC 012 for $99? Please tell me! I'll pick up a pair tomorrow!

 

[Chris Shaeffer]

One of the nice things about the c1000's is that you can use them without phantom power- they can run on a 9v battery.

If you don't have phantom power, those 2 mics for $200 bucks is a *really* cheap way to get into condensor mics. I've got a couple c1000's and I like them for acoustic guitar. I've used them for vocals and they worked OK for me, but I have "better" mics that I use now. I even used it for electric guitar and it sounded OK to me, but I tend to use a 57 for that most of the time.

The c1000s was a step up for me when I bought it (before all the cheap mics started coming out) but they aren't really the best deal around these days.

The 603's that I have sound very nice on acoustic guitar, but they don't handle vocals as well as the c1000's. The 603's do electric, clean and distorted, about the same as the c1000's to my ears. I've read here that the AKG's have a harsh high end, but you're talking to the wrong guy to verify that.

Here a couple of songs I've done with those mics-

The c1000's are the only mics I used on the guitars for this song:
Mute (3.7 Meg)

The guitars on this one are mainly the 603's with a low freq. undercurrent of Studio Projects C1's. Not exactly a fair comparison, but it might give you a chance to compare the high end.
The Mouse and The Eagle (3.4 Meg)

You can find low-fi streaming options at chrisshaeffer.iuma.com, if you like.

In short, I'd recommend the c1000's only if you have no phantom power. If that's the case, then don't feel like you are getting a raw deal- they are good mics at that price and pretty versatile. If you do have phantom power there are less expensive options availible that might serve you better depending on if you need a stereo pair or a good quality vocal mic.

And not to counter Tdukex's good advice, but I would stay away from the ECM8000's unless you know a bit about what you are doing. Those omni mics can sound great but are quite a challenge for many home recordists. They aren't forgiving.

Take care,
Chris

 

[tdukex]

p.s. Where can you get an Oktava MC 012 for $99? Please tell me! I'll pick up a pair tomorrow!

If you are patient and get Guitar Center's monthly catalog you can find them for $99. Here's some examples: June 2001 $99 each (if you buy two), August 2001 $99 each (if you buy two), September 2001 $99 each for singles ($199 for a matched pair).

Hell, I'll bet you can walk into your local Guitar Center tommorrow and get two for $99 each if you are persistant.

 

[cominginsecond]

Hell, I'll bet you can walk into your local Guitar Center tommorrow and get two for $99 each if you are persistant

Believe me, I've tried. I'll just have to be patient I guess. Thanks, tho.

 

[Meshuggah]

ghetto3jon..

I very much recommend you to listen to Chris Shaeffer's mp3 (in hi-fi of course). It gives a pretty good picture of how the C1000 sounds. (BTW.. great performance there Chris.. VERY nice..)

The C1000 is anything but neutral, and I'd say they're more useful as an alternative to the SM57 as an instrument mic. It simply doesn't cut it as a clear, open, small condenser. (Same goes for Rode NT-3 in my experience)

With mics as the ECM8000 and the MXL 603 around, I'm not sure that 100$ for a C1000 is such a bargain....

 

[Track Rat]

Meshuggah just described the C-1000 to a T. I love mine but they're not my first choice in a small diaphram condenser in their traditional roll, but as an alternative to a 57 they rock.

 

[ghetto3jon]

thanks for the responses.

well, i have a sm-57...so maybe if the c1000's are a good alternative to the 57, i should get them.

i'm really into just having two or three mics. now, i have the sm-57, and i was just looking a pair of condensers for vocals and acoustic guitar, and some drum overheads.

now that everyone is mentioning the marshall 603's, do you think the c1000 are what i want? (vocals, acoustic guitar, alternative to a 57).

 

[Herm]

If all you have now is a 57 all of the above will be a good choice and a big improvement
from what you have.
If it where me I think I would maybe go with a mc012 and a v67 just to have some
some differant choices.
Dont put all your eggs in one basket

 

[Michael Jones]

I wouldn't get the c1000's. I have one of these mics, and I don't like it at all. I bought it sometime ago, and paid nearly $200 for it. I was sorely dissappointed in its performance. I don't own any Marshall mics, so I can't really speak to the 603's, but I'd have to guess that just about anything in this price range would be better than the c1000.
In fact, this mic has made me very leary of anything in that price range. That's probably unwarranted, but I'm just gun-shy about getting burned again.

 

[fenix]

i'm not seeing at all how a mic that costs 99 (oktava 012) could be better than a mic that costs 200 (akg c1000s), especially considering I have an oktava mk-319 that i'm not at all impressed with.

Someone said the c1000s have a harsh high end. I'm not sure what that is about, cuz I find myself adding a little high end when I mike cymbals with the c1000s.

 

[fenix]

With that said. I'd like to back it up with some audio samples.

Hear the oktava 012 on overheads at www.mp3.com/onsidered

Hear the c1000s on overheads at www.mp3.com/figure8

Listen carefully. Which overheads sound better?

Do the pepsi challenge...or the small diaphram condenser challenge.

 

[Chris Shaeffer]

i'm not seeing at all how a mic that costs 99 (oktava 012) could be better than a mic that costs 200 (akg c1000s)

I'm not sure, of course, but I have my guess.

The AKG c1000s has been around for a while. I bought my first one for $350 dollars. That was before the cheap mic boom started and no one was all that confident with the few cheap mics that there were.

So the AKG was designed to fit a low pirce bracket that is no longer low. When the inexpensive chinese-based mics started gaining credibility, AKG reworked the casing on the c1000s and dropped the price to $200. I'm assuming that they were trying to cut costs on the mic in orcer the remain competitive- without the benefits of the lower cost production that the chinese mics enjoy.

So you have a medium low cost mic that doesn't really compete with some of the best very low cost mics in its class today.

Chris

 

[fenix]

isn't oktava a russian company?

 

[Meshuggah]

fenix.. I listened to the mp3.com examples...The oktavas does NOT sound like that on overheads.. there's phase-problems or something. I bet someone else can confirm that.. I hope no-one makes a judgement about these mics based on those two recordings.

 

[fenix]

I'm not the one that recorded with the octava 012 mics, but I did record www.mp3.com/figre8 with the akg c1000s on overheads. Do you think the dude that recorded with the octava 012 possibly had them too close to the cymbals? does this cause phasing?

 

[mikemoritz]

I love the c1000 on overheads.....I plan on picking up a second for a pair. There's a few things I like the c1000 on. My voice, overheads, guitar, and especially acoustic guitar.

I think for 100$ a piece, it's a good deal.

Mike