Okatava Mics

[borntoplease]

ive been reading a lot about these russian made mics. i know there are some things to watch out for, but it seems like they are a pretty good deal. does anyone have any first hand experience? just wondering what the general consensus was on them...
thanks guys

 

[reshp1]

I own a MK319, bought second hand for 70 bucks. Slightly "darker" sounding mic, which is nice on female vocals. A nice compliment to many of the other budget mics which often have a high frequency hype. Try before you buy though, I've heard quality control isn't the best on these mics.

 

[Richard Monroe]

The general consensus is that these are pretty good mics overall, but quality control sucks, so there are some duds. The Sound Room, www.oktava.com does meticulous quality control and matching and you most definitely pay for it. Guitar Center sells them for cheap, but you really have to check them out, and make sure they have a good return policy where you buy. As far as applications, the MC012 is a very good small diaphragm mic that is a bit colored. It rocks for hard rock/blues overheads, sounds especially good on certain acoustics, and some people can even use it as a vocal mic. The MK319 is a dark neutral (not really colored) mic that sounds very good on some vocalists, especially women. The MK219 (same as the 319, but in an inferior housing), is an excellent paperweight or fishing sinker. The ML52 is a cheap ribbon mic with character, dark and smooth, good on some sources, sucks on others. I own one, and even I don't know whether it'll work on something until I try it. They also make a tube mic, which I have never used. I think almost any mic cabinet will benefit from a pair of MC012's and at least one MK319. There is also a LOMO head available from The Sound Room that screws onto the body of an MC012 and turns it into a large diaphragm mic suitable as a main vocal mic.-Richie

 

[nyechords]

What are your feelings on stereo pairing an NT1 and an Oktava Mk319? Are the sounds too different?

 

[Richard Monroe]

Stereo recording is done with matched mics, assuming your ears are not radically different from each other. However, an NT-1 and an MK319 might sound very good together (or not). Don't confuse recording with 2 mics with stereo recording. And yes, they are radically different.-Richie

 

[leddy]

I love my MC012's. I own three, two are close enough for stereo use. Outstanding for drum overheads. I have had excellent results with female vocal as well. Have not used the large Oktavas yet.